Moment Of Clarity

Album: The Black Album (2003)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jay-Z looks back on his life in "Moment Of Clarity" and comes to the conclusion that he's a generational talent. The lyrics are loaded with references to his previous songs and albums, including his 1998 hit "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," his debut album Reasonable Doubt, and his 2001 album The Blueprint.
  • Eminem produced the track along with his Detroit buddy Luis Resto. The previous year, Resto helped Emimem cook up his hit "Lose Yourself."

    It's not the first time Eminem and Resto worked with Jay-Z - they teamed with him in 2001 on Jay's song "Renegade," where Em and Jay share vocals.
  • After his 1996 album Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z veered into a more mainstream sound with his sophomore album In My Lifetime Vol 1. On this song, he hints that the move was a good one financially, as he raps: "I dumbed down my audience and doubled my dollars." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • "Moment Of Clarity" is part of Jay-Z's 2003 The Black Album. A few weeks before the album was released, Jay dropped the news that it would be his last, which he mentions at the end of the song:

    Y'all can't fill my shoes
    From my Blueprint beginning to that Black Album ending


    Of course, it wasn't his last album. Jay-Z came back with Kingdom Come in 2006.

Comments: 1

  • Goddyss from Detroit, MiEminem Does the hook for this song, he also helped with production.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.