The Breakfast Club Classic - Jay Z Interview 2013

[Music] you're watching The Breakfast [Music] Club SP 1051 is The Breakfast Club good morning we got a special guest in the building this morning no no no you say special guest all the time this is we got something different special legendary okay you know iconic okay you know all that you got to keep going in sir Carter from Brooklyn all right young Hve yeah Jay-Z Jay-Z ladies and gentlemen sir good morning sir what's happening welcome we were taking bet on how you were going to arrive was it going to be a chariot White Horse where

you going to float in like Prince like or were you going to a RIT I was on Pekka's back pek back over well welcome thank you this is very hard to navigate I yeah I know you got to you know one thing we want to know just no matter what happens in here just Just don't get Charlamagne fired there was rumors that you got Charlamagne fir one time we just don't want him fired oh gosh listen my last name is pinket Smith Winfrey NOS Carter okay M I'm cool over here all right just make it

sure just make it sure well congratulations I wanted them to get you a throne too yeah but they weren't sure if you were coming I was like we can't have Jay sit in this chair but then they was like he's from Mary he's just on I take I could take it Back for how long we here a couple hours we'll see well congratulations on the album The album's in stores right now yes and you were on Twitter last night that was incredible a lot of people didn't believe that was you f that was amazing I

had a great time that's like dict it I can't I can be on Twitter it's like weed M like I like it but too much it that's too not CU there's no way you could see everybody's questions either I'm sure Some people were like oh you didn't answer my question yeah I mean it's impossible mhm do you know who people are like some of the people that you were answering I was like oh I know who that person is or were you just randomly no I didn't I know anyone I knew one person I knew

gpin he was uh so you actually do know gpin we're taking bets on that too think you knp we taking bets on Now One to does g Really know J we didn't think yeah I know G he's messing with my cowboy Bo that's the only person I knew I ain't really know anybody now I'm a cowboy fanatic too they always give me flackers they say I'm from South Carolina so I shouldn't root from the Cowboys how do you do it being from New York and you know you got the Giants and the Jets how can

you be a Cowboys fan in this city I grew up my pop my pop is really my pop fault you know he grew up he grew up in Yeah that that era that that era those guys who you know wanted that that whole cowboy lifestyle all those guys was on coke and know my pops is definitely on coke bet your dad the whole thing packed I could give you the whole the I give you the whole profile he have afro you absolutely have afro but I bet your dad didn't T somebody at the Cowboys Jets

game like charlamagne's Dad he's a real he T somebody at remember last year first Game Cowboys Jets at MetLife Stadium like in this South Carina he didn't know T he let him in with it he got into a fight with some Jet fans Cowboy guy that's yeah Die Hard I definitely wouldn't to put that on the profile but that type of uh that type of fan and um you know it's my pops steam so I couldn't like you know I had I had to watch it growing up it's going to be tough this year I

don't know if you guys Going to make the playoffs this year all right man them giant them Giants looking good I'm just saying them Giants looking good we just signed Victor Cruz for about another six years the Jets went if the Jets are winning next season he's a Jets fan Giants start winning he roots for the Giants he's confused early in the morning for that bro now I was shocked at one thing on Twitter when you said that Magna cartter holy Grill you thought was fighting for Fourth place as far as best albums cuz I

think every time you put out an album you think okay this is my best album to date and that was very um honest of you to say that but do you really believe that it's only fourth place I mean only fourth place but I mean fighting for that three you got to fight Reasonable Doubt blueprint and The Black Album that's that's just I mean that's just hard is that the order you put it in in that order Reasonable Doubt first Reasonable Doubt well yeah it's the first album I made because you know that's the joint

I took my whole life to make Reasonable Doubt then blueprint then the Black Album but sometimes I switch to blueprint Black Album don't don't tell nobody is it is it hard though because you're competing against yourself like you're competing against Classics like you know you can't compare to me you can't compare you know holy gra to Reasonable Doubt a the Blueprint because there was different times in your life true that's that's part of the reason why I put it forth it's very difficult to like recreate those times those times was like I mean obviously you

can't bring those times back but you know just just just for it to be so high says what I think about it what's the inspiration anyway I might not think that way in two weeks yeah what's the inspiration cuz I know used to say big was in inspired you to despit NAS but I it's do you get inspired by artists now the ER I grew up in is like biggie Nas you know what Tupac it's very difficult to compare to those to those guys you know it just is and so I I'm inspired by the

uh my previous work so that's I have to I have to measure myself against that and like like do you ever hear a record now that you be like you know what I'm going in the lab or is it just it just seems like is is is Abc123 because a lot of the music to me it doesn't it I know it makes you sound like a old make me sound like old but it just don't sound the same it don't feel the same that's good music it's just it's just you got to you got a

mind for it you know I mean before it was I felt there was you know an abundance of it but that's what happened you know when when anything successful like people were rapping because they loved the rap and then it became this you know uh huge Business this multi-billion Dollar business so people that didn't even care to rap was like I'm going figure out how to get some money in there so you had people who could rap a little bit and saw it as a hustle then you had guys CEOs rapping this is no no

