jay on LA times

article, just a piece of it
here's the rest
Jay LA Times

"The album is not about the film," explains the rapper, who completed the collection in a typically fast three weeks. "It connected with me on an emotional level. It was so similar to the neighborhoods that I came up in, and things that happened there. And Denzel's character as well . . . you know, his laid-back persona, that's pretty much how I am.

"It's really about the emotions of that life. I would take an emotion that I felt was important, or things that resonated with me . . . and make a song.

"But none of the emotions are current emotions. I mean, success is, because that's the thing that I've dealt with, but none of the songs are currently how I feel now. . . . It's like writing a book, going back to all these things, these emotions that I thought were buried. Because as a person you grow and you add layers on who you become. So I never thought that I would get back to that place."


if you missed it, jay on david letterman
"why did you retire so early?"
"well.. i alot musically fast, an album every year since 96.. i felt like i was doing it just to it for a second so i wanted to back away"