Jay-Z Releases "Decoded" Excerpt

Prepping for the re-release of his best-selling memoir Decoded, mogul Jay-Z has released an excerpt from the book detailing the inspiration behind a verse of his 2006 track "Lost Ones," from his comeback album Kingdom Come.

Jay explains how his nephew's death pushed him to write the song.

"My nephew Colleek died in a car accident while driving the car I bought him for his high school graduation...Just when you're on the verge of giving up hope and losing faith, the universe reveals unexpected consolations," he said. "My nephew's girlfriend was just a couple months pregnant when he died, which none of us knew, maybe not even him. But the son she gave birth to looked just like his father, like Colleek reborn. The last verse is the most powerful example of the paradox of the song's chorus, that even the greatest loss holds the possibility of redemption."

Decoded will be re-released on November 1 with a new expanded paper back, a new chapter, and three newly-decoded songs: "I Know", "Young Gz" and "Lost One."