This is a fantastic episode! Great post, Alex. I remember Terry Gross asking Jay-Z, "So, what was it like when crack come to the neighborhood?" It was such a strange (and funny) thing to hear coming from her.

Minute 33: Terry Gross asks Jay Z why do rapper's grab their crotch on stage -- his answer is really interesting.

This episode is back from Nov. 2010, but it's evergreen and great and discusses how Hard Knock Life came to be: "Jay-Z tells Terry Gross one of his earliest rhymes, which he wrote when he was just 9: 'I'm the king of hip-hop / Renewed like the Reebok / The key in the lock / Words so provocative/ As long as I live." The hip-hop artist says that when he looks back on that rhyme now, he thinks, "Wow, that was pretty prophetic."" http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/13...

Great post! I love Jay-Z and this was a great interview!