disrespect to anyone just to be clear you have people rapping like yo you should rap like uh big toe puff you should rap right puff wasn't a rapper you know but he had he was puff you know what I'm saying So he sold 7 million records he may be more by now you know with the catalog but he sold 7 million records of no way out he never rapped before right so when people see that they emulate that so now you got all kind of CEOs rapping and now you have I'm a CEO rapping so

um so now it's like you know it's a it's flooded with who aren't rappers so you just got to M it you going to find you m it and you got you'll find uh good music still just you know more difficult to find so Puff F the game up is what you're saying for Lyricist nah that's not what you say that's all you got out of that but I would assume that you're I would assume that you're inspired by the artist that you sign also or else why would you sign them if you didn't find

them to be inspiration to you okay that's that you know for my answer jcole you know obviously I would think yes very dope and um J Electronica very very Dope too he said he's up next too by the way I saw we're waiting that's like detox let's hope not what what artist of yours that you signed that you most proud of because you're responsible for a lot of careers out here you have to say Kanye West the most successful at this at this stage of his career and his growth in the Pro and the progress

that he's made is like it's unbelievable you know like he first came in it was he Wasn't the artist that he is today you know but he always aspired to be from that moment like from the moment he walked through the door when he was just the producer not just the producer when he was the producer you know he had it in his eyes he was saying stuff like you know I am the savior of Chicago and I was like what are you even talking about you don't even have a single but you know he

he he proved to be prophetic in that way you know now age old question I Always say that you put too much pressure on blee cuz early in his career you said he was going to be the new improved Jay-Z and he was good but everybody was waiting on him to be that so you feel like you might have kind of you know yeah it's just a little brother like almost the little brother syndrome he had it he had it more so than anybody because he really grew up with me he really grew up in

you know on the third floor and the same uh uh projects from Me so he really had it he had my shadow on him uh you know the whole time so whether I said those things and not it was just there you know me saying those things was actually trying to deflect them you know trying to deflect some of it away from I wasn't trying to put more on them it was just like elephant in the room you walk in the room like everybody's thinking yo that's the you know that's the next guy it's just

natural I never saw you do that with any Of your other artists afterwards I wonder if that was something you said you know what I'm not going to ever do that yeah he was just again he was just one of a kind like he really was from like you know V his mother I used to go in there and like V open the door and drag him out the house got you know so he was a unique guy and he's always been very loyal to you very L to this day still yeah blee is an

amazing so he's an incredible person oh always said People don't you know how much pressure people putting on him you know absolutely andle is busy you should do that you should have you should have $100 million you know that type of it's crazy unrealistic things Le gets busy in the street he'll come see you too if you say the wrong thing he'll definitely come see you I don't not of recent but yo don't pump ble up he'll definitely come see you he'll definitely come see you he definitely will come see you now Also you spoke

of you spoke of Kanye West what do you what did you think of Jay's uh album the last album yeus I liked it like it a come on H out of 10 records I give him four that's a good that's like 40% of a record that's pretty good man but he's got a amazing catalog though like he he should never put out anything that people even consider is Jesus see some but some people but some people love that album you know it's just it's Polarizing and that's what that's what that's what great art is it's

polarizing some people love it you know it force you to have an opinion like you know at least you're not like wishy washy about it you know it force you to have an opinion which is good and I think it's needed you know it's it's needed cuz what what what tends to happen is someone someone has to experiment and go do it first and then you know they'll artists you know artists sit back and Watch it and be like okay I like this I don't like that you know I like this part and they perfect

the methods and then you know and it all pushes the genre forward which is good and that's what he does he's on he's like the lightning ride for um for the uh coach no he's actually like the cowboy you know he runs over the hill and then you know all the Indians hit him with the arrows and then he comes back like yo it's a lot of them over there and then We go over there and Conquer what's your reaction whenever you hear him like denounce corporations being that you are such a corporate to yourself

yeah you know I think all you know as an individual I respect that you know it's it's what he chooses to do you know me myself I can operate in that venue I can operate you know I can walk that line between you know uh uh putting out great art and you know getting paid for my art I'm not I'm not one of those excuse my Language I ain't one of those that they could talk to and be like you you're an artist you shouldn't have money like that's the gas they hit you with that

make you yeah I don't want any money I want I want to be a pure artist and I don't want to uh uh have you know it's the music business if if that's the case you should any artist any artist not Kanye West any artist if you know they should just record in their basement and never into the music business you know I Just happen to be really good at the music business do you pay attention to reviews on the album does that affect you do you read it like oh let me see what they

said it in USA Today or yeah I think I think review I think reviews have lost a lot of their importance now because of the the internet like everyone is experiencing things at the same time like you can write a review like uh the guy From USA Today Tomorrow y'all both can write the review at the same time before they used to give albums out that's what happened that's what had that's why the the critic became important in in the music space because they got the music first they would get the music two months early

