In his interview with GQ magazine the extremely private rapper opens up about some of the most private moments in his life. He also dishes on his wife’s very public announcement of her pregnancy, not having his father around and the kind of father he intends on being.
On his Wife’s Announcement
“It was actually Bey who wanted to [announce] it,” Jay says. “You want to be in control of your life.”His Dad Walking Out On His Family When He Was 11
“If your dad died before you were born, yeah, it hurts—but it’s not like you had a connection with something that was real,” Jay says. “Not to say it’s any better—but to have that connection and then have it ripped away was, like, the worst. My dad was such a good dad that when he left, he left a huge scar. He was my superhero.”“[I talked about] what it did to me, what it meant, asked him why. There was no real answer. There was nothing he could say, because there’s no excuse for that. There really isn’t. So there was nothing he could say to satisfy me, except to hear me out. And it was up to me to forgive and let it go.”
After Jay’s dad, Adnis Reeves, left he battled substance abuse. Jay says, “He was gone. He was not himself.”
Although Jay’s mother, Gloria Carter, tried to push Reeves to see his son (many meetings missed) it wasn’t until 2003 when the two finally talked. Unfortunately shortly after Jay Z and his father had that conversation he died from the effects of years of drinking, smoking and substance abuse.
On Being A Father
“Providing—that’s not love,” he says. “Being there—that’s more important. I mean, we see that. We see that with all these rich socialites. They’re crying out for attention; they’re hurting for love. I’m not being judgmental—I’m just making an observation. They’re crying out for the love that maybe they didn’t get at home, and they got everything. All the material things that they need and want. So we know that’s not the key.”Jay also adds that he intends on changing diapers.
When asked on protege Kanye West, Jays sheds some light on Mr. West saying,
“I think he just can’t help himself,” Jay says. “He puts so much into everything, and he’s like, ‘You have to treat it like I treat it.’ It drives you crazy sometimes—like when you’ve put seventy-five versions of a snare on one song and he’s like, ‘No!’ and you’re like, ‘Come on, man.’ “
This is perhaps the best interview I’ve read of his. The photo above is great as well. Very classy. Fatherhood is look great on Mr. Carter already.
