In this month's O, The Oprah Magazine, world famous hip-hop artist and music mogul, Jay-Z, shares six books that had a profound influence on his life.

It's a pretty eclectic list and his comments are fascinating and insightful.

Here's Jay-Z's list:

1. The Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukav
"There are two books that I absolutely live my life by. This is one of them..."

2. The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
"This is the other book I live by…It's a metaphor for life."

3. The Odyssey, by Homer
"This epic poem was kind of difficult for me to get through, but it has a beautiful rhythm…"

4. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
"This book is about the principles of timing and repetition-about preparing yourself for luck, really…"

5. Purple Cow, by Seth Godin
"This is straight marketing advice: Your product has to be a purple cow-it has to be distinct to have any success…"

6. Nigger, by Dick Gregory
"I don't know who turned me on to this autobiography, but his sense of humor and the hardships he went through stayed with me…"

source: O, The Oprah Magazine

Published 09.14.09 at 12:00 AM