\n\tThe past decade has taught us to wake up to surprises, but it\u2019s probably safe to say Jay-Z\u2019s first interview in many years \u2014 let alone a sprawling conversation drawn from four hours of interviews \u2014 was not very high on the list of possibilities.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn a long, long interview with GQ<\/a> senior editor Frazier Tharpe tapping out at nearly 8,000 words \u2014 and in advance of his concerts at Yankee Stadium and the Roots Picnic <\/a>this summer \u2014 Jay talked about a wide range of topics, from his early career to being a billionaire, being a father, being a Black businessman, the painful sexual-assault lawsuit he refused to settle <\/a>last year, and much more.<\/p>\n \n\tYet the item the streets \u2014 both today\u2019s and the ones he came up in 40 years ago \u2014 are most hungry for is probably his thoughts on the Kendrick Lamar<\/a>\u2013Drake<\/a> beef and Lamar\u2019s Super Bowl performance.<\/p>\n \n\tThat part of the conversation begins with Jay\u2019s thoughts his Roc Nation company overseeing Super Bowl\u2019s Halftime talent. \u201cFor a lot of years, it was only one side of music that was being represented for whatever reason,\u201d he says, clearing noting that most of the talent before he took the helm in 2019 was white and male. \u201cWe got the opportunity to create a more balanced idea of what popular music is today. I\u2019m not going out on a limb. These are the most famous people in the world. I didn\u2019t pick the indie artist that I really like from Portland. [This was] the number one streamed artist in the world. \u2018I got an idea, let\u2019s let him [Bad Bunny] play.\u2019 [Laughs.] It\u2019s Rihanna!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe interviewer then suggests how much Jay must have enjoyed Lamar\u2019s performance last year because it was a solo rap headliner.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYeah, for sure,\u201d Jay replied. \u201c[Lamar] could have made it a little easier on himself. The artistic choice to play the new album was brave in front of that big of an audience. Because even if 10 million people know some of these songs, there\u2019s 120 million people that\u2019re like, \u2018What is he doing?\u2019 As an artist, to stand up there and do it and complete your vision \u2014 I had to tip my hat. I had high respect for him already, but, like, even more my respect was like: He\u2019s really about what he says he\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe interviewer then references Jay\u2019s early \u201800s beef with Nas, saying, \u201cAs someone who was part of the genre\u2019s biggest rap beef \u2014\u201d before Jay interjects, \u201cWell, until now.\u201d \u2014\u00a0the interviewer completes the thought, \u201cAs a spectator, what did you think of the 2024 back-and-forth between Kendrick and Drake?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJay then takes a long route to getting to what he describes as, \u201can answer you\u2019re not going to like. Well, I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re going to like it. That\u2019s presumptuous. There are four pillars of hip-hop. There\u2019s breakdancing, graffiti, there\u2019s DJ\u2019ing and battling. Breakdance is not at the forefront of rap anymore. It\u2019s actually an Olympic sport. So that\u2019s dead [laughs]. Graffiti, beautiful in certain places. It\u2019s not part of hip-hop. The DJ was in the forefront. It was Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Eric B. and Rakim. You don\u2019t even know the DJ for half of the artists anymore. And the last pillar is battling. We love the excitement and I love the sparring, but in this day and age there\u2019s so much negative stuff that comes with it that you almost wish it didn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe continues, \u201cNow, people that like Kendrick hate Drake, no matter what he makes. It\u2019s like an attack on his character. I don\u2019t know if I love that. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s helpful to our growth where the fallout lands, especially on social media.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s too far. It\u2019s bringing people\u2019s kids in it. I don\u2019t like that. I sound like the old guy wagging his finger, but I think we can achieve the same thing, as far as sparring with music, with collaborations more so than breaking the whole thing apart. It could stand it before because there was no social media. You had the battle and it was fun and then you moved on. Right now, I don\u2019t know if it could stand it with the technology that we have.<\/p>\n \n\tHe concludes, It\u2019s like trying to tear down people\u2019s lives. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s worth it at this point. I love the idea that we got so much music in such a short period of time. Just everything around it was like, \u2018Man, this is taking us a couple steps back.\u2019 We\u2019ve just grown so much that \u2014 I guess I\u2019m going to say it \u2014 I don\u2019t know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore. We grew from breakdancing. We love graffiti. Before, the MC\u2019s job was to bring attention to the DJ\u2026. I want to hear what the rapper is saying.