We know Jay-Z has been in the studio, but the lid is so tight on whatever he’s been cooking up that fans find whatever seeps through the cracks to be exciting. After “Open Letter” put the Internets in a momentary frenzy, the only foreseeable release from Big Homie was his contribution to The Great Gatsby soundtrack “100$ Bill,” which we receive in full today.
Hov uses a hypnotic melody chock-full of chants from a choir as the palette to kick a few affluent rhymes, sans the obnoxious stunting if that makes any sense.
In other words, the track sounds more like the battle cry of someone seeking capital by any means. The Brooklyn MC explores the concept by lyrically painting a picture of the dichotomy of the get rich or die trying mind state, going as far as to liken it to governmental higher ups in one verse and dope boys in the other.
Those interested can hear The Great Gatsby soundtrack can get an advanced listen via NPR. Hear “100$ Bill” below, and see Jay-Z speak on executive producing the film’s soundtrack in an interview on the following page.
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Photo: Mark Seliger
