The rap legend who was left humbled by meeting Michael Jackson in 2001
Rappers tend not to be the most modest of people around. But even some of the greats have been known to feel small in the presence of their heroes. For Jay-Z, that meant meeting Michael Jackson.
During a legendary performance at the Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in 2001, Jay-Z shocked his audience by introducing a genuine superstar to the stage.
“I know Michael Jackson better come from behind that motherfuckin’ curtain,” he reportedly announced to the New York crowd.
There was a cheer, naturally, but nothing actually happened. Nobody arrived on stage for quite some time, to the extent that Jay was forced to acknowledge it. “You want me to go back and get him myself?” he asked the crowd, “OK, I’ma go get him”.
He did just that, and the crowd knew he’d been telling the truth. He reemerged on stage alongside Jackson, who interacted only very briefly with the audience. “I love you all,” he said, before making his exit again.
It was only a brief appearance by Jackson, and it didn’t result in him performing. But such was his status as a superstar that it didn’t seem to matter. The crowd went wild, and the episode is remembered as a legendary moment of pop culture today.
But how did it come about? According to the music producer Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, who has worked with both Jay and Jackson, it was down to him. Speaking to The Almanac of Rap in 2024, he claimed to be responsible for introducing Hov to Jackson.
“That was the most humble I ever seen Jay-Z in my life,” he said of that first meeting, “I know Jay to be so cool, and you could tell it was a different thing when he got with Mike”.
Jay-Z, like so many rappers, has spoken about his love for Jackson publicly, labelling him a “genius” shortly after his death in 2009. He was clearly a huge fan, and, despite his own status as a pop culture icon, it seems that even he was thrown by meeting his idol.