Five Gems From JAY-Z's Netflix Interview With David Letterman

Source: Joe Pugliese/Netflix / Netflix

At multiple points in their new interview on Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, JAY-Z and David Letterman agreed that they are basically twins.

Sure, Dave’s face is covered by a thick white beard, while Jay refers to his baby 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 heard from a side of Jigga that few knew existed, pre-4:44.

“I’m not the worst of what I’ve done,” said Hov during his open introspection.

Flip trough 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.

Point, Hov.

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 the 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 teacher, Ms. Lowden, who encouraged him to discover new words in the dictionary.

During a class trip to Ms. Lowden’s house, Jay remembers being impressed by the fact that her refrigerator with an ice-maker in it. He says he thought, “Aw man, 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 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, a police 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.

He 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 clips from the talk.