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Jay-Z has acquired plenty of titles, including “The Best Rapper Alive,” “The King of Hip-Hop,” and “A Guy Who Sometimes Doesn’t Get It.” He just added another one, as he has been declared one of a handful of “Men of the Year” by GQ magazine.
Jigga will appear on the cover of the publication’s December issue, which also features “Man of the Year” awards for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, and Michael Fassbender. This is actually Jay’s second GQ “Man of the Year” award; he last picked up the title in 2006 when he released his comeback album Kingdom Come. Oops.
The case for Jay-Z this year isn’t difficult. He got turned into a cartoon and finally put out that J.Cole album, but it really boils down to two things: He was one half of one of the biggest musical events of the year in Watch the Throne (and no matter what you think of the quality of that release, it’s hard to argue with its scope), and also had a pretty solid 12 months in his personal life.
The incoming Hova-Bey baby is a big focus of the accompanying interview. “Providing — that’s not love,” he told GQ of his take on parenthood, spoken from the shadow of his own father’s alcoholism and absence. “Being there — that’s more important. I mean, we see that. We see that with all these rich socialites. They’re crying out for attention; they’re hurting for love. I’m not being judgmental — I’m just making an observation. They’re crying out for the love that maybe they didn’t get at home, and they got everything. All the material things that they need and want. So we know that’s not the key.”
The rapper also insisted that he’ll be changing diapers (“Of course. One hundred percent,” he insisted) and joked about putting a carseat in a Maybach. “That would be a great picture,” he said.
These decisions are made for a variety of reasons, but just taken musically, shouldn’t Kanye West get the rub from Watch the Throne over Jay-Z? Still, it is refreshing to know that West even bothers his most elite collaborators sometimes. “I think he just can’t help himself,” he said of working with West. “He puts so much into everything, and he’s like, ‘You have to treat it like I treat it.’ It drives you crazy sometimes—like when you’ve put seventy-five versions of a snare on one song and he’s like, ‘No!’ and you’re like, ‘Come on, man.’”
What do you think, readers — did GQ choose the right man for 2011? Let us know in the comments below.
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