“Compelling . . . provocative, evocative . . . Part autobiography, part lavishly illustrated commentary on the author’s own work, Decoded gives the reader a harrowing portrait of the rough worlds Jay-Z navigated in his youth, while at the same time deconstructing his lyrics.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“One of a handful of books that just about any hip hop fan should own.”—The New Yorker

“Elegantly designed, incisively written . . . an impressive leap by a man who has never been known for small steps.”—Los Angeles Times

“A riveting exploration of Jay-Z’s journey . . . So thoroughly engrossing, it reads like a good piece of cultural journalism.”—The Boston Globe

“Shawn Carter’s most honest airing of the experiences he drew on to create the mythic figure of Jay-Z . . . The scenes he recounts along the way are fascinating.”—Entertainment Weekly

_

Amazon Review

“Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2010: Like its multi-hyphenate author, Jay-Z, Decoded is many things at once. At its core, Decoded is an eloquent and candid memoir detailing the story of a man who was born in a Brooklyn housing project, spent his teen years dealing drugs on the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, and grew up to be one of his generation’s most successful artists and businessmen. But Decoded is much more than a memoir: it is an intensely personal homage to hip-hop, as written by a man who so clearly adores the art form; it is a rare glimpse of the unexpectedly deep meanings behind the most recognizable rap lyrics of the last decade; and it is a truly moving collection of essays on topics ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the decline of the music industry. Unconventional type design, line drawings, and photographs visually emphasize the author’s message that rap is a form that transcends and defies easy categorization. There’s not much in the way of celebrity gossip here, but what we get, instead, is a gritty and enormously compelling look inside the cultural phenomenon of rap, from one of the men who contributed so much to its shape. –Juliet Disparte

Jay-Z on Decoded
When you’re famous and say you’re writing a book, people assume that it’s an autobiography–I was born here, raised there, suffered this, loved that, lost it all, got it back, the end. But that’s not what this is. I’ve never been a linear thinker, which is something you can see in my rhymes. They follow the jumpy logic of poetry and emotion, not the straight line of careful prose. My book is like that, too.

Decoded is first and foremost, a book of rhymes, which is ironic because I don’t actually write my rhymes–they come to me in my head and I record them. The book is packed with the stories from my life that are the foundation of my lyrics–stories about coming up in the streets of Brooklyn in the 80′s and 90′s, stories about becoming an artist and entrepreneur and discovering worlds that I never dreamed existed when I was a kid. But it always comes back to the rhymes. There’s poetry in hip-hop lyrics–not just mine, but in the work of all the great hip-hop artists, from KRS-One and Rakim to Biggie and Pac to a hundred emcees on a hundred corners all over the world that you’ve never heard of. The magic of rap is in the way it can take the most specific experience, from individual lives in unlikely places, and turn them into art that can be embraced by the whole world. Decoded is a book about one of those specific lives–mine–and will show you how the things I’ve experienced and observed have made their way into the art I’ve created. It’s also about how my work is sometimes not about my life at all, but about pushing the boundaries of what I can express through the poetry of rap–trying to use words to find fresh angles into emotions that we all share, which is the hidden mission in even the hardest hip-hop. Decoded is a book about some of my favorite songs–songs that I unpack and explain and surround with narratives about what inspired them–but behind the rhymes is the truest story of my life.”

{Rayfil.com :: blog promoting self development + meaning of life}

BMW Mini Cooper

Play and Empathy are two things often over looked in our daily lives.

Everyday, I need to incorporate play in my task.
Even mundane task such as email can be made into a game so that it can be more fun.

Fun is simply defined as moments when you wish time would not elapse as fast.

Often times being in a start up, it is hard to imagine the light at the end of the tunnel.
But when we package our situation into a fun game, then it becomes more bearable.

Empathy is simply feeling and seeing what others see. In sales, we often push products and without first realizing the lens that our clients see.

In life, we are basically relationship managers. So having empathy allows us to have healthy relationships and eventually this allows us to reach our goals.

Empathy can be closely tied and linked to have great people skills.

Often times, companies create sales teams to close deals.

A B C

Always Be Closing

As an innovator, I suggest companies + anyone in personal branding to think creatively, outside the box.

How can I create demand for my product that I can turn away customers?

