Jay-Z and Gatsby's American Dream

 

           “My President is Black” by Young Jeezy and Jay-Z portrays the American Dream in the sense that people are making money and moving from a lower social class to a higher one. The “American Dream” is defined as enduring life’s hardships and overcoming social and economic set-backs in order to be a “somebody”. As well, a big part of the “American Dream” is not only becoming wealthy but also having more than enough money to live comfortably. Jay-Z raps about people who start out as having a social and economic disadvantage but who reach the top of the “social ladder” because of their perseverance and determination to make life better for themselves.  In The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is a parallel to the people Jay-Z raps about because he too started out being poor and had to work his way up to being wealthy. Gatsby was disciplined and worked hard so that he could achieve the “American Dream”; his hard work resulted in him having a surplus amount of money to spend on flashy, unnecessary items just like Jay-Z.  Materialism is inevitable when one attains the American Dreams of wealth so items like cars and “bling” become necessary to achieve the ideal status.  To those who came from nothing, it is empowering and satisfying to be able to buy pompous and flashy objects. A diverse amount of colors with these flashy objects is also important because it represents their joy and pride in being wealthy.

             In “My President is Black”, Jay-Z talks about the progress of the African American race and says “Rosa Park sat so Martin Luther could walk, Martin Luther walked so Barack Obama could run, Barack Obama ran so all the children could fly.” Not only does this quote emphasize the progressions of a race but it also symbolizes the defeat of the social standard and people moving from one extreme of the social class to the other. “Rosa Parks sat” refers to the 1950s when an African American woman refused to follow the social norm of sitting in the back of the bus.  

Rosa Parks sitting in front of a white

Although this is line is directed toward the African American rights movement, it is also significant because it shows that Rosa Parks didn’t have a car, an object that is a necessity to the American Dream, which stresses her position in the lowest social class. Like Rosa Parks, Gatsby started at the bottom of the “social ladder”, having little possessions to his name; yet Gatsby refused to accept his fate of being poor in the same way that Rosa Parks refused to accept her fate as being an African American in the back of the bus.  On the other hand, Barack Obama is now president of the United States and at the opposite end of the social spectrum, which couldn’t have been achieved without the perseverance and determination of other African American civil right advocates such as Martin Luther King. Gatsby too earned his wealth and status through determination and hard work, which can be seen from his strict schedule and plan for success that he had written in his book. The progress of the African American race and Gatsby’s economic success are both examples of the American Dream because both exceeded the social standard and have made a more than enough money to live comfortably.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Barack Obama in the White House

              Cars are critical in the idea of the American Dream because they symbolize wealth and freedom.  Jay-Z mentions his cars multiple times throughout the song by saying, “my president is black my maybach too…my money dark green and my porsche is light gray,” because he is proud to own items that represent such important aspects in life. Also, “Maybach” and “Porsche” are some of the most expensive and high-end car brands, which accentuate his wealth. For Jay-Z, whose ancestors were most likely slaves, having a car of his own is worth bragging about because the car represents his wealth and gives him freedom by enabling him to move about however he pleases. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald draws attention to Gatsby’s car for the same reasons that Jay-Z draws attention to his own car. Gatsby’s extravagant car is another way for him to boast about his economic success. Cars are also a luxury to those who can afford them because walking or taking a bus is never necessary, which was Rosa Parks’ and Gatsby’s means of transportation before they succeeded. A car is the perfect representation of the American Dream because it gives freedom to the individual who owns it and it acts as a measurement of one’s wealth.

Porsche 

Maybach

 

              

           Throughout “My President is Black”, Jay-Z uses color to describe his material objects because they demonstrate the joy that comes with being wealthy.  Jay-Z describes his maybach as “black”, his diamonds as “blue”, his money as “dark green” and his Porsche as “light gray”. Color adds an exciting element to Jay-Z’s wealth and makes the rich seem effortlessly fabulous. Gatsby’s life is also frequently described as being colorful, and the most directly related example is his “yellow” car. Color enriches the wealthy’s life style and represents the joy of having money.   

So many colors!

                 

The Great Gatsby and “My President is Black” both take the same approach to defining the American Dream.  Both describe this "Dream" as people having the opportunity to make something of themselves, having enough money to own nice items, and being able to move around carelessly from one social group to another having achieved social mobility. In “My President is Black”, Jay-Z discusses the success of the African American race as it moved from being seen as an inferior race of servants in the U.S. to governing the white house. Similar to Jay-Z, Nick, in The Great Gatsby, acknowledges the same progress that is being made by African Americans and comments,

“A limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish negroes, two bucks and a girl. I laughed as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry. ‘Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over this bridge,’ I thought; ‘Anything at all.’”(Fitzgerald 69)

Social mobility at its finest

Although Nick acts supercilious towards the “negroes” in the limousine, he is amazed that “anything can happen” in New York now that African Americans have moved up the “social ladder”. This scene is significant because it epitomizes the progress of African Americans, who went from being slaves to being driven around by someone who a hundred year earlier would have previously been seen as their master.  Jay-Z also references 'flying' in his song and says, “Barack Obama ran so all the children could fly, ima spread my wings, you can meet me in the sky.” Flight in this lyric represents both opportunity and social mobility. Jay-Z’s wealth gives him complete social mobility by allowing him to exceed social standards and reach the “sky.” In The Great Gatsby, the same idea is exhibited when Nick describes two wealthy girls, Daisy and Jordan, by saying, “They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.” (Fitzgerald 8) The girls are able to carelessly “fly” around their house because their money relieves any economic burden that they would feel if they were not wealthy.  Their “white” dresses even compare them to angels, which places them above all other social classes. Daisy and Jordan’s money allows them to be free of stress and dominate the social world. Both Jay-Z and Fitzgerald ‘s works illustrate the American Dream through the social progression of two people and the comfortable living that both have achieved.