on being "hood".

‘I think it’s more important for me to be in touch with who I am than in touch with the streets, per se... Being in touch with the streets, keeping it real, that’s become a lie and a cliche. I’m not hanging on the corner in the Bed-Stuy. I hate it when rappers say, “I’m keeping it ‘hood.” I’m like, “Why? What do you mean? No one’s there by choice! You’re in the hood, by choice?”‘
-Jay Z


All valid points. But the real question lies in his "choice" of clothing. He literally looks like a hobo.