Rolling Stone reports Jay-Z will release Decoded, a book which “mixes first-person memoir with detailed discussions of his most famous and provocative lyrics” on November 16. The 336-page work is a collaboration between Jay and former Source magazine editor Dream Hampton, complete with rare interviews, illustrations and detailed explanations of some of the rapper’s more intricate lyrics.
“It’s called Decoded because it decodes all the lyrics from my records,” Jay-Z explained to V-103’s Ryan Cameron last July. “I’m gonna pick select ones…all the double-entendres and things that people may have missed or may have gotten and want confirmation on it.”
Decoded may presumably replace the long-proposed autobiography, The Black Book, which never hit shelves after Jay-Z’s 2003 retirement. Decoded will be released via the publishing company Spiegel & Grau.
