Rhyme & Reason

Jay-Z ...

Guardian Article
Alan Yentob's Imagine examination of his phenomenon was unrestrained.

In the opening 30 seconds of Alan Yentob's Imagine examination of the Jay-Z phenomenon, the rap mega-mogul informs a concert crowd that, "I'm pretty fucking awesome." Had Yentob then interjected with a heartfelt agreement, or held up a big banner saying, "Yes, Jay-Z, you really, really are", then he would have saved us all a lot of time indeed.

Imagine is a programme that appreciates modern cultural phenomena, so it's understandable that there is a certain amount of, well, appreciating being done. But you can love your subject too much - and Yentob's utterly head over heels. The idea that Jay-Z is "the best in the business" is open to debate, but the assertion that Reasonable Doubt is "recognised as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever" is straight-up bull fritters.

Apart from a pointless segment in which Yentob and Z stroll around the Serpentine Gallery together - the rapper at one point revealing his ownership of an original "Damon Hirst" - there's a whiff of restricted access about the whole venture. Indeed, in what should have been the most affecting sequence of the whole programme, in which Yentob is driven around the Marcy housing projects where the rapper grew up, Z can't actually be bothered to show up to give the guided tour and sends an underling instead. Which is factually fine, but it would have had more of an impact if it had come from the horse's mouth, not the horse's mate.

More worryingly, there's the distinct feeling that the rapper had some input in what got discussed and what got ixnayed. His youth is touched upon with alarming brevity, and we get to hear nothing about his formative years spent as a drug dealer; years which, one would argue, are pretty flaming important in the story of his life. Even more shamefully, there's next to no mention made of the 1999 incident in which Z stabbed record company executive Lance "Un" Rivera, beyond an unforgiveably trite observation that the incident made Z realise it was time to sort his life out. Rivera would doubtless be heart-warmed by his role in this Damascene moment.

Still, what we are treated to is interminable gushing guff from both the rapper and his producer about how he treats his voice as an instrument, about the way in which Z uses vowel sounds to function like musical notes; who knew that the words of such hits as 99 Problems, Girls, Girls, Girls and Big Pimpin' had such craft? Even worse, P Diddy is allowed to talk earnestly about how the pair of them are picking up the baton from originators like Afrika Bambaataa, a statement which, at least in the case of the man saying it, should be accompanied by a laughter track.

The best stuff comes when Yentob sits Z on a chair and gets him talking about things like writing rhymes too small to read in case somebody stole them. For the most part, though, he just seems distracted, Yentob's presence a minor irritation. Which, when you're Jay-Z and you've got bigger fish to fry, it probably was.

• Imagine, Tue 28, 10.35pm, BBC1