To “entendre” or not to “entendre,” that is Jay-Z’s question. ‘Twas once a skillful clever wordsmith, whose unpredictable witty lyrics earned him praise and accolades, has become a victim of the spoken phrase with double meaning, spewing words now twisted up in the tangled web we weave.
I remember when I first heard the phrase. Freshman English class. And it has now resurfaced in the rhymes of the Almighty Hov-er and over again in the past year and a half. Alas, my ears tire. But in his overuse of the double entendre, is he attempting to educate a generation of Freshman class cutters who shant even show up to class to learn prose in proper context or merely stressing his newfound love of literature.
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer, the slings and arrows of hooked on phonics. Ah, To Rap. To Sleep. For in that sleep of rap, what yawns may come.
(Does anyone care that I didn’t write this down at first? I don’t write it down! Aw shiznit, i’m a genius. Did you read what I wrote? Did you hear what I said? Isn’t this annoying? Are you getting the point?)

November 28, 2007 at 1:42 pm
It’s kind of like that one schmuck in college who would learn one new thing and base every conversation on it for the next two weeks in some cocksmithed attempt to seem like an expert.
November 28, 2007 at 2:34 pm
lol, well done.
Here’s the joint I was telling you about last night: http://www.hiphopdx.com/blogs/ketchums/2007/11/28/five-tips-for-wannabe-hip-hop-journalists.html … and your shout-out is definitely in tact.
EZ
November 28, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Classic…
December 1, 2007 at 5:04 am
I think Hov’s use of double entendres makes for humorous material especially at a time when acts like Mims and Souljahboy who are lacking in lyrical content are in high rotation. At least, what he says actually makes sense.
I’m not a businessman…. I am a business, man…lol
June 6, 2008 at 9:28 pm
And the sad part about this is that Lil’ Wayne has picked up on this style of rappin’ now!Just shoot me already!lol
Will a.k.a. Hip Hop Is Alive & Well
http://www.myspace.com/lyricassassin
July 12, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I think it opens the door for literary analysis of Hip Hop. It makes you stop and think to see if there is more than just the double entendre. Sometimes there is a triple or even quadruple.
It’s going t make more rappers pay attention in literature class and actually learn something in school….that’s worth every overused pun they could possibly come up with.
September 26, 2008 at 6:28 am
“Monsta of the double entendre/Coke is still my sponsor/Cola that is…” Incredible. He raps for grown ups. My motto is “If you were born after 83′ YOU’RE AN ASSHOLE!”
Myspace.com/strictlysquare
July 6, 2009 at 9:32 pm
How can you criticize the overuse of the double entendre? That makes no sense to me. Why? Because the first meaning is so straightforward, that few may even pick up on the second or third meaning (there may not even be one).
If Jay never explained his lyrics in interviews, or made that song on Kingdom Come, I swear this blog post wouldn’t exist.
April 16, 2011 at 10:35 am
You’ve hit the ball out the park! Irncedbile!
March 2, 2010 at 12:19 am
I love this posts . Post more and thanks to all the mistress!
March 13, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I just landed on this sire and i think its amazing , thank you for this nice post!
April 27, 2010 at 3:25 pm
No joke you know what you are talking about , thank you