It wouldn’t do to post the entirety of “Ether.” I’m not sure Tupac’s immortal words, “F**k Jay-Z,” would suffice, either. As a former fan, an adherent one, I am hereby convinced that the man who gave birth to such classics as “Can I Live,” “D’Evils,” “Hard Knock Life,” Streets Is Watching,” “Big Pimpin’,” “Streets Is Talking,” “Dope Man,” “Takeover,” “U Don’t Know,” “Song Cry,” “Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise),” “The Watcher 2,” “What More Can I Say,” “Dirt Off My Shoulders,” “99 Problems,” is no more. That man, it appears, passed away circa 2006. In his stead stands some cappuccino-drinking, three-piece suit-wearing executive who still expects the whole world to bow down before him in adoration of… well, what exactly His legacy His catalog In the last three years, since he officially came out of retirement, Jay-Z seems to have morphed from a skilled, witty, and charismatic rapper into a White-limo-using-5-star-hotel-staying-french-wine-drinking-tuxedo-wearing aristocrat. Not hatin’; just sayin’. In the last three years, occasional flashes of past brilliance have burst forth (cue: “Minority Report”), but all that changed when he thought himself too big for Hip-Hop. Too big to compete with the bright, young stars of today. Too big to diligently compose a decent rhyme. Not bigger than Hip-Hop—too big for Hip-Hop. If you love justice, hate evil, and agree that Jay-Z needs to stop making music and disgracing the legacy he nurtured so well for a decade, sign this petition now!

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