O.J. Simpson, who died on Wednesday (April 10) at 76, was a deeply polarizing figure, but he inspired a great work of art – Jay-Z’s 2017 song and video, “The Story of O.J.,” a searing look at racism and classism in America, and the importance of building generational wealth.
The song entered and peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 10 on Hot R&B Hip-Hop Songs. It received three Grammy nominations – record of the year, best rap song and best music video.
In a key line in the song, Jay quotes a famous Simpson line and then shows his own skepticism with a perfectly-timed pause and a one-word rejoinder: “O.J. like, ‘I’m not black, I’m O.J.’ …okay.”
Some saw Simpson’s double murder trial in 1994-95, in which he was acquitted, as proof that no matter how much success, fame and acclaim a Black person achieves in America, at the end of the day, their race still defines how they are perceived. Jay summarized that argument in this brilliant stanza: “Light n—a, dark n—a, faux n—a, real n—a/ Rich n—a, poor n—a, house n—a, field n—a/ Still n—a, still n—a.”
Jay also stressed the importance of building generational wealth by making smart financial decisions instead of blowing money on fancy cars and strip clubs. “Financial freedom my only hope/ F–k livin’ rich and dyin’ broke… I can’t wait to give this s–t to my children/ Y’all think it’s bougie, I’m like, it’s fine/ But I’m tryin’ to give you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99.”
One lyric in the song stirred controversy. Jay raps about the importance of building credit and poses the rhetorical question, “You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America?/ This how they did it.” Critics said it was antisemitic to suggest that Jews own all the property in America and that doing so perpetuated a damaging stereotype.
On the Rap Radar podcast, Jay dismissed the criticism. “It’s hard for me to take that serious … Of course, I know Jewish people don’t own all the property in the world. I mean, I own things! It was an exaggeration … In the context of the song, I’m trying say, ‘You guys did it right!’”
Jay wrote the song with No I.D. (Dion Wilson), Gene Redd and Jimmy Crosby. The song sampled Nina Simone’s 1966 song “Four Women,” so she was also credited as a writer. Jay co-produced it with No I.D. The song was featured on Jay’s 13th studio album 4:44, which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 and went on to receive Grammy nods for album of the year and best rap album.
Jay-Z also directed the song’s animated video with Mark Romanek, who had previously won a MTV Video Music Award for best direction for Jay’s “99 Problems.” The video includes such incendiary images as Ku Klux Klan marches, a cross being lit, slaves picking cotton and being sold at auction, Black people eating watermelon, taxis and sections of busses designed “Colored,” Olympic champions raising their clenched fists in a Black Power salute, and a football player (any similarity to Simpson is purely intentional) running for a touchdown.
The lead character in the video is named Jaybo, an obvious play on Sambo. In one of the final frames of the video, Jaybo is lynched while rapping. The video uses a style similar to that used in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons that were prevalent in the 1930s and 1940s. Some of those cartoons used ethnic stereotypes. Those have been withheld from syndication in the U.S. since 1968, on the grounds that they would be deemed offensive by contemporary audiences.
Rolling Stone ranked the video No. 35 on its 2023 list of the 150 Greatest Hip-Hop Videos of All Time. Writer Christopher R. Weingarten called it “Jay-Z’s most mercilessly political moment.”
The song and video are a reminder that great art can come from anywhere.
