The sharded glass pieces
The appearance of the glass shards in the grassy patches used for parks in the projects, particularly the ability of the glass shards to catch light, is made more explicit through their comparison to diamond. The writer notes: “When you jumped the fences to play football on the grassy patches that passed for a park, you might find the field studded with glass shards that caught the light like diamonds and would pierce your sneakers just as fast.”
The flow
The narrator provides a vivid and comprehensive analysis of beat and flow. In particular, the flow is directly compared to life, a comparison that enables the perception of its importance in music. “The flow isn’t like time, it’s like life. It’s like a heartbeat or the way you breathe, it can jump, speed up, slow down, stop, or pound right through like a machine.” The similes facilitate emphasis in this context.
"...burned into me like a brand"
Jay Z emphasizes on how the feelings he had during his life on the streets were imprinted on him to a brand. In this way, the writer is able to create an emphasis on how difficult it would be for him to forget the life he had had then considering the criticisms that he had faced with regards to rapping about street life when he had become successful and moved far from that life. He notes: “The feelings I had during that part of my life were burned into me like a brand.”
I check cheddar like a food inspector
In the lyrical breakdown of Public Service Announcement, the writer in one line notes: “I check cheddar like a food inspector.” ‘Cheddar’ is slang for money whereas a food inspector on the other hand is tasked with ensuring or examining food quality, and therefore handles food regularly. Jay Z choice of using this comparative language enables the reader’s perception of how accustomed and habituated he was with money just as a food inspector is with food. The use of the simile in the line enhances the imagery.
"...like movie directors"
In another line of the Public Service Announcement, Jay Z notes: “I shoot at you actors like movie directors.” In this line, the writer compares how he shoots at actors to how a movie director shoots at the same group. While this comparison enhances imagery, in a metaphorical sense, the ‘shooting’ that Jay Z talks about relates to his rapping since the line before this talks about what he does to protect his life.