you know because the magazine had a long lead time they get it they sit with it you know they review it they send it out a month ahead of time you reading it you're looking like Oh this album is going to be dope you don't have the music so you reading reviews for a month right now the music comes out like this people are writing a review in a in a Day first of all you can't listen to an album and rate it in the day it's just impossible mag call it classic 10 minutes after

it comes out it's impossible to even get what every and the nuances the the all the instrumentation all the words what what is being You know said in the music what is about like it's impossible to do that in 24 hours and when I see that I'm like oh so this is all just B you know what I mean it's like okay so I can't put any um I can't put any weight in it you know it's good you review the album is great you like it fantastic you don't like it that's good too but

it doesn't mean anything because you know we can all stream it and listen to it and form our own opinions that's right y you can have A better review than the guy from the the New York Times like I read two reviews I read the guy from uh the New York Times and I read the kid from all hip hop they both had like interesting points of view the guy from all hip hop was saying about purgatory which I feel like sometimes you know it's like when you walk that line it's like you know I

can't you can't do too much for this side and you do too much for it's like a weird thing I'm in a weird space which You know I enjoy but um I I I felt like you know this his review was just as great as this New York Times writers review and this is supposed to be the New York Times you know what I'm saying same thing to me you people feel like people consume music too fast because you create these amazing moments but then the moment is fleeting soon as you put the album out

it's like people on it for a few days then okay uh jcole came out W comes out The next week W's out now hov's out you know what I mean yeah yeah it's it's just yeah again again the time that we in right we we have to figure out I mean it's up to the individual to figure out how to slow it down because you know it's just going faster and faster everything is moving you know quicker you know information is going quicker you know it's again like you said you know these these great things

are fleeting they're going faster and faster And it's up to the individual to slow it down and be like okay I'm living with this album this is what I'm this is what I choose to rock to this is going to be the soundtrack to my life for these next couple months you know what I'm saying that's that's an individual thing I'm not going to let anybody speed up my process I don't care what's happening out there that's that's that's the great thing about you know having ultimate confidence in yourself is it doesn't Matter what's happening

I don't care what's happening I don't care what you on or this person's on this is what I like you know my life is tell made for me you ever got to watch your lyrics cuz you know things you say people take literally like I remember watching a press conference at the White House and they're quoting Jay-Z lyrics about something that you said you ever be like man maybe I shouldn't have said that no it's it's I'm an artist I I I have the The creat LIC to say whatever whatever I feel at that moment

you know I find things funny like you know the Obama thing Obama said the irony in that the fact that people really beli that and really was like you lied I'm like you believe that you do say you say hashtag facts only yeah yeah but irony it you know irony is you got to have some irony and music that was like you know yeah okay question as a fan is it ever awkward When you're in a room with nas cuz that ether takeover beef with y'all wasn't like it was disrespectful yeah it was it was

it was it was a time in uh it was a moment in time that was a great moment for hip-hop but for us you know um we really have a good relationship we laugh we don't even that thing is so far past and and I understand why you know even today that thing is I guess it's 11 years old maybe longer and like people still fascinated With it but it's so far removed it's so far in the background that is that n we're not we're not awkward around each other at all I say the great

thing about it is it didn't destroy either than one of your careers like sometimes when no it help n no yeah yeah it did help him at that time but for both of you it's not like okay now this guy just destroyed me because that happens sometimes with beef but you guys both were successful still after that you Even more so yeah you heard a lot of careers that's what she wants to say you know rap is competitive you know it's competitive sport each time I went out I put my I put my my career

on the line as well you know like that you know could have happened to me you know and everybody wanted it to happen like y they did it was it was a time where it was like please please let this guy go away so uh you know that's just the nature of rap is it's competitive and You know every time you go out there you putting your career on the line would you ever do a king of New York album with nas like how you you and yay did Watch the Throne uh yeah not not

probably not at this point you know like you know if I any other collaboration album would have to be with uh Kanye because you know there's chemistry there and we already know how we work and you know I don't really have the time to really like just Figure out those situations and how a person works and it's hard to do it's hard to do especially you're going to make something great you know I mean the hardest thing ever was you know going through those R Kelly albums you know he it's just you just never know

how the situation going to turn out it's it's an X Factor that you can't even calculate in your mind that you know can can happen at any moment that you'd be like in the hotel ready to make an Announcement it's like what what just happened Tata get the peppers stupid we had we had jiss up here and uh we were talking about throw offs and Jus was like you were the biggest throw off like when it comes to trying to get you on the phone or trying to he said spin he said spin that's the

