There is much we can discuss with Jay-Z's seminal work "99 Problems." However, I have decided to focus my efforts, discussing only certain key aspects. We will briefly touch on not only the "99 Problems," but also the fact that "the bitch ain't one" (2).

As the title suggests, Jay-Z's main focus is on the "99 Problems." However, in many subjects what is not there is just as important as what is there, which brings us to "the bitch." As Jay-Z is rich, famous and successful, we can safely assume that he could be in a long term relationship with almost any woman he desired. It would be tempting to assume that Jay-Z was a homosexual, but if life is to imitate art, this can not be true, as he is married to Beyonce, who is a stone-fox. It is unlikely that his response to critics ("kiss my whole asshole" [9]) is one he desires, but is more likely meant to show derision and exactly how much he values their opinion. Surely, nothing sweet can come from mouth involved in such action. The less said about that, the better.

Still, it is clear that Jay-Z does not much to do with women at all. In fact, he begins his work "If you got girl problems, I feel bad for you son..." (1) which leads readers to believe that having girl problems is worse than the 99 other difficulties he faces, as he does not feel bad for himself. He also says critics describe him as "money, cash, hoes" (5), which means he must have interactions with women if he is to incorporate them into what is a largely experience driven work. These facts lead me to believe that Jay-Z is advocating a misogynistic lifestyle which advocates using women for personal gain or pleasure. Get outta there Beyonce.

I have already asserted that Jay-Z's work is driven by experience, mainly with critics, the police, as well as papparazi. These experiences seem to make up the 99 problems by which he is identifying himself in this song. If Jay-Z is using these problems to identify and promote himself, he places himself in a very ironic situation. While his success is hard earned and comes with these stresses, these stresses mostly come from the suburban middle-class lifestyle. The paparrazi seem to be mostly white and the police are clearly racially prejudiced. It would be too much to say that the critics are white, but they do not like the direction his music has taken and so are displeased with him. Still, it is not clear whether they would give high praise to Yanni over Jay-Z, so they will not be included.

Jay-Z's identity is Euro-centric. Although he claims he has moved up in the world, he unable to escape the fact that the oppression which he uses to sell his records and identify himself is forced on him by the very things he despises. "99 Problems" is not just a catchy song, but a poinant comment on the status of Black America. One only can only hope that Rick actually was "crazy for this one."