Jay Z as evidence of the legitimacy of Thorstein Veblen’s Leisure Class Theory

Thorstein Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class provides a satiric and critical look at the habits and culture of the wealthy tier of society. The idea of vicarious leisure, the unproductive labor done on the behalf of the wealthy by their servants, and the concept of pecuniary emulation, imitation of those wealthier than you by consumption, are important themes throughout the work. Of note also is Veblen’s theory of the leisure class’ “archaic traits”, passed down not by genetics but by culture. Having these traits, these “predatory” traits, traits which are held over from times more dependent on aggression than chicanery, is an indication of one’s potential for either leisure class or delinquent class. These predatory traits are synonymous with the highest and lowest of classes, but not so much of the middle classes. A look at the career of rapper and mogul Jay Z shows not only the presence of these predatory traits, but also the potential of one from the delinquent class reaching the leisure class.The early life of Shawn Carter, who would come to be internationally known as Jay Z, was typical for a young man growing up in the projects of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, New York, and relates to Veblen’s theories in pecuniary habit and emulation. From Jay Z’s music, we can surmise he spent some time selling crack-cocaine early in life, displaying, even at that time, the “habits of thought..shaped by the competitive process of acquisition” (Veblen, Ch. 9) needed for a successful career in exploitation and the pecuniary employment of the leisure classes. Life in the projects of Brooklyn was an unpleasant one, but from all indications Jay Z made do, learning to freestyle and emcee, and eventually becoming talented enough to be noticed and guest on more well known rappers’ tracks. The emulative process of learning from and acting as hype man for more established and successful rappers was certainly a motivating factor for Z’s career. One might even say the choice of “Jay Z” as moniker for emcee is a strong indication of the presence of emulation, due to the fact that one of Jay-Z’s mentors was a man who went by the name Jaz-O.

Jay-Z’s choice of name for his record company, and by extension his media empire, is among the most definite and damning manifestation of the emulative and invidious qualities of his early career and striving for the rank of leisure class. The name Roc-A-Fella is, of course, a clever distortion of the Rockefeller name, Rockefeller being one of the most pecuniarily successful families in American history. The Rockefeller family was and is, to put it mildly, a perfect example of the leisure class proper in America. Jay-Z’s decision to name his record company after the Rockefellers is an intimation of an invidious desire, even then, to attain the rank of leisure class and join the wealthiest of society in their perpetuation of conspicuous consumption and the pecuniary canons of taste the rest of society looks to them for cues in. Indeed, Veblen would have known exactly what Jay-Z was doing by naming his company after one of the most successful businessmen of all time- emulation of the class one wishes to join is the foundation of the consumption culture as a whole. Jay-Z simply set his sights appreciably higher than the next class higher than his upbringing.

Jay-Z’s career in the music industry continued to snowball into more and more success by the album, and his sights began to wander to greater and more varied interests of pecuniary triumph. One of Z’s hits is called “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”, and is of particular interest by virtue of its sample source, the musical “Annie”, about a miserably poor orphan who is adopted by a fabulously wealthy man (perhaps based on none other than John Rockefeller) and vaults to the upper crust of society. The parallels between Jay-Z, and, indeed, the greater rap artist community, is unmistakeable in their rise from some of the most destitute of conditions to the life of wealth and success. Where Jay-Z and his peers began to diverge is in the next move to be made by the successful rapper. Does one simply live in the approximation of leisure one has achieved in success, by flaunting wealth and spending money in large amounts on the most useless endeavors of consumption possible? This impulse is shown by the fashion statement of gold braces, or “grills”, which are worn proudly by many in the rap game. But this only serves to show their inability to move beyond short-sighted approximations of the leisure class, as opposed to the assimilative maneuvers of Jay-Z. The “bling” of the successful rapper indicates their lack of standing among the rich. “‘Loud’ dress”, says Veblen, “becomes offensive to people of taste, as evincing an undue desire to reach and impress the untrained sensibilities of the vulgar” (Veblen, Ch. 7). Jay-Z took another path.

Jay-Z’s business sense took him down the path of pecuniary success, almost following Veblen’s descriptions of the leisure class’ activities as prescriptions in affluence. With the break-up of the Roc-A-Fella joint ownership between Z, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke, as direct result of a buy out by Def Jam, Jay-Z retained his position of authority within the company at the expense of the partners with whom he had started the label. Both gentlemen were released from the company after selling their shares. Z, on the other hand, found himself with rather more control than before over the company and parlayed his greater power into a controlling interest in Def Jam records as well. Jay-Z had learned the lesson that “pecuniary employments…are the employments that have to do with ownership- the immediate function of the leisure class proper- and the subsidiary functions concerned with acquisition and accumulation” (Veblen, Ch. 9). With this lesson and his newfound employment and pecuniary skill-set, Jay-Z made the wise move of announcing his retirement from music at the age of 31. This move was guaranteed to draw attention to his business ventures such as Rocawear, a clothing brand, and to his catalog of music, which sold well with the added spotlight of media interest. “The captain of industry,” Veblen observed, almost as if he were reporting on Jay-Z’s shrewd business sense, “is an astute man rather than an ingenious one, and his captaincy is a pecuniary one rather than an industrial one” (ibid.). In other words, while Jay-Z may lack the mechanical know-how and industrial proficiency in the actual production of that which is produced by his capital, the promotion and selling of it is his domain exclusively and his success in doing so is evident.

Philanthropy seems a cult for the leisure class, and one of the final hurdles, along with marriage, one must overcome to be considered a member of the class, and Jay-Z has had a great success at both. Jay-Z’s philanthropic work has thus far been overly involved with water, whether the purification of it for the continent of Africa or the solution to its power in New Orleans. Water and its effects for both good and ill, and Z’s involvement, are perfectly in line with Veblen’s theory of philanthropy- that the philanthropic tradition “requires that one should not be vulgarly familiar with any of the processes or details that have to do with the material necessities for life” (Veblen, Ch. 13). Z’s philanthropy fit this mold, by at once donating money to, and simultaneously being removed from the actual workings of, this charitable diversion. Marriage within the class he has aspired to has worked perfectly for Z as well, his union with the highly successful and wealthy Beyonce Knowles begets not only what one thinks of as a natural union (both musically successful, both at a higher level of class than their musical peers, both moguls of their respective media empires), but also one which allows, by virtue of wealth itself, an almost automatic entrance into the leisure class. Add to the mix Beyonce’s long-standing and diverse philanthropic activities, and the transformation from Bed-Stuy projects to palatial estate and leisure class proper is complete.

Jay-Z has become a member of the leisure class in dress, pecuniary triumph and action, almost by the numbers as far as Veblen’s work can be seen as prescriptive. Where the predatory actions of the delinquent class are concerned, his dabbling in drug dealing showed a propensity at a young age for the pursuit of monetary success. As his fame and talent grew, Jay-Z evidenced a particularly sharp mind for the business of pecuniary employment. His tithe to the religion of philanthropy, and his marriage of wealth and fame has established him as a true member of the leisure class, a true success story of taking those traits which exist in both the highest and lowest of classes from the latter to the former.