Master Spinner the Master Spinner spin people he was like when it comes getting he said call you the day after like yo I just got back from in the country man I Just got your text you still need me sounds like but he said at least like real talk to me at least you do answer his calls though you know that's important yeah yeah kiss can give me on the phone anytime was it nerve-wracking like doing this whole new deal with Samsung that had never been done before and then there were like some glitches people

were saying and trying to get the app right and get the album cuz it's the First time it's been done yeah that again in that in that instance I was the uh Cowboy running over the hill you know anytime anytime that you try to do something different and you should always try to you know push push forward and whatever you're doing it's going to be problems because it's never been done before so you can't again you can't anticipate all the things that's going to happen the thing that happened with Samsung is a is a real

thing it was 20 Million hits to the app I'm not saying 20 million people hit the app but you know a million people we we went over a million right a million say a million three or whatever was trying right and you couldn't get through you know you hit it 20 times so that's 20 million hits it was 20 million uh hits to this to the uh for for the app and it broke no one's no one's expecting there's no way in the world for you to calculate 20 million Hits it's it's it it's not

even a number that you can fathom it's it's 20 times the amount we thought was going to happen you know so you can't even like prepare service for that it's very difficult so way it's a great problem to have cuz that's a whole bunch it's not a great problem because because you want like the the fan to get that experience the people that waited and downloaded it you want them to have that experience right away That's the only thing it was like you know a little disheartening to me that I was like man cuz imagine

that like I can't even imagine like waiting for rock him's album at 12:00 and I couldn't get it and I I downloaded on the 24 I did everything right 24th I downloaded my app I read I said it I watched the clock countdown and at 12:00 I couldn't get it you know so for me that's that's you know that's not cool that's that's a loss and you know that Has to get better but again someone else is going to figure out the next person's going to now know you know how to go into it better

which is cool and that and that's my job you know I took the hit for that I saw you uh tweet AB so yesterday and you said you was a a fan of the whole movement I guess the whole black hippie movement with Kendrick Lamar and everybody like who keeps you in tune with that kind of stuff cuz people think you don't live on this Planet so you don't know what's going on on alien or something I like music I really like music and when people make good music I I I I'll find it you

know I don't listen to Everything I I really I don't really care to listen to everything I actually don't want to listen to anything so if it makes it to me that means that that means you know it's doing you're doing something right yeah a lot of New York artists complain about the state of New York hip hop you Are a New York artist over the years have you looked at New York and said what's going on with with our city musically uh yeah but that's just a thing that's just you know it's cool it's

a regional thing like that's the way that's the way music moves you know was out out west out down south or you know whatever that's that's the way it moves the whole thing is complaining does nothing make music make Make some great music and and that's the end of it like I don't even know what to say you know hes like I'm too busy winning to hear their complaints I don't yeah no I just don't care about it it's it's like it's almost like a losers mentality it's like everyone's so spoiled like it's it's like

you know uh He Won't Let Me Shine I even heard someone say like yo why is Jay won't let Kanye I'm like let Kanye Kanye is Kanye he's he's going he's going to do what he Does that's a losers mentality when we would sound like one one of those rappers when we were coming up you know I mean it was my albums came out with Outcast Lauren qtip all of them in one week you know everybody did good you know look at look at the chart now it's it's w number one this is like a

Shameless plug Rock Nation managed artist uh jcole which probably go to number one next week again um no for the first time ever but He'll go to next number one Rock Nation and his Kanye everyone's flourishing you know you got to be out you got to be able to compete still sharp and still you got to get out there and you got to earn your spot it's not given it's such a a a SPO brat loses mentality that's it's it's it's annoying is there anybody new from New York that you you feel you know they're

making noise haven't reached their level yet to to really be like shouting them out yeah But that's real though I I mean it but but you know it's good but it's it's again it's not really about it's not a regional it's not a regional thing unless unless it's like five of them that's the only way you can make it live and that's the only way you can make hip hop live in your region and you have four or five people doing it at one time you have one person flourishing it's going to be it is

what it is now has fatherhood changed you at all uh as far As lyrics I mean absolutely you know uh how is Jay as a dad uh I hope I'm great but uh I'm learning again it's it's a new thing for me and I guess change change me in a way that I mean just knowing what's important knowing the things that import are important is you know but I I had a pretty good sense of that but it just reaffirmed all the things that I I believed I knew now how were you with with you

know the reason I'm asking Because I'm going through now so how were you with like uh every two hours the baby getting up and changing Pampers and similar I got an army man you Ain do nothing of that I mean of course but come on man it's hard man it's difficult it's can I ask you a question um the first thing I thought when I heard about the I'm here to be asked questions The Rock Nation Sports okay that you okay I a want to get you on your thing I know that don't get started

don't get started I okay go yeah let's all fall yeah yeah yeah um do you have to give up your seats at the Barclay Center no told y that in the the open letter that part was true okay I just want to make sure no no of course not because I'm still on the building I'm still no cuz I used to be able to go to the Nets games and sit in your seats because you never used to go to those this is a selfish question this a you just want to make sure you're good

what Kind of question is that this question is loaded don't wor you good I'm going write you in four games a year can we clear up another pile 105 bet uh these two were arguing about who knew Jay the longest who two Angela and DJ Envy okay no I definitely knew Envy before Angie I told him I knew him before Mary J BL was on the hook to um K the hustle when was that wax yeah no no I think I knew said she used to help y'all bag up an apartment in Brooklyn Sheon no

