CNN: Why Jay-Z's music still mattered on 9/11

Jay-Z’s epic effort, The Blueprint, hit record stores on the fateful morning of September 11, 2001. Since the 10-year anniversary of the tragic events is approaching, CNN published an article that highlights the impact of Jay-Z’s sixth album.

“Young people not directly affected are always more removed from the onset of national tragedy,” said Tricia Rose, a professor at Brown University and author of “The Hip Hop Wars.While the much older fans of Mariah Carey or Bob Dylan would likely be too busy and worried about terrorist attacks to rush out and purchase a CD the week of 9/11, Jay-Z’s teen and early 20s fans, already hyped up about this release long beforehand, remained focused on their idol,” Rose said. “And many probably never left the comfort of their bedrooms to download the release.

“Hip-hop heads (fans) have a different kind of relationship to music than fans of other genre,” said Sachs, an assistant professor of media technologies and culture at St. Mary’s College of California. “Hip-hop is not just music, it’s a culture, and that mentality permeates many aspects of the lives of hip-hop heads.”

You can read the article in its entirety here.