Started With a Mustard Seed
“Man, we started with a mustard seed
Now we in the grey 911 with the mustard seats
Sheesh! Matte black puma jet
Shining my light on the world just like Umi says”
Jay-Z — BLACK EFFECT
Mustard seeds have been used as a tool for comparison with regards to divinity and humanity in all Abrahamic religions to indicate a certain contrast in various scenarios. A mustard seed is among the smallest of seeds available to farmers primarily in the middle-east, where all Abrahamic religions originated. When fully grown, a mustard plant can be 2–3m in height, making it one of the largest garden plants grown from one of the smallest seeds on the planet.
In Judaism, the universe as we know it is compared to the size of a mustard seed in order to demonstrate its insignificance with regards to divinity and to teach humility.
In the Bible, it is recorded that Jesus said:
“The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
In Islam, in what is known as a Hadith (verified sayings of the Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon Him), the Prophet Muhammad said:
“Whoever has in their heart the weight of a mustard seed worth of pride would not enter Paradise.”
Considering a mustard seed weighs approximately 0.002g and measures 1mm in width, the reason why it was used as a context for comparison in the past is crystal clear. While in today’s world we know the extremely minuscule scale of atoms and what they’re made up of, in the days of old the people would have needed something they can understand and relate to.
In BLACK EFFECT, Jay-Z tells us that what he started with was very small and insignificant, but it has now grown into something immense. Using the religious style of comparison, he tells his audience that sowing a mustard seed will enable them to reap a large return — such as the Porsche 911 Turbo with the mustard coloured seats that he reaped.
The mustard seed has grown so much that Jay-Z signed a deal as “creative director” with Puma, with an allocated private Jet in matt black aka the Puma Jet, tail number N444SC. N is standard for US private jet registration codes, 4:44 is the name of Jay’s latest album and SC represents Sean Carter, Jay-Z’s real name.
Sheesh!
In the Arabic language, the word “Umi” or “Ummi” (depending on the accent/pronunciation) literally translates to “My Mother”. With a large Arabic community present in the West, elements of the language and culture have become embedded within the Western culture as well as the general pop culture. On his 1999 LP — Black on Both Sides — Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def has a song titled “Umi Says” which gives us a reference to how far back the effect on the culture extends.
“My Umi says, shine your light on the world
Shine your light for the world to see”
Jay plays with the wording from Yasiin Bey’s lyrics, featuring them on BLACK EFFECT to communicate the support these present-day legends received from their Umis. People like Jay-Z are the hope for their parents, especially if they’re single mothers. Starting from the projects, the hood, a war-torn city or any difficult upbringing with only a mustard seed requires support. Who better to support someone other than their own mother?
Jay-Z is definitely shining his light on the world, with the knowledge he shares through his lyrics and the hope he gives the younger generation with his success.
