Still Nigga, Part 2

The General's Briefing · Jun 19, 2026 · 21m

When I first saw the headlines about Jay-Z and Target, I felt it. That thing in your chest when someone whose work has shaped the way you think disappoints you. I have spent the last year running Jay-Z's lyrics through digital humanities software. I have tracked every word he has ever used across seven albums. I have quantified his Faustian Bargain with data. Jay-Z is not just a rapper I like. He is a primary text in my dissertation. And when those headlines dropped, I was confused. I was disappointed. I needed to think it through.

So I did what I always do. I went to the work. I went to the…