This 2001 Jay-Z track contains a Shakespeare reference that is not uttered by Jay himself, but rather featured rapper Eminem. On his verse, Eminem compares his artistry to that of the legendary playwright; he raps, âSee, Iâm a poet to some, a regular modern day Shakespeare.â Eminem calls upon Shakespeare to legitimize his talent to his critics, who dismiss his art as overly vulgar. Yet it is significant that Eminem, a white rapper, declares Shakespeare-level genius points while Jay-Z, a black rapper, does not; this points to the white rapperâs freedom to associate himself with such cultural authorities (Hansen 229).Â
Some rap critics believe that this line is more than just self-aggrandizement, likening Eminemâs persona in the track to that of the mischievous and witty Puck in A Midsummer Nightâs Dream. Anthony Bozza writes, âIn a hip-hop edition of Shakespeareâs A Midsummer Nightâs Dream in which rappers or their personas were the players, Puck, the comedyâs fairy instigator, could be no one but Slim Shady . . . Slim Shady is like Shakespeareâs Fool: the character who darts across the plot to tip the audience to truths unseen . . . He may annoy or illuminate, but he wonât be ignored.â (Bozza 67). Yet whether Eminem is evoking Shakespeare to prove his abilities as a lyricist or to depict himself as a bothersome yet captivating truth-teller, in both cases he is using Shakespeare to make himself more authoritative, trustworthy and compellingâall qualities that come by alluding to the Bard himself.
















