In this episode, the hosts revisit a favorite past episode while working on new content, specifically an upcoming piece about Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. They discuss Jay Z's memoir "Decoded," drawing parallels between Jay Z's early passion for rap and the relentless practice ethic of athletes like Jordan. The episode delves into Jay Z's journey from the Marcy Projects to fame, emphasizing his work ethic, the influence of mentors, and his strategic approach to the music business. They also explore Jay Z's partnership with Readwise, allowing fans to access his extensive notes and highlights on entrepreneurship. Essential themes include the transformative power of mentorship, the importance of self-belief before ability, and the dedication to practice as a path to mastery. The episode concludes with a limited-time offer for listeners to join Founders Notes, a tool encapsulating the collective wisdom of history's greatest entrepreneurs.
"I made this episode about two years ago, and I wanted to repost it."
This quote indicates Speaker A's fondness for a past episode and the desire to share it again with the audience, likely because of its value or personal significance.
"There's also a reference to my daily practice of reading and rereading my notes and highlights in what I call this gigantic searchable database."
The quote reveals Speaker A's meticulous approach to learning and the use of a database to organize information, demonstrating the value of consistent study habits.
"And now, for a limited time only, you can sign up and pay once and get access to every highlight and note I have ever done and every highlight and note I will ever do."
This quote is a promotional statement emphasizing the exclusivity and value of the limited-time offer for lifetime access to a comprehensive resource.
"I've been listening to his music repeatedly for over two decades. I'd watch interviews with him. I'd take notes on what he says."
The quote reflects Speaker B's long-term admiration for Jay Z and the habit of learning from his words, indicating the deep impact Jay Z has had on the speaker.
"Entrepreneurs, the great founders of history, they would combine Kanye West levels of self-belief with the work ethic of Kobe Bryant."
This quote encapsulates the essence of what Speaker B and C believe makes a successful entrepreneur: immense self-belief and an unparalleled work ethic, drawing parallels between entrepreneurship and the mindset of renowned athletes.
"That night, I started writing rhymes in my notebook. From the beginning, it was easy, a constant flow."
This quote is a reflection of Jay Z's natural affinity for rap and his immediate commitment to honing his craft, showcasing the origins of his path to success.
"I spend hours, hours every day when I'm not reading books or when I'm not making podcasts, reading the highlights."
This quote from Speaker B shows a commitment to continuous learning and the recognition of the value in revisiting and reflecting on accumulated knowledge.
"There was no one like Rakim. His flow was complex, and his voice was ill. He was approaching rap like literature, like art."
The quote shows Jay Z's appreciation for Rakim's artistic approach to rap, which influenced his own perception of the music genre as a form of art and literature.
"At all costs, you better avoid these bars. Don Valentine says, all companies that go out of business do so for the same reason: they run out of money."
This quote highlights the critical advice from Don Valentine about avoiding the fate of running out of money, which is the common downfall for businesses.
"This is a crash course to Saint high school. If we make mistakes, they have very, very real consequences."
The quote underscores the serious nature of entrepreneurship compared to the relative safety of school, highlighting the gravity of mistakes in the business world.
"I got an invaluable education watching him perform."
This quote from Jay Z illustrates the significant impact that observing and learning from a mentor can have on personal growth and skill development.
"Success has to be earned over and over again or it disappears."
Jay Z echoes the wisdom that success is not a one-time achievement but requires ongoing dedication and effort to sustain.
"Nine to five is how you survive. I ain't trying to survive. I'm trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot."
Jay Z's quote captures the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit, which is about pursuing passion and pushing boundaries beyond mere survival.
"Great rap should have all kinds of unresolved layers that you don't necessarily figure out the first time you listen to it."
This quote from Jay Z stresses the richness of complex art and the importance of re-engagement to fully appreciate and understand its nuances.
"Every hustler knows the value of a faint. It keeps you one step ahead of whoever's listening."
Jay Z's quote highlights the strategic value of misdirection in business to maintain a competitive edge.
"I was looking at Russell and thinking, I want to be this dude, not his artist."
The quote reflects Jay Z's aspiration to emulate the success of industry pioneers like Russell Simmons and to become an influential mogul himself.
"I'm only competing with myself to be a better artist and businessman, to be a better person with a broader vision."
This quote encapsulates Jay Z's matured outlook on competition, prioritizing self-improvement and a broader vision for success.
"This is what the streets have done for us. They have done for me. They've given us a drive. They've made us stronger through hip hop."
The quote emphasizes the transformative power of hip-hop culture in providing resilience and ambition.
"It's a million dollars worth of game for 999."
This quote from Jay Z underscores the value he believes his music offers, far exceeding its monetary cost.
"And the best investors, they all have deep historical knowledge."
This quote highlights the importance of historical knowledge in the success of business leaders and investors.
"There's ideas worth billions of dollars in a $30 history book."
This quote parallels the concept that valuable insights and ideas can often be found in inexpensive resources like history books.
"Basquiat was from Brooklyn. Like me, he started off living in the streets as a graffiti artist."
This quote draws a parallel between Basquiat's beginnings and Jay Z's, highlighting a shared background and humble beginnings.
"He's probably among the most famous artists in the world. Two decades after his death, I own a few of his paintings. His technique feels like hip hop."
Jay Z relates Basquiat's artistic technique to hip-hop, suggesting a shared essence and approach to their respective crafts.
"You don't want to get your wish in death. You want it in life."
