Jay-Z Gives More Details On "Decoded" Book

With hopes of showcasing Hip Hop lyrics as poetry, Jay-Z preps electronic and interactive iPad versions of his book.

With the release date of his first foray into the literary world looming closer, Jay-Z offeredBillboard magazine an excerpt of his upcoming book, Decoded. Jay-Z offers his three-tiered reasoning for writing the memoir/lyric book, which shed further light on his choice for the book's artwork and his participation in a public reading at the New York Public Library.

"I told my editor that I wanted it to do three important things," Jay-Z stated. "The first was to make the case that hip-hop lyrics-not just my lyrics, but those of every great MC-are poetry if you look at them closely enough."

Random House, the publisher of Decoded, will reportedly offer eBook and interactive iPhone/iPad versions which include content users can customize. An image of the Decoded cover as well as Jay-Z's full excerpt explaining his motivations for writing the book are available in Billboard's full story.