Hip-Hop fans have seen Jay Z rise from the street level to become a multi-million dollar mogul, and can thus expect songs like “Tom Ford” to explain his current disposition. However, Vanity Fair acknowledged the legendary MC’s lengthy history of name-dropping in his music.
Coined Jay’s “Most Name-Dropped Brands,” the magazine used a very special criteria that breaks down references to Gucci, BMW, and the like across his multiple albums.
“To make the task realistic, we referenced only albums officially included in his discography, and at times we interpreted lyrics when they very obviously referenced a brand without outright saying it,” Vanity Fair explained.
An interesting assortment of brands find their way on the list. With Mercedes-Benz clocking in at number one, others like Rolex and Lexus also appear.
The infographic also shows how the Brooklyn native’s interests shifted over time. For instance, references to firearms manufacturers Glock and Kel-Tec — particularly the former — came in influx earlier in his career. There’s also a noticeable drop in mentions of Cristal, which Hov notoriously denounced, claiming they were racist in the early aughts.
Note that The Blueprint was omitted from the list.
See where the various brands fell in the infographic on the following page.
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Photo: Vanity Fair
