‘JAŸ-Z in 8’: Jay-Z Opens Up on Stealing Lines, Tupac, and the Tracks He Regrets

Jay-Z has spent over three decades building a reputation as hip-hop’s most reflective storyteller, and now he’s turning the mirror on himself. The Roc Nation leader sat down with Rick Rubin for the eight-part documentary JAŸ-Z in 8, and the first three episodes dropped on Sept. 13 with a special screening at the Metropolitan Opera Museum in New York City.

A host of notable guests turned up for the event, among them Jermaine Dupri, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Skylar Diggins and Neil deGrasse Tyson, who all made their way down the red carpet. Jay-Z attended too, pausing to converse with almost every outlet gathered there. He spoke with Billboard exclusively, saying that looking back on his career carried no trouble at all.

“It wasn’t difficult at all,” he said. “It was easy. The ease of the conversation with Rick [Rubin]; he’s super curious about life [and] music. We share the same love for music. It was an easy conversation.”

Inside the Screening

Billboard has pulled together the key moments from the event, where Jay spoke at length about his own work, including songs such as “You Must Love Me,” “4:44,” “This Can’t Be Life” and “What More Can I Say.”. These exchanges revealed ideas that fans may never have heard him share before.

Stealing Lines Is Fine

Jay defended himself against accusations that he copies other rappers, pointing specifically to “What More Can I Say.”. He said he used a Biggie line as a tribute to the late Brooklyn wordsmith and the community they share. Beyond that, he argued that the entire genre of hip-hop is founded on paying homage to earlier artists.

His remarks expanded to hip-hop as a whole, where he argued the genre rests upon paying homage. He acknowledged that this may be disputed. He also noted that, like him, many artists whose signature style is so celebrated and generational face similar questions about whether it’s flipping lines, mimicking flows, or sampling, countless people who have called themselves rappers are inspired by those before them and pay their respects in creative ways, which isn’t wrong.

“We share the same love for music.”

Tupac’s Raw Authenticity

When Tupac Shakur came up in conversation, Jay defended the late West Coast rapper’s raw, unpolished delivery. He said Pac’s strengths lay in how raw and authentic his delivery was, and that simplicity was what made classics like “Dear Mama” endure.

“Rap was often graded on a criterion of complexity, but in reality the most ‘basic’ things are what can really get the job done,” Jay said. He expressed a clear affinity for the West Coast legend’s artistry.

One Album and Done

Jay built his early musical approach from his days as a hustler. He told Rubin how drug dealers on the streets looked down on rappers, calling them corny or lame, and he first treated rap as a side gig rather than a serious career path.

He described how rap was once dismissed as corny or lame by people who dealt in drugs on the streets and profited from that trade.

Black Album Regrets

Jay acknowledged mistakes on his 2003 “retirement” LP, The Black Album. He felt “Encore” should have been the lead single instead of the popular “Change Clothes.” He admitted they almost took “Encore” to radio, but there was a difference of opinion between himself and former Def Jam President Kevin Liles.

He thought that “What More Can I Say” would have served as a more effective closer than “My 1st Song.”.

Streaming Changed Everything

Jay positioned streaming as freeing for hip-hop. Artists no longer have to choose singles; they can release an album and let listeners discover which tracks resonate. He cited the potential for a track with no obvious hook to climb to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

He believed streaming tore down the people who once controlled how popular hip-hop became. The genre was already huge, but streaming proved it the genuine biggest in the world.

Brooklyn’s Finest Behind the Scenes

There was a correction needed for the recording of “Brooklyn’s Finest”, and not many listeners were aware of it. Jay and Biggie both wound up with five bars per measure, a count that would have thrown the timing off if nothing changed. To keep things on track, Jay wrote “connectors” so Biggie could tell when to enter.

He spoke about how prior to this he had no real experience writing hooks, as Reasonable Doubt featured other people handling them or the very simple “Can I Live.” He also edited some of Big Poppa’s verse, removing the “Who shot ya” line to not spark more tension with Tupac and the West Coast.

The Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Beef

Jay has characterized Biggie and Tupac as close friends. Biggie informed Jay that Tupac did not trust certain individuals in his own circle while Tupac was becoming more prominent. Jay said Biggie shared his concerns about those men with them directly.

Though the documentary covered the creation of “California Love,” the report leaves the full story of that track’s history unfinished.

What We Learned

In the opening run of JAŸ-Z in 8, the artist offers a lesson in examining oneself. He seldom shows modesty, yet he spoke honestly about his faults, his remorse and his ties to hip-hop’s most celebrated figures.

Jay-Z is not just celebrating his past. He is explaining it.

Source material: “‘JAŸ-Z in 8’: 11 Things We Learned From Episodes 1–3,” Billboard.

Documentary · hip-hop · Jay-Z · music history · Rick Rubin