“Man, I’m high off life, fuck it, I’m wasted” — Jay-Z “Allure”

Happy new year to you and yours, it’s Joel Leon here back with the end of the year “What Would Hov Do?” Medium column to help us get right for 2021. The goal of this column was simple: hear from the reading audience (that’s y’all) about whatever issues you may be struggling with, and I’ll help you unpack them with the help of my favorite artist, the God emcee, Jay-Z.

If there’s a topic you’d want to see tackled with a little Jay-Z insight, feel free to drop your question or issue here and me and Shawn Carter will take care of the rest. …

What’s goody, readers? Joel Leon here, your friendly neighborhood storyteller, slowly wrapping up what has been a rollercoaster of a year with the second-to-last weekly “What Would Hov Do?” Medium column. Still out here, taking the latest and greatest of your woes and helping you get through it all with the help of the one of the greatest scribes of generation, Sir Jay-Z.

If there’s an issue you’re struggling with: dealing with a breakup, financial trouble, style questions, loss of a job or loved one, can’t find your rescue cat, we got you. …

“God I work hard, please don’t envy me

I paid the cost to be the boss to floss this hard” — Jay-Z, “Come And Get Me”

What’s good, everyone? We’ve got another edition of ya’ favorite weekly column with the homies here at Medium, “What Would Hov Do?”

Each week, you send me questions on life, love, or whatever’s on your mind. And every week, I sift through them with the help of lyrics from the big homie. My column is literally the embodiment of the phrase,“Hov did that, so hopefully you wouldn’t have to go through that.”

If you’ve got an issue that you think you can solve with a little boost from myself and Jiggaman, drop your question here on the low low — nobody gon’ know it was you, promise. …

“Something ‘bout the struggle so divine

This sort of love is hard to define

When you scratching for every nickel and dime

Got me itching to do this shit for my mom

Do this shit for my town

Leave the door open hoping they kick it down” — Jay-Z, “Nickel and Dimes”

Waddup! Joel Leon here with another edition of my weekly Medium column, “What Would Hov Do?” Together, we tackle your everyday struggles with the help of Hovito’s lyrics. If you’ve got something you’ve been dealing with, me and Jay-Z can help you get through. Just drop your questions here. …

“Our external reality is an opportunity to heal our internal upset,

Let’s build a cathedral these evils couldn’t fuck with.” — Jay-Z, “ManyFacedGod”

Welcome back to another installment of what I’m hoping is becoming your favorite Medium column, “What Would Hov Do?”

If you’re just discovering, I’m Joel Leon. I write stuff. Every week, I tackle a user-submitted issue and dish out some heartfelt advice with the help of Jay-Z lyrics. It really is a win-win for errybody.

This week, I want to try something a little different. Post-Turkey Day festivities (shout out to the reclaim the land movement of Indigenous people), let’s use some Hov bars to talk about gratitude. …

“Everybody look at you strange say you changed, like you worked that hard to stay the same” — Jay-Z, “Most Kingz”

Welcome one and all to another edition of my Medium column, “What Would Hov Do?” where I handle some of your most pressing life questions with the help of Jay-Z lyrics. I know, what took so long?!

This week, “New Friends” has a good question that I think all of us have struggled with at some point or another:

“How do I let go of friends who no longer align with my energy?”

Life is seasonal — things, people, all come and go. Nothing stays the same. Life is transient, and we’re always in motion, moving and shifting and pivoting. What worked ten years ago may not be the same as what worked ten days ago. The relationships we have with one another are no different. We can grow together just like we can grow apart. …

“This is the number one rule for your set

In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets” — Jay-Z, “Regrets”

If you’re just tuning in, welcome. My Medium column, “What Would Hov Do?,” resolves your random problems with my pen and some invaluable bars courtesy of Hovito.

This week, we’ve got a request from someone we’re going to call “Regrets.” And “Regrets” has an important question many of us sit with regardless of where we are on our journeys:

“How does one move on in life from their past mistakes & regrets?”

Brené Brown once said, “I’ve found regret to be one of the most powerful emotional reminders that change and growth are necessary.” …

When we talk about liberation, we don’t use words like joy. Empathy, compassion, and love are generally not credited as tools needed to uproot our nation’s trauma.

So, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were named president-elect and vice president-elect, celebrations erupted in cities like New York, Atlanta, and Detroit. Some felt that the joy on display overshadowed the work that needs to continue.

The joy many feel — especially Black Americans — is not rooted in some idyllic, fairy-tale fantasy. Biden stepping into the role of president is not the answer to all of our woes and salvation.

Trump’s presidency was a setback for millions of Americans across class, race, and gender. Cuts to education, health, and housing, stricter immigration laws, and polarizing racist language created tension and inherent fear. Trump used that fear to galvanize those in full support of his policies; his dog whistles reached those who longed for the days of a past “great” America. …