The Awl http://www.theawl.com/ Be Less Stupid Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:06:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 One Nation, Under The Roc, With Liberty And Justice For All... http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/one-nation-under-the-roc-with-liberty-and-justice-for-all http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/one-nation-under-the-roc-with-liberty-and-justice-for-all#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:06:04 +0000 Dave Bry http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/one-nation-under-the-roc-with-liberty-and-justice-for-all GET IT FRANA Complex mag gallery celebrates one of the great marketing moves in a career that should be taught in marketing classes at business school. Around the time Jay-Z was recording his 2000 album Roc La Familia, someone in his camp (Jay himself maybe?) came up with a handsign to represent his Roc-a-Fella Records label. It's simple: put both index fingers and both thumbs together to make a diamond. (Roc-a-Fella = "The Roc" = a "rock" = a diamond.) Much easier than those complicated finger-twisting gang signs from Los Angeles. Since Jay demonstrated it on the Roc La Familia cover, it's become a standard pose for self-aggrandizing in picture taking, and nowadays, you see all sorts of people throwing up the diamond in all sorts of situations. (Including Fran Drescher, yo!) And like on Friday, when the Yankees were celebrating their successful lobbying on behalf of the House health care proposal World Series win, A-rod did it as he saluted the crowd, as did Jay-Z, who was riding on his float. The best possible usage, of course, is when Chicago area newscaster Ryan Baker flashes it all subtle on air.

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]]> GET IT FRANA Complex mag gallery celebrates one of the great marketing moves in a career that should be taught in marketing classes at business school. Around the time Jay-Z was recording his 2000 album Roc La Familia, someone in his camp (Jay himself maybe?) came up with a handsign to represent his Roc-a-Fella Records label. It's simple: put both index fingers and both thumbs together to make a diamond. (Roc-a-Fella = "The Roc" = a "rock" = a diamond.) Much easier than those complicated finger-twisting gang signs from Los Angeles. Since Jay demonstrated it on the Roc La Familia cover, it's become a standard pose for self-aggrandizing in picture taking, and nowadays, you see all sorts of people throwing up the diamond in all sorts of situations. (Including Fran Drescher, yo!) And like on Friday, when the Yankees were celebrating their successful lobbying on behalf of the House health care proposal World Series win, A-rod did it as he saluted the crowd, as did Jay-Z, who was riding on his float. The best possible usage, of course, is when Chicago area newscaster Ryan Baker flashes it all subtle on air.

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See more posts by Dave Bry

11 comments

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