Butao Ramen in Hong Kong is a great example

- serves only 200 bowls daily ramen
- opens @ 10am but lines form earlier

basically, Butao Ramen is remarkable

remarkable = something worth talking about

they focus only on one focused goal: serve the best ramen you will ever taste

surely, Butao is not looking to scale to 1000 outlets + expand but I truly enjoy this concept

specialize in one dish + do it well

this also translates in life. life is short. really short.

so in our life time, how will you shape your life? what will you be known for?

at the end of the time on earth, what is your mission statement?

+ be the richest man on earth?
+ be the best parents?
+ be the one that created the most NGO’s?

but one thing for sure. In this populated world,

BE REMARKABLE

BE MEANINGFUL

we have enough people complaining,
we have enough people shouting out their mile long list of regrets,

instead! try giving back

serve US, the community, the BEST of something

Rayfil Wong - How to build a TRUE brand

On Sunday, I went to Mong Kok :: Hong Kong to shop around. For around $300 USD, I can replace my iPhone with a white cover along with a host of other covers.

I can get a white cover and claim that I have the 1st White iPhone 4 in HK, but it would not be the real thing.

In China, there are a few iPhone 4 knock offs that look so real.

View

But the screen display is not so sharp and the user can not access the Apple store. So get the real iPhone 4.

Speaking of being real …

I have meet a few want to be’s in Hong Kong. These so called hot shots are my dose for humor over the week.

instead, they are fakes …

If you’re a NERD and love collecting plastic robots and get more excited over the next version of an upcoming iPhone software than having coffee in SOHO chilling with an attractive young woman which I prefer, than so be IT!

When we find our identity, our gifts, and walk along the path we are destined or called to trek, good things happen.

Superman is meant to fly in tights and save lives. But if you ask Superman to become a tailor, what a waste.

So for entrepreneurs out there + anyone else. Do what you LOVE!

There will be haters along the way. NEVER waste time defending yourself. This is a waste of your life. Remember,

LIFE = playing chess with time

So don’t just live, BE ALIVE!

BE TRUE TO YOURSELF + the benefits are endless

“The moment I stopped caring about what others thought about me or what I did, I was granted a date with HAPPINESS” – Rayfil Wong :: philosopher (lover not a hater)

Rayfil Wong Campusfork in South China Morning Post

Rayfil Wong Campusfork in South China Morning Post

Thursday afternoon, a reporter called me for an interview for South China Morning Post.

So on Friday I got my mug + story in the newspaper. I am thankful to get some much needed press for Campusfork.com

looking back, I am prepared for interviews since I have been on the “big stage.” A few years ago, I was on reality tv show American Inventor + I saw my mug on prime time tv.

that was a scary + fun moment. looking back, those experiences have prepared me for interviews and speaking in public.

I have mentored kids about the concepts of FEAR. We fear public speaking in front of 2000 people because we have never done it before. But once we do it, the 2nd time around is much much easier.

I often live by the motto that I share with Incrediballs Dodgeball team.

STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH

I learned this from a speech made by Steve Jobs

Rayfil Wong and Michelle Chu: how to stay humble

Last week I met up with Michelle Chu, she was a church camper and I was a camp counselor back in the Bay Area. I have not seen her in a few years. (note: her mom was my Sunday school teacher aka auntie Winnie)

So now we reunite in Hong Kong.

But one thing I learned from Michelle Chu back in the days was her great basketball move, the killer cross over.

Here I was, coaching the basketball team at church yet humble enough to learn from a younger college kid how to master a new skill.

in short, we humble ourselves when we admit and say “Can you teach me?”

in Hong Kong, I have met plenty of insecure people. They simply have mistaken being humble with weakness.

As a matter of fact, humble = new sexy character

I know a few cocky conceited guys. They just turn me off and simply are so annoying. They brag about how many houses they have.

Staying humble is extremely hard especially when the success of the world brings you to a higher pedestal.

But instead, there are so many benefits to being humble. You have less enemies and you make more friends, and did I mention more opportunities come to YOU!

the Orange Chicken: how to create good noise

One of my favorite writer hands down is Seth Godin.
I like the way he writes.

Short + to the point.

Seth Godin taught me about the Purple Cow. The Purple Cow stands out from the ordinary cows which are black + white colored. His point is that marketers need to break through the noise.

