Jay-Z is the A1 MC in the game, laying his life out for thirsty fans and listeners bar after bar, but his actual interviews are becoming a rarity. The New York Time‘s T Mag recently roped in Hova for a revealing sit down.
NYT‘s editor Dean Baquet conducted the interview and threw out candid questions that the Jigga Man answered thoughtfully and thoroughly.
One thing any Hip-Hop journalist with some stripes on his sleeve will lament is the lack of time to really kick it with a subject. Baquet spoke with Jay-Z for TWO hours. Unless your Elliott Wilson, most journos will get enough time for a few questions, a smile and a “Thank you for your time, bye now.”
The entire interview is a gem, but here are some clutch moments that will have the Internets talking, for at least 24 hours.
Jay-Z knows he’s on borrowed time in this fickle rap game.
BAQUET But will you have the same adventures in your life? Will you have the same stuff to write about? Or maybe you don’t know.
JAY-Z I think that rap in particular is a young man’s sport, that I’ll move out of that white-hot space. Rap is about the gift of discovery. The white-hot space is when it’s fresh and new, and it’s like, this is the hottest song ever. I mean I pushed the window, like —
BAQUET You still — you think you’re still in that space?
JAY-Z I stretched it. Oh, I stood in that window a really long time. But still, no, I don’t think people are looking to me as like, The Thing.
On the low, this may be the best question asked to Jay-Z ever…
BAQUET First off, how does Jay-Z find a therapist? Not in the Phone book, right?
JAY-Z No, through great friends of mine. You know. Friends of mine who’ve been through a lot and, you know, come out on the other side as, like, whole individuals.
BAQUET What was that like, being in therapy? What did you talk about that you had never acknowledged to yourself or talked about?
JAY-Z I grew so much from the experience. But I think the most important thing I got is that everything is connected. Every emotion is connected and it comes from somewhere. And just being aware of it. Being aware of it in everyday life puts you at such a … you’re at such an advantage. You know, you realize that if someone’s racist toward you, it ain’t about you. It’s about their upbringing and what happened to them, and how that led them to this point. You know, most bullies bully. It just happen. Oh, you got bullied as a kid so you trying to bully me. I understand.
Jay-Z is planning to formally link up with Colin Kaepernick.
BAQUET If you were an owner, you would sign Colin Kaepernick, right?
JAY-Z Yeah. I dedicated “The Story of O.J.” to him at the Meadows concert.4
BAQUET Have you met him?
JAY-Z No. We just had dialogue over the phone, but we supposed to get together.
BAQUET Do you have any doubt that if this had not happened, he would be signed by a team?
