Was Jay-Z kidnapped and robbed in LA?
New York mogul and billionaire Jay-Z is a renowned rapper who is a far cry from weak. The lyricist, who was born and raised in Brooklyn’s Marcy projects, has told his story many times, and many are aware of the struggles he went through and the hard exterior he had to develop to survive as a child growing up in such a rough environment.
The Marcy Projects public housing scheme in Bedford-Stuyvesant was a particularly dangerous area of Brooklyn during the 1980s and was hit very hard by the crack epidemic of the decade. Jay -Z (real name Shawn Carter) was raised by his mother, but, out of desperation decided to enter what was a highly lucrative business. The drug game.
Despite being raised around gang culture and some dangerous people, Carter successfully navigated the streets of Brooklyn and made it out unscathed. After founding Roc-a-Fella alongside Dame dash, through his local Brooklyn school connections, Jay-Z landed a 1996 collaboration with The Notorious B.I.G. for his debut album Reasonable Doubt, which he released through his label. Ever since then, Carter has been on an upward trajectory.
Jay has since become one of the most successful artists in hip-hop history and is one of the first artists from the genre to achieve billionaire status. To many, with his multiple businesses, billions of dollars and incredible catalogue, he seems untouchable. However, in 2002, notorious West Coast music executive Suge Knight asserted that Jay-Z was once kidnapped and robbed in LA.
During an appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly in 2002, Knight asserted that, during the late 1990s, Jay-Z was once bound, gagged, and robbed during a visit to LA. The interview occurred only three years after Carter collaborated with two former Death Row MCs, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre on ‘Still Dre’.
During the interview Knight got asked if there was any friction between himself and Jay-Z to which he simply responded that Jay-Z does his own thing, but in typical Knight behavioir he asserted that while the trio were collaborating Jay asked Snoop Dogg to keep him safe while in LA due to his gang affiliations on the West Coast.
Explaining this, Knight told Daly, “The only thing I know about Jay-Z is that he came to L.A. a few times, and Snoop and Dre told him that, ‘When you on the west coast, you wrote a song for me, don’t worry ’bout nothing,’”
He continued, “Next thing I know, he’s taped up, robbed, and gagged.” Whenasked if he knew who did it Knight responded, saying, “Who knows.” However, he paid tribute to Carter as an artist by saying, “The thing about, I think Jay-Z’s a great guy because he’s great at what he does.”
Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter after running someone over. He is currently incarcerated at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, but has a podcast Collect Call With Suge Knight in collaboration with Breakbeat Media.