Songwriting
Like most great rappers (and poets), Jay-Z uses many types of rhyme to make his flows so memorable. In "Empire State of Mind," Jay-Z's rhymes come and go, rising in frequency until he slips into an...
Music
Like most of his peers in hip-hop, Jay-Z heavily samples a vast back catalogue of pop music for beats, melodies, and material that he can approbate for his songs. "Empire State of Mind," like much...
Title
The phrase "Empire State of Mind" alludes to a couple of well-known earlier songs about New York. Most obviously, there is Nas' "NY State of Mind," one of the rapper's best-known songs, if not inde...