This quote reflects the desire to achieve one's goals and recognition during one's lifetime, not posthumously.
"I'm building insanely great products because that's what I feel I should do."
This quote from Steve Jobs, as related by Jay Z, emphasizes the importance of pursuing one's vision with conviction, regardless of market trends.
"Most kings get their heads cut off."
This quote, from a Basquiat painting owned by Jay Z, serves as a cautionary reminder of the perils of success and leadership.
"By endurance we conquer."
This maxim, used by Jay Z as a personal reminder, emphasizes the value of resilience and perseverance in achieving success.
"Rappers who have been dangled over balconies for their publishing money, that's a true story, by the way, held by their ankles."
This quote illustrates the extreme and sometimes violent challenges that artists can face in the music industry.
"I'm not interested in being good at podcasting for a year or two, but a decade after decade after decade, because that is what my heroes did."
This quote reveals Jay Z's aspiration for enduring success, mirroring the sustained achievements of his role models.
"I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man."
This iconic quote from Jay Z encapsulates his approach to his career, where he views himself as an enterprise.
"When I committed to a career in rap, I wasn't taking a vow of poverty. I saw it as another hustle."
Jay Z rejects the notion that artists should not be concerned with the financial aspects of their work, seeing it as another avenue for success.
"The mind is powerful place, and what you feed it can affect you in powerful ways."
This quote underscores the significance of mental focus and visualization in achieving one's objectives.
"Just because we don't understand it doesn't mean it's not powerful."
Here, Jay Z acknowledges the mysterious yet potent nature of intuition and its role in guiding decisions.
"The thing that distinguished Jordan wasn't just his talent, but his discipline, his laser like commitment to excellence."
This quote highlights the importance of discipline and dedication in achieving greatness, as exemplified by Michael Jordan.
"That is the kind of consistency that you can get only by adding dead serious discipline to whatever talent you have."
Jay Z emphasizes that talent must be matched with serious discipline to achieve consistent, long-term success.
"Clark thought I had something new to offer to this world that he loved. He's like, stop dealing drugs, Jay. Take the rap shit seriously. You're good at it."
This quote reflects the pivotal role of mentorship in Jay Z's transition from drug dealing to a music career.
"Dame Dash projected bulletproof confidence. If you're not like this, act like you are."
The advice here is to embody confidence, even if it doesn't come naturally, as it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Allowed me to stay open to the next thing without feeling held back by a preconceived notion of what I'm supposed to be doing next."
Jay Z values the ability to remain open to new possibilities, unencumbered by fixed expectations of the future.
"My life has been more poetry than prose, more about unpredictable leaps and links than simply steady movement, or worse, stagnation."
This quote captures Jay Z's philosophy of life as a series of creative and unexpected journeys rather than a predictable path.
"The sad shit is that you never really shake it all the way off, no matter how much money you get."
This quote reveals the deep-seated emotional impact of poverty, which persists even after achieving wealth.
"I remember coming back home from doing work, so selling drugs out of state with my boys in a caravan of Lexus's that we parked right in the middle of Marcy."
Jay Z reflects on a moment of triumph that symbolized a temporary escape from the shame of poverty.
"Dame was getting frustrated trying to keep up with me, so he put together a makeshift tour to keep me focused on music." "In some ways, these were like my college days, taking road trips, bunked up with friends, learning my profession." "Time job selling drugs."
The quotes highlight the early struggles and efforts to pursue a career in music while dealing with the challenges of Speaker B's environment and other commitments. They draw a parallel between the structured learning of college and the unorthodox, real-life education received through touring.
"It's so human, it doesn't force you to pretend to be only one thing or another, to be a saint or a sinner." "Having a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, is the most common thing in the world."
The quotes emphasize the humanizing aspect of rap, which allows for a more nuanced representation of life, acknowledging that people can embody conflicting characteristics and that this is a normal part of the human experience.
"Sam's like, all right, where's the guy at? He's in this remote Yukon territory or wherever it is. How do I get there?" "So Sam Brothman winds up getting meeting the guy, negotiating a deal in the camp spot, and getting the hotel before that other guy, sitting with his feet up, even knew what hit him."
The quotes recount the extraordinary efforts of Sam Brothman to secure a business deal, demonstrating the lengths to which some entrepreneurs will go to achieve their goals. They parallel Jay Z's own tenacity in overcoming obstacles in his career.
"After every label in the industry turned us down, Dame Biggs and I decided, fuck it. Why be workers anyway?" "We didn't know the business yet, but we knew how to hustle. We wrote it down."
These quotes describe Jay Z's response to industry rejection and his proactive steps to create his own path. They underscore the importance of determination, resourcefulness, and the power of writing down goals to achieve success.
"Slick Rick taught me that not only can rap be emotionally expressive, it can express those feelings that you can't really name." "The power of his stories come in part from his willingness to pull the covers off of taboos, to get into the shit that people pretend isn't really happening."
These quotes illustrate the impact that storytelling in rap has on both the artist and the audience. They point out how rappers like Slick Rick and Scarface have inspired Jay Z to use music as a means to explore and share deeper emotional truths.
"I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of not trying every day, hit every wave like I'm Hawaiian. I don't surf the net. No, I've never been on Myspace." "Technology is making it easier to connect to other people, but maybe harder to keep connected to yourself."
These quotes highlight Jay Z's approach to life, focusing on effort and authenticity rather than following trends. They stress the importance of self-reflection and maintaining a personal connection amidst a world increasingly dominated by technology.