no when I knew you I think I no I think I might have known you longer than Envy though I might have cuz I should have bought that tape in cuz when I first met you you were giving out cassettes a dead president single late by then yeah I was I recorded I had to record the album first it was a single though it wasn't the whole album it was just a no but I'm saying I had to record it he was he was there first I'm going just give him that Okay all right all

right d well shortly thereafter that's when he was a DJ shrimp it was definitely stpp that you know him before me I know another Hood question do you ever feel sorry for Damon Dash man whenever you hear about like his financial problems and things like that Dame Dame is Dame Dame's a hustler Dame a figured out like Dame very smart guy you know so he'll figure it out he was definitely playing your your album and on Instagram did you see That video no I didn't see it in the barber shop barbing his head crazy to

it he said he liked it he said he felt like he said he felt like uh he was a part of that he know telling the truth MH I feel like you know what people got to understand that me like I I mean nothing going to change the way I feel about Damon you know no matter not no time or space no separation or anything you know I I got love for Damon Dash the same way as I did before we I don't know if we Can be around each other in that in that way

because times have changed you know you may be a totally different person I know I'm a different person um but nothing can erase that error and the things that we you know those times know those memories and those fights that we had you know to get Rockefeller where it was that's it just is what it is nothing going to change that you know there'll be some you know minor things in the middle that that are getting away but Those things go away and then the relationship remains and those memories remain that's we we did something

great we built something that is going to be here forever that's going to be talked about forever so you know there there will always be you know uh love there what was your worst signing at Rockefeller the worst person like that just didn't fell I'm sorry my no I don't want to say m Mill album you should listen to it wasn't that bad it's good n You had a regone error as well yeah yeah was you really responsible for that that more D I'm not going to put nobody on take that one that didn't seem

like take that taking that one for the team dirty signing didn't seem like whole yeah I'm going take that I'mma take all that for the team uh um then what was the yeah he don't want talking about was your somebody that didn't fit somebody that didn't Fit uh I don't let me think about that and what was the the artist you passed up on that you could have had that you didn't sign in passed on I don't know was there any artists you passed on I don't know if we passed on anybody that could that

was great um because we signed everybody that sign everybody I everybody tax right off oh my God that a that's not not even like a real thing but it's funny when when you Look at the game and you know you look at where you're at now and you look at the PS you came up with in the 90s did you say to yourself I knew I was going to be here and I knew those guys were going to be there and I'm asking you that because I want to know what you think of the game

now and who's going to be here 10 years from that uh yeah I I I absolutely uh I absolutely because I I I wanted to be here you know and I and I saw a lot of a lot of um people let Opportunities go I was like oh that that he's not going to be around why why aren't you doing this if I had that I'll be doing this and I think about it in in those terms I think about it not outside of what we do I think about it just in in uh strategic

moves when you when you have it and you about to have it and you know what happens and you know I remember one time walking in the studio and uh uh it was like a small Gap and uh uh Bleak beans everybody was in there And I was like man I'm telling you man y'all better y'all better y'all got a chance right now just flooded put out a lot of music because 50 Cent is coming and you know four months later in the club hit and it was over it was just like okay now everybody

got to sit on the sidelines and wait wait this tight to wave out so like just seeing things like that um I remember when you want to sign Wayne before Wayne really took off Yeah so you have that kind of vision so who do you see now that's going to be here 10 years from now uh have they reached the level to get a shout out yeah yeah yeah yeah these people that I'm about to mention definitely reach the level uh I mean obviously uh jcole um um Drake absolutely uh Kendrick as well um I

think just just on on he's talented very talented but just on on sheer will And wanting it um W is going to be here as well and I don't want to stretch I'm sure it's other people but I you know I just want you know Little Wayne I know that you guys were this close to signing Wayne what happened with that deal cuz I mean it got too I mean Wayne was damn near saying he was Rockefeller and then it just went left the truth is this my first time I ever said told this truth

the truth is you know after I had the um I had a meeting with Wayne um you know I Had a relationship with baby so you know I used to go to New Orleans I would hang out with him you me in the purple little um whatever that car was you remember them purple little cars Prowler the prowler Prowler going down the street you know no top people want trying to jump in the car you know so I felt it was only right to uh call him you know I called them out of respect like

yo I was talking to Wayne uh just letting you know boom boom boom so after that I Think we received a letter at our office for like torturous interference law and I was like whoa It Sports do that it was like whoa and it just all went from there but you know I I think I would rather you know uh uh lose that situation and do the right thing then the opposite you know could I think I could have just I could have I could have signed him I could have signed him and then told

uh told him after but you know I did the right thing and uh I'm Cool with that decision how close do you how close were you to to Really spanking way when he threw that shot at at at the wife uh no it was it was all right it's it's it's part of it's part of uh you know the sport and the competition I I didn't take it serious I I I I didn't View as a threat you know I thought it was just a flip of a line that I said because I said uh

he ain't got my wifey money I wasn't really speaking to him but you Know I guess he's he's holding the flag so he did the right thing for his uh his camp and uh but I didn't take it as a real threat I to I took it as a flip of a line now another Hood question people always say if if biggie hadn't the past ho wouldn't be here I know you've heard that before that's just is ridiculous right that's that's I mean I was here while biggy was here you know made well some people