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNow the last pillar is battling, and these are all the things that come with it. I hate that I have this point of view on it. I do. Because I know what it sounds like. It\u2019s just how I feel about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJay later added to his comment, saying, \u201cThere is clearly an agenda to silence voices in our community, a heavy right wing agenda. And the culture is happily playing along in the name of this insane thirst of Stan culture to have something on the other side. We are in a strange time. I\u2019m curious as to how this plays out!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe interviewer then noted that Jay\u2019s choice of Lamar for the Super Bowl made it seem like he was choosing side.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI chose the guy that was having a monster year,\u201d he replied. \u201cI think it was the right choice. What do I care about them two guys battling? What\u2019s that got to do with me? Have at it. They drag everybody in it, like everyone\u2019s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess. But, it\u2019s like, what the fuck? I\u2019m fucking Jay-Z! [Laughs.] All due respect to him. I\u2019m fucking Hov. Respectfully. It doesn\u2019t make any sense. It couldn\u2019t be that these guys just don\u2019t like each other. I think this has been brewing, just like me and Nas was brewing. It didn\u2019t happen at the Summer Jam \u2014 that happened with \u2018Lex with TV sets, the minimum.\u2019 It was a whole bunch of stuff leading up to that point. I actually regret that because I really like Nas. He\u2019s a really nice guy.<\/p>\n \n\tJay later added, \u201cI realize it\u2019s a bit hypocritical because of how many battles I\u2019ve been in, and given the nature of \u2018Super Ugly.\u2019 It takes growth to arrive at this place, because I\u2019ve done the bullshit too!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tYet he ends on a positive note, saying, \u201cI\u2019m careful because I always hear that person talking about the new culture of folks. And I always was like, \u201cShut the fuck up. You had your time.\u201d So I\u2019m really careful to let people just do their thing\u2026 \u00a0I accept it all. I trust that you guys are going to take it in a proper direction.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSurprisingly, the interview starts with the sexual-assault lawsuit, the gravity of which becomes apparent because it\u2019s Jay\u2019s answer to the interviewer\u2019s question, \u201cHow was your 2025?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was hard,\u201d Jay replies. \u201cReally hard. I was heartbroken. I\u2019m glad we got right to that so we could just get that out the way. Like I was really heartbroken by everything that occurred. We\u2019re in a space now where it\u2019s almost like consequence is not thought about enough. Because everything is so instant, you know what I\u2019m saying?<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat whole [lawsuit thing], that shit took a lot out of me,\u201d he continues. \u201cI was angry. I haven\u2019t been that angry in a long time, uncontrollable anger. You don\u2019t put that on someone \u2014 that\u2019s a thing that you better be super sure. It used to be like that. You had to be super sure before you put those kind of things on a person. Especially a person like me. Even when we were doing the worst things, we had those kind of rules. There was a line: no women, no kids. You hear those sayings, but those are the things that I took from the street. We lived and died by that. So it\u2019s strict for me, like it meant a lot to me.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI took that really hard. I knew that we were going to walk through that because, first of all, it\u2019s not true. And the truth, at the end of the day, still reigns supreme.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe then explained why he chose to fight the lawsuit rather than the arguably simpler course of settling. \u201cI can\u2019t take a settlement \u2014 it ain\u2019t in my DNA,\u201d he said. \u201cFirst of all, first I had to tell my wife. Let\u2019s back up. I know the weight that this is going to bring on our family. I can\u2019t do it. I would die.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIf I settled \u2014 make that thing go away. And for me, it would\u2019ve been cheaper? Yes. Cheaper, quicker, move on with your life. I knew what was coming. I wasn\u2019t naive. I called \u2014 again, after my family \u2014 my partners. They were like, \u2018What do you need to help? Don\u2019t even worry.\u2019 In a phone call. Not even a: \u2018I got to go to the board with this.\u2019 It was like a testament because people know me. Like: \u2018I know who you are and that\u2019s impossible. Not only are we standing by you, but what do you need?\u2019<\/p>\n \n\tAsked how he\u2019s been recovering, he said, \u201cI\u2019m still dealing with that. Because that\u2019s a horrible thing to put on someone. It was like released the night of my daughter\u2019s [movie] premiere,\u201d for \u201cThe Lion King.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe even said he briefly considered the possibility of not attending, \u201cbecause this is her moment,\u201d he said. \u201cBut our family, we are a tight unit. Blue has this jersey with \u2018Jay-Z\u2019 on the back. She put it on one day. She went to school with the \u201cJay\u201d [points to his back]. I was just in the corner, like tears coming down. Seriously. To have that, it\u2019s priceless. People can say that [they\u2019ll always be there for you], but it\u2019s very rare that you\u2019re going to have to exercise it. And in the darkest moment for me, I got to see those sorts of things.\u201d<\/p>\n