Certain Sips: The Weekend Brew
Eight Hot Minutes ☕ April 28, 2025
A weekly cultural and political brief—Certain Sips: the Weekend Brew
At this time two years ago, I was unemployed.
There are periods that can be fairly described as “funemployment,” but this was not that. I left a hospitality job where, despite my best efforts, I was simply not a good fit. I knew it. My managers knew it. Leaving was good and necessary, but at the time it stung pretty hard. My General Manager advised me not to make a mountain out of a molehill, which was sage advice under the circumstances. It felt devastating in the moment, but I would soon recover.
At the end of April, I woke up early to shower, shave, don my best suit and tie and head downtown for a job interview. I knew very little about the restaurant or the company prior to the meeting, but it went well and I ended up joining the team in a leadership position. It was a much better fit than the previous employer.
Before I roused from my slumber that morning something strange occurred in my dream, something really unusual: Two songs played clearly and unmistakably, ringing in my ears throughout the fateful day that followed. Dreams are an almost exclusively visual experience for me, so hearing two songs felt acutely noteworthy. And not just any two songs, either—I heard songs that would poignantly portend the next chapter of my life. It was as if my subconscious mind had begun crafting a playlist for a new season of growth and opportunity.
Good Listening
On November 21, 2000 the Queens rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga (CNN) released their second album, The War Report, which included a few good tracks and one standout gem: Invincible. Crafted by legendary producer (and one half of Gang Starr) DJ Premier, Invincible rolled out as an instant classic for the new century.
As you might imagine, the song evokes a feeling of utter invincibility. “The invincible, untouchable CNN” are free from any sense of fear or doubt. Be it the cops, the unforgiving streets, or the cutthroat drug trade, nothing can take down Capone and N.O.R.E. at the height of their powers.
Physical safety aside, an artist’s sophomore album raises inherent questions of talent, timing and tenure. More than anything else, Invincible is an ode to fearlessness in the face of potential failure as musicians. Working in collaboration with DJ Premier, CNN announce proudly and triumphantly to the haters: we’re back, we’re not going anywhere, and we’re better than ever. A Jimmie and Vella sample cries out in joyous repetition, representing the duo’s spirits soaring over the otherwise melodic but moody Premier beat.
Needless to say, this was a crucial message to surface from my longterm memory in an acute moment of anxiety and uncertainty. I was less than two years in a new city and a new career, starting to seriously wonder if I was going to make good on some major life changes. Every now and then since that morning two Aprils ago, I make a point to revisit this song just to be sure I never forget: I am invincible and untouchable.
More Good Listening
Confidence goes a long way. Perseverance and faith in the plan are crucial, especially in times of darkness and dismay. But so is humility. As are curiosity and perspective.
After I heard Invincible, my dream segued into a rendition of My 1st Song, the final track and de facto outro from Jay-Z’s 2003 masterpiece The Black Album. Where three years earlier CNN felt the need to prove (if only to themselves) their right to a seat at the table, by the time Jay-Z finished The Black Album he needed to go out of his way in the opposite direction: After years of extraordinary success he had to knock his own ego down a peg or two.
My 1st Song begins with an interview excerpt from an all-time great that Jay-Z claims as a mentor, the Notorious B.I.G.:
Well, I'ma s—try to stay above water, you know?
Just stay busy, stay working
Puff told me, like, ‘The key to this joint—
The key to staying on top of things is treat everything like it's your first project, know what I'm saying?
Like it's your first day, like, while—when you was an intern
Like, that's how you try to treat things—like, just stay hungry’
Jay-Z launches in with a rich lyrical retrospective of his rags to riches journey, focusing in for the most part on trails, errors, and lessons learned. It’s all about staying humble, remaining hungry, and savoring the losses as a valuable source of wisdom almost more than the wins. “My 1st Song” is not just the ironically-titled end of the album—it was meant to be the final song of his entire collected works, with The Black Album at the time marketed as a career-closing capstone release.
Of course, Jay-Z did not cloister away on some upstate New York estate never to be seen again like J.D. Salinger. He went on to make six more studio albums, including The Blueprint III (2009), Watch the Throne with Kanye West (2011), Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013), and 4:44 (2017). The continuing evolution of one of—if not the—greatest living rap musician makes each of these albums a significant advancement over the previous one. And I love them all.
Consider the comparable level of artistic growth—or lack thereof—shown by Nas over the same period of time. A contemporary once considered close enough in skill to be qualified to beef with Jay-Z (and win), since 2003 Nas has released the same number of albums yet each of them are imminently forgettable. While Nas will always be one of the greats, why did his artistry stagnate while Jigga’s continued to flourish?
I believe in the gospel of My 1st Song, the humility and the hunger. I think Jay-Z’s secret to continued growth and ever higher levels of success truly lies in his commitment to follow Biggie’s advice: treat every day like it’s your first project, like it’s your first day. When you were an intern.
When I woke up, I held in one hand the inspiring and essential message from Capone-N-Noreaga: You’re a legend, and never forget it. Yet in the other hand I held the brilliance of Jay-Z: You could not possibly be more lucky than you are to be here, so make the very most out of every moment of opportunity. It’s all really just one big internship.
Two years later, I try to hold both of these messages—both of these songs—in my heart. The phenomenon remains exceedingly rare, but when I do dream of music I pay very close attention to such a signal. The chapter of my life that started that day may be coming to a close some time soon. I can feel it. And when it does, I’ll be excited to discover which old songs reemerge as the beginning of a new playlist, the soundtrack for the next level of this journey called life. I’ll keep you posted. Til then, old sport.
ICYMI, check out these related posts:
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Certain Sips: The Weekend Brew
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