say you made your best Material when he was here yeah I think I think I think just just us again like I said still sharp and still the way we were working in the album that we were going to create together would have only made me better um you know as a Lyricist so and it and it's just like you know that's that's God's plan you know it's God's plan it's just like saying biggie wouldn't be here if you know you know rockim had if rockim had been on the faith remix so say like it's

like You can make up any scenario in your mind why a person shouldn't be here or a person wouldn't uh uh attain the success that they have but I I I personally don't believe anybody could could stop me I I really that's just how I believe and it was going to be I was coming I was destined to be here and it just it just is what it is why people can't give you that though why why is it you got to be something else oh big big was here wouldn't be like that he's an

Illuminati Why can't you just be good and successful nowadays uh that's a very philosophical question because you have you know you have to I can only assume right I can only assume because I don't know the answer to that except that you know sometimes people success you know make people feel instead of saying wow that person's successful and I'm I'm inspired what some people are some people like that person's successful I'm I'm a Strive and I'm be exactly where are and some people are just like they got the reverse attitude like their success means my

failure so I hate that success so I have to I have to make some kind of explanation of why they're here and why they shouldn't be here and then why they wouldn't be here if this person was here who thinks like that if you take that long to think if you take that long it's not that is that's more so in Hip Hop black Co if you take that long to think About someone why they shouldn't be here then you're good and you should be doing something with that intelligence right you should apply that intelligence

to something else absolutely right if you like that person would be here that's you're like a scientist you should really be figuring out some that could help us in the world now for you moving into sports management does it feel to you like a lot of people don't want you to succeed Because they're saying that's a really tough business there's a lot of agents that feel like well what does Jay-Z know about sports management and he hasn't done this and he hasn't done that yeah but they have they have that thing that you know that

that that that belief that you can only do one thing you know we we we we don't have that we don't we're not inflicted with that disease you know I I can walk in ch gum you know it's it's like it's it's insane to even say that What does he know about sports it's like uh everything more than you you know and and as far as business they those guys have been theyve they've been uh they've been sitting around just doing the typical thing right they get an artist right they some sometimes you know however

they acquire the artist I don't want to do that to them however they acquire the artist they I mean the athlete they get them and then they do the they knock on the same doors they go To Nike you know they do the contract and they sit back they anything else so they've been sitting around for 20 30 years just not doing anything same formula yeah so me coming they that's a problem for them cuz now they have to go to work now they have to wake up now they have to do things so they

don't want me to they don't want me around because now they have to they have to do something for these athletes and my whole thing is you know for the most Part I'm I'm going to do more for the athlete than they going to do for my for me and and like in at the end of the day um but but uh I I do this I do this because it's it's an extension of of the the bigger goal the bigger goal is to you know for all artists to get the their just do not

the you know these guys not not to get half half ass agents or people who rob them or people don't care about their finances they don't even care about that that's why those Guys go broke in four years it's like a shame like it's like it's the average is three to four years we're talking about guys who signing for 90 million 86 million are broke in four years that's terrible money money management but cuz these guys don't care they just taking the whatever is going to get them a check and they're not even woring about

all that we're doing all of that we we almost like we almost do that better we almost a better money management firm And then agents yeah that's been an ongoing problem with sports with athletes going broke andl that's the that's their representation not not caring about Artist as well but then you have people who say what does Jay-Z know about money yeah right say that is that something you do for all your artists as well is kind of put them through some type of Financial Training and set them up in that way yes yeah m

p was here he said he would never Do the sports agency thing again because athletes are too spoiled and there's really no money in the but I mean I hear you saying it's a bigger purpose you want to teach people how to yeah keep their money basically absolutely don't make you any yeah uh not that it's all like this you know philanthropic thing it's a business as well but again you know I'm I'm going to contribute just as much or more to an to an uh an athletes care than they can Ever give me m

you know now what made you decide to get up out of De Jam as president when you went over there to be president and then I kind of felt like maybe you felt it just wasn't right for you to be working make room for Packers yeah Packers is coming out coming uh you know more so I wanted to do more I wanted to do more things than just than to make music you know and in that position I was I was in the position to to f fost the artist careers And just make money and

you know I was knocking on the doors of all the powers that be was like yo you understand like I can I can do more before this you know Beats by Dre and all that I was I could do things like that you know I I can you know I can identify companies we'll go get Billionaire Boys Club this is before was part of you know our thing you know I like we can get billionaires boys club and you know it's hot right now and then All the artists want to wear it anyway we let

the artists wear it you know I'm giving these guys like these uh elaborate well not elaborate I'm giving These Guys these simple business plans you know it was it was just like no no just bring some AR bring some hits and I was like well then you know I got to I got to move on then because you know my time now is being wasted now you know if you walk around that chain all day people going to be Asking you what's the science what's today's mathematics all day by the way this isn't even my

