Jay-Z goes behind the rhymes

“You try to tell a great story with the music…You don’t want to be here and there, a fast-tempo [song] that has nothing to do with this record, you know?…It’s not this fast, loud dance song then it’s a slow ballad, then it takes you back. It has a flow. [It's] almost like a DJ would do.”

MTV News rolled out four feature/interviews with Hov last week, in which he discusses his lyrics, songwriting, and the art of making albums. Each article features a video interview with a lot of insight from Jay. Check em out:

1. Jay speaks on lyrics and his writing process

2. Jay on his voice and his use of the double-entendre

3. Jay on making “Brooklyn’s Finest” with Biggie and “Black Republican” with Nas

4. Jay on album sequencing and how to “tell a great story with the music”