Jay-Z At 40: Celebrating His Impossible Reality

CLEVELAND - Jay-Z once rapped in a song: "difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." Today, as the legendary hip-hop artist/tycoon turns 40 years of age, I think it's worth celebrating the man's obvious belief in those words. And that's why he is one of the greatest inspirations in history.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Carter.

Mr. Carter, as in Shawn Corey Carter (Jay-Z's birth name) is nothing short of amazing. Most talk nowadays by his naysayers and critics centers on his age, which is considered ancient in the young dumb and full of cum world of rap and hip-hop. But the truth is, Jay-Z has excelled so well at his craft, that it has become merely one of his considerable attributes as he's parlayed his prodigious prowess on the mic into a half billion dollar empire. In other words, no one in hip-hop even touches his legacy, nor his smooth command of the music. But man, these young dudes try to make their listeners think and believe that he's an antiquated relic, when in reality he's the best in the business.

Even at 40.

What amazes me about Jay-Z is how transcendent he is. The man was born into poverty in the oft-mentioned Marcy Housing Projects in NYC. Without the benefit of having his father around, he became a street kid turned drug dealer in the mid-1980's. A few years later, he turned his circumstances around and began building his lyrical legend in the early '90's. By the end of that decade, he'd become the hottest superstar in rap and the owner of his own record label.

Fast forward to right now and the man's story gets even more stunning. Married to super beauty Beyonce Knowles. Friends with the president of the United States. Owner of a successful clothing line. I'm in awe of Jay's crossover appeal; holding company with Oprah Winfrey and President Obama with an elegant and dignified flair, while "chillin" with LeBron James and Young Jeezy in all of his "hood nigga" turned executive posturing. As further proof of his adaptability, throughout his illustrious career, Jay has performed with such contrary music acts as Linkin Park and Bono, played smooth in duets with Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys then brought it hard and heavy in collaborations with the Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West and friend turned foe Beanie Sigel.

The king of versatility.

Though guys like 50 Cent have mocked Jay for being accepted into the upper crust society that embraces Oprah while trying to maintain a street edginess and credibility, I feel that Jay's success in doing that only expands his legend. Indeed, Jay has done what was actually nearly impossible; a poor black kid who turned to a life of drug dealing became a wealthy mogul with Madison Ave. appeal and a resonance across both impoverished and privileged communities.

At 40, that's the deck of cards Jay-Z is playing with. Who else can say that?