chain I stole it from somebody I tell you who got off camera uhoh uhoh uhoh stealing chain now world not really stealing does it mean anything to you though uh yeah little bit I'm with you I I don't like the conversation either I call myself the God because I feel like it some sometimes I just I study a little lessons but I'm not into All you know yeah I religion is like a personal computer you know you you let people in if you want to it is it truly is you you know how people look

at your computer you're like yo this is a personal computer that's what everybody says oh Jay-Z with the new opum like oh Jay-Z has such a God complex I'm like a man can't reference God like genesis 126 says God created Man In His Image so I can't reference myself absolutely a Little bit every now and then as God absolutely we we we are Gods besides Sports what what else do you watch on TV do you watch any of these reality shows think yeah but no I know you used to watch Sex in the City when

that used to come on and I still I still watch HB I watch HB on ESP and I'm not you watch TV yeah he definitely watches Sports yeah obviously yeah HBO huh you got you got to watch Nickelodeon I don't no I don't watch nickel you don't watch girls or um N this a little baby Einstein bste that's always Baby Einstein in the music yeah have you ever had to kick anybody out the room CU they approached you about doing a reality show with you and the family no that's never happened no one's going to

ask you that no one ever getting that close to me anyone with those type of questions have Tata get the pepper spray ask me about some reality show type of questions to get vetted there's No there's no way there 18 layers before that happens now how did you look back up with Timberland cuz it seems like y'all were apart for a minute and then all of a sudden seems like y you got him back smoking again yeah Tim Tim me and Tim always been great but we've never been able to like do more than like

one record together see like he's living in your house right now cuz yeah yeah we've been together for since the year started Bve toate frames do big pimping that was it right you know it was just like a personality thing it was it wasn't really clicking but we always we always had like genuine uh love for each other but was just it just wasn't it just wasn't right and then you know finally uh when he came back this time uh a little humbler he was humble he was just a more mature yeah he actually was

like different person I was like I was Looking at a different person the way he just you know like the coners his conversation and everything I was like oh Tim's ready yeah Tim and what about just blaze what How's he how's just blaze because we heard that she was working with some stuff with him and we just haven't heard anything El yet he said he wants to know why just blaze isn't on the new album that's what he saying yeah we just think fine that on and plus we the thing with me with with Uh

just blaze and I is we really have like records that people really care about so you don't know the paa so when we're trying to make mus we trying to we trying to beat that so that's it's not like a blank sheet when he walks in the room you know with Tim we make big pimping and dirt of your shoulders we can always you know those are hit records we can always find a Zone you know these are records that are like the the actually the foundation of to my Career so we're in there trying

to beat those and that that's going to be hard that's hard for us to do and that takes time you know and I'm not I'm not in one place and he's certainly not focused as well he's doing his uh excuse me his DJ thing and you know whatever he's working on so it's hard to we need time so just get focused out there just have you ever me me too I'm not just putting it on him you know we both need to focus if we're going to do something that's going to Stand up to those

records have you ever thought about doing any charity and doing like a a Rockefeller reunion like State Property do a charity beanie seag Go free I'm not really into like you know those those TR truly the past is the past you know will do shows together like Philly and last last year and things like that where it makes sense but I'm not really trying to recreate the past you know it can never be what It was you know and that that time was that time and moment it was special that never works that I I

don't know if it's ever worked I'm trying to think and it's not really coming to me now I don't know if it ever works when you try to recreate something it's just like you know people just start looking like a little slower you know I mean moves ain't the same you know what I'm saying like you doing the same moves with they little You know like also Justin timlake you um he did an interview and said he asked you to be on the record a while ago and you kind of was like nah it's not

that time and he was like you know I'll never use Jay again and then maybe a couple months later we heard you know his record with you on it so did y'all have to talk about that first like Yoo J you playing me like you know or not I was just no it's it's you know everyone has to Respect everyone's choice and time you know just wasn't a time for us to to to link up yet you know and uh you know time is just now but it wasn't no real deep conversation about it we

just was in the studio and we just made some music another Hood question uh Young Chris you're former artist how much did he influence you because a lot of people say you took his style or he took yours or well I you know I've made you know with all due respect to Chris he was an Amazing artist you know he did amazing things but you know the music music is there you know I made records before Chris and after him you know so I don't I don't even I don't even know how to answer that

it's like the weirdest thing in the world to me like I don't know you've heard this stuff before though I'm like of course no no no no no no I've heard it over here I don't I never heard that it's just it's just weird to me it's like really like I Get pulled in the office by the PD why did you ask Jay that I'm like it's been on the internet for years now have you he Robert dero back yet cuz he was trying to reach you I don't know if you saw that but oh

