JAY-Z and David Letterman agreed that they are basically twins at multiple points in their new interview on Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.
Sure, Dave’s face is covered by a thick white beard, while Jay refers to his own fro as the “beard on his head.” And of course, young Dave hustled via a paper route as a young man, while a teen-aged Shawn Carter was bringing back $2,000 a day from selling drugs in New Jersey. But still, both men were able to build a great discussion around their common grounds of creativity, parenthood and marriage.
Stans might be bored by some of Letterman’s elementary questions about Jay’s childhood, Hip Hop culture and “The N-word,” but when both men reflect on how their infidelities almost cost them their families, the world gets to hear from a side of Jigga that few knew existed, pre-4:44.
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“I’m not the worst of what I’ve done,” said Hov as both took a moment to reflect on their shared mistakes.
Keep flipping for five more moments that made Jay and Dave’s talk a must-stream.
1. Jay Flips The Script On Dave
Early in the interview, Dave asks Jay to name a successful rapper who he thinks “can’t rap.”
Seeing the “negativity trap” a mile away, Jay flips the question and asks Dave to name a late night TV host who he thinks is terrible. Dave can’t help but laugh and move to the next question.
Hov, then goes on to sing the praises of peers like Snoop Dogg and Eminem when discussing what makes a rapper great.
2. Spanish Jose Put Him On
According to Jay, he was introduced to the crack game by a local bodega owner named Spanish Jose. Jose’s family owned a Brooklyn bodega, and one day he pulled Jay and a friend aside to compliment them on how they carried themselves.
Soon, Jay was running drugs from Brooklyn to Trenton, New Jersey, bringing home $2,000 a day.
Now, that’s a paper route.
3. Ms. Lowden Inspired His Lyricism
Jay’s gift for wordplay was nurtured by his 6th grade English teacher, Ms. Lowden, who encouraged him to discover new words in the dictionary.
During a class trip to Ms. Lowden’s house, he remembers being impressed by the fact that she had a refrigerator with an ice-maker in it.
Back then, he thought, “I might be an English teacher (when I grow up); She’s getting it.”
After a quick chuckle, he quickly turned his joke into a serious reminder to the live audience that, “We need to pay our teachers more.”
4. A Trip To England Saved Him From Prison
When friend and collaborator Jaz-O got signed to a record deal, he invited Jay to London, England to record for two weeks.
During that time, an indictment rounded up 30 of Jay’s friends and associates for dealing. The charges put Emory Jones, who now works for Roc Nation, behind bars for 11 years.
Jay says he’s certain that he would not be on stage with Letterman in 2018 if he hadn’t made that trip with Jaz.
5. He Made “Smile” The Day After His Mom Came Out To Him
Jay says he’d known for a long time that his mother was a lesbian, but that when she shared the specifics of her love with him less than a year ago, he was still moved to tears.
Jay quickly directed his emotions into 4:44’s “Smile,” spitting:
Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian
Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian
Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate
Society shame and the pain was too much to take
Cried tears of joy when you fell in love
Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her
Queen Gloria Carter also added her own bars to the track.
Check out her poem about coming out of the shadows below:
Living in the shadow
Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live?
In the shadows people see you as happy and free
Because that’s what you want them to see
Living two lives, happy, but not free
You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love
The world is changing and they say it’s time to be free
But you live with the fear of just being me
Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be
No harm for them, no harm for me
But life is short, and it’s time to be free
Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed
Smile
Hit the jump for more must-see clips from the talk.
