From 'Girls, Girls, Girls' to 'Song Cry': How Hip-Hop Taught Me About Love

The General's Briefing · Mar 23, 2026 · 22m

I became aware of hip-hop in the late 1990s. And the artist who shaped my understanding of love was Jay-Z.

I was a teenager when The Blueprint came out in 2001. Jay-Z taught me what love was supposed to look like. In "A Girl's Best Friend," he rapped about diamonds and material love. In "Girls, Girls, Girls," he cataloged all the different types of women he'd been with—and I wanted to be one of those girls. I wanted to be chosen. I wanted to be seen. I wanted to be worthy.

In this episode, I break down the Faustian Bargain (Jay-Z's evolution from "hustle" to "business") and the Sacrificial…