Robert dero no no I haven't he's mad he's pretty mad too how do you duck Robert dairo how do you get to the point in your life where you can Cur Robert diro like robero you know I I I I um you know I I Treat people based on on who they are you know who they really are like not not the name not Robert daero like you know who you are as a person and and that's just he's it doesn't matter it doesn't matter it doesn't matter who you are everyone has to be respectful

and everyone has to be you know a human being and that's you know no one's above no one's above this you know the spin the spin the curve respect the fact that I am ho it's 18 layers to this you got 18 people to talk to before you can talk no not like not in that way but yes but I'm not saying that in that way it's just you know we all human beings and we all have to be respectful to one another and that's just just the end of it and that's how I carry

it with anybody no no is there any rumor that you've ever heard that made you be like all right this is just weird all of them all the time well yeah which on what you want to Start with like when they said uh Beyonce didn't really have the baby that's that you that's a good one that's probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard and the fact that people were really like running with that and running up with it and and had follow story cuz at first I thought I thought it was a uh you

know one of those get pressed things like you know like let's run with this for press and I and I was slowly like oh y'all believe this right It start going so far like oh y'all y'all really believe this and it's and that and that's really kind that's messed up because like you know the time where you're supposed to be most joyous you got life in your you know and in the whole thing you supposed to be a joyous time for you to have to like deal with that whether you whether you say you you

care about it or not it's annoying and you shouldn't have to really deal with that as a human being but you know That's that's the position that we're in you know don't feel sorry how do you keep from responding a certain things because everybody always says okay I got to JayZ the situation and not say nothing like you always seem to keep your cool and not respond to the BS that's out there it doesn't matter it really doesn't matter cuz you know when you're not in control of the outcome it don't matter what I say

it don't matter how many times it don't matter again it Don't matter how many times you say that you know Beyonce is really pregnant right people going to believe what they want to believe anyway so I mean why waste my time and sometimes you respond to something it brings way more attention to it too that too and it's just yeah it goes into another space and then you just like are y'all not listening to me then you'll have somebody say that will say to you Jay-Z how do you know Beyonce's pregnant yeah Che well albums

in stores right now we appreciate you stopping through now some of the lyrics on the album this is something that uh the intern pulled up and she was reading don't try to put it on somebody else EnV now Marita she was talking about Beyonce cheating on you and I guess in your lyrics you said keep cheating on me what I do I took you back about to get fired I don't back that That that record is about F see that's what I mean we asking yeah I know it's all good I don't want to get

fired that's why is asking I get fired just turned around just Mak it sure that that uh that song is about Fame you know and it's about the the way you know Fame is fleeting you know the Holy Grail meaning like you chase this thing and these bright lights and these cameras and then you look back you want everything and then you end up with Nothing so at some point you have to stop yourself you know so that whole first verse is me complaining about it you know the fame she cheats on me you know

she she hangs out with Kanye and Drake and J C and what I do I took her back you know so when it's my turn I take back so the whole thing is about Fame and then the second verse is about you know Fame you know it's ain't it's not really about anything so I start to Rationalizing and is and it says uh uh people dying back where I was from like putting it in real perspective like I don't care about this I mean people got real life problems where I live where you know where

I grew up people are dying and getting shot daily you know like 40 something people got shot in Chicago when what I care about being on mvy show good you you know what I'm saying but I'm saying like like let's put it All in perspective you know I got a good life you know I got a great life you know whatever comes with it even ridiculous rumors about uh anything it's nothing comp it's nothing compared to what you know where been is it crazy for you going back to um bedy and to Marcy and everything

and seeing how different the neighborhood is now yeah it's like condos it was like these huge condos like condos right across street I got a great story for that I forget what album It was maybe two or three albums ago uh the guy who does the sample came to uh he came in the studio he was like yeah I bought a a great condo right across the street for Mari project and I was like I don't I don't get it you know CU he was like you know up really had a great job great position

he was making good money and I was like why is he why does he live across the street from mon project right he and now then he was like uh he came back a couple days later He was like yeah we moved said at night time you know his wife was pregnant he said at night time we heard pow pow he said I thought it was firecrackers and it kept going pow pow he went and see an apartment in the daytime right so that's a bit of advice for everybody else see the apartment at day

you have to ride through at night and when it's hot out that's when you really can tell what a neighborhood is like cuz I'm looking in best die and Everything is like over a million dollars and it never us to be it's crazy now now my final question you said about Fame do you ever have that conversation with yay like yay is just the paparazzi that's not a real problem yeah all the time okay that's the answer when you see him hit him hit his head on that stop sign did you laugh I'm just curious

did you laugh when the first time you seen it uh I chuckled all right when you saw Charlamagne getting uh chased outside The building did you laugh that was pretty funny uh that was I laugh really hard listen you got to see the other video it's another video there's no other video no no no some cats tried to get me in the store and it's a surveillance video like some old one the one thing I liked about it I mean cuz you you can't help that if somebody just run up on you and knock you

inside your head you know what I mean it just is I'm shocked I'm St like Yeah I know it is what it is that can happen anybody the way you but you saw it coming he seen it that was a good that that was the thing I saw was like okay that was that was you know little nuances of your personality you saw it you knew that thing was coming it was you know what gave it away though what the camera yeah the world star era like nothing good is going to come of this situation

I'm getting out of here I'm not letting these guys go through they Might have peed on me or something oh my goodness ladies and gentlemen JayZ is The Breakfast Club The Breakfast Club every weekday morning tune in