SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Jay-Z looks on prior to the start of Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images hide caption

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

It's no small irony that Jay-Z , the best personification of hip-hop's hopes and dreams, built his success by emulating America's worst excesses. Avarice. Greed. Domination. In turn, we idolized him for showing us "how to move in a room full of vultures." The streets he hustled in were made savage by design. The industry he conquered was out to vanquish him first. Indoctrinated by the same vampiric systems, we learned to praise those willing to sacrifice humanity — whether theirs or others' — in order to scale from the bottom up. The oppressor-oppressed dialectic can be funny that way.…