The legendary emcee Jay-Z recently sat down with CBS presenter Gayle King to have an hourlong in-depth interview about his 25-year career and how he became the wealthiest hip-hop artist of all time.
The interview, which aired on CBS News and Paramount+, was a special dedicated segment, Jay-Z and Gayle King: Brooklyn’s Own, during which the lyricist (real name Shawn Carter) spoke about his childhood growing up in the Marcy Housing Projects, his business endeavours, his relationship with Beyoncé and detailed some of the stories behind his lyrics.
A statement released by Jay-Z’s team unveiled that the rapper is transitioning from music into activism, reading, “I think what matters most is, today, is being a beacon and helping out… my culture—people of colour. I think I pull the most satisfaction from that. Like making music earlier was, like—my first love.”
He continued, “I could sit there for hours. It consumed me. Just finding words and figuring out words and how to say this and different ways to say that and different pockets and melodies and how to write this song.”
He added, “That consumed me. That’s why my pace was so fast. I had so much material… And I think now, you know, the idea of, of taking that platform and, you know, reproducing it for others or doing something like Reform… I think I derive the most joy from that.”
As well as speaking about his personal life, he did open up about his music and expressed that his third project, Vol 2 …Hard Knock Life, was a turning point in his career and is the most important in his catalogue.
The interview took place at the Brooklyn Public Library, where Carter showed King around the Book Of Hov exhibition. The exhibition began in July and will conclude in December and is free for all visitors.