A few days ago, I found an ugly orange jacket but it did stand out. Standing out does not = success

But standing out = attention

In Hong Kong, there are about 10,000 restaurants. Many of the shop owners do not understand what I call the Orange Chicken theory.

They don’t understand how to break through the noise or to be remarkable. Not only do businesses need to be remarkable these day, PEOPLE (personal brands) need to as well.

Yesterday I took my out of town family member to a novelty restaurant called Modern Toilet restaurant in Causeway Bay Hong Kong. Patrons sit on toilet seats + food are served in toilet themed ceramics. Needless to say, I found out they closed down. I just ate there last year in Hong Kong.

Modern Toilet Restaurant

so the Orange Chicken theory is that you must be remarkable, remarkable = something worth talking about + entertaining

A great example is my real estate friend Angela Kung who works for Midland in Wan Chai Hong Kong. She is one of the top realtors in her district but her Orange Chicken is that she has around four cell phones in her inventory. When out of town clients/investors arrive to Hong Kong, she equips them with a cellular phone with unlimited usage.

Angela Kung is more than just a realtor. There are thousands of them. Instead, Angela Kung helps her clients find restaurant recommendations, network with potential business partners, connect them with friends, and sets up communication for them.

She is like a personal concierge.

Angela Kung goes the extra mile for her clients and in return, she closes a lot of deals.

so becoming an Orange Chicken takes creativity and simply looking in the lens of a customer.

Hong Kong Elderly Visit

Our church group visited the elderly this past Saturday at a community center.
I engaged six elderly ladies by talking about how to brine a turkey.

I told them to soak the bird in a salt water bath to ensure moisture.

I enjoy talking to the elderly, many of them have such nuggets of wisdom to give to me.
Perhaps looking into their world is clearly just a snap shot of how I will end up.

In my personal life, I like spending time with my two grandma’s.

San Francisco Grandma + Hong Kong Grandma

both are lovely ladies, but both have a vastly different outlook on life.

SF Grandma lost her husband very early…so my father never saw his father.
Yet, she is super positive, LOL, + simply a joy to be around.

Despite all the obstacle in her life, she choose to be happy each day.
She taught me that each day passes by, so it is smarter to choose to be happy each day.

I can’t agree more.

On the other hand, my HK Grandma is lovely, but she feels that she is a burden to her kids.

One thing I learn in my early life is that attitude makes a different.
We will not find the fountain of youth to retain our flawless skin.

But surely, we can retain a child-like heart.
We can wake up and find play in conversation + even at work.

We can find humor in the midst of chaos.

My HK grandpa left me a few years ago.
He was fun, lovely, and taught me to put family first.

No, he never preached this, he just did it. My mommy would tell stories that grandpa Collin would never eat at the restaurants but instead bring chicken home so that he can share it with his four kids.

He is my hero.
What he did was admirable.

so as I grow older, I will retain my child-like heart.
Living in a complex world, I choose to live a simple + happy life.

I intentionally surround myself with positive people.

Boot HK cowork community

I will be the first to admit, it can be lonely working alone.
I wake up to a beautiful morning but it is simply hard to stay discipline.

Working at Starbucks can be a festive environment, but I can’t interact with like minded people. Also, I need to run to the restroom + at times it is a hassle to bring my computer to the men’s room.

thank God for cowork spaces.

“BootHK is a community for co-working, makers, and startups in Hong Kong”

I recently joined Boot HK started by super cool Jonathan Buford.

We got web developers/designers/entrepreneurs and the greatest part is that you can run ideas off each other.

One important hint for entrepreneurs is to surround yourself with a great working environment.

In just a few weeks, I have met some awesome entrepreneurs that have been very resourceful.

Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn, is well known comic book artist.
But what is more impressive is his understanding of entrepreneurship.

Many artists focus on the art side and leave the business to their agents, many the artists end up getting screwd. I guess that is where the term “starving artist” perhaps came from.

I tell my artistic friends all the time.
Britney Spears is in the music business. (music + business)

So whether you’re an artist, athlete, understand the basics of business.
This includes licensing, trademark, branding, + more.

An artist who takes care of their business ensures that he can focus more on their craft so that more people can enjoy their creations.