Jay-Z’s ‘GQ’ Interview: 10 Things We Learned

As a battle-tested veteran, Jay had a few interesting thoughts after watching the blockbuster Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud as a bystander. He believes things went too far and with social media, fans tear down rappers’ personal lives and refuse to move on even after the dust has settled.

“I love the sparring and the music you get, but in this day and age, it’s so much negative stuff that comes with it, you almost wish it didn’t happen,” Jay said. “Now people that like Kendrick hate Drake no matter what he makes … It’s like an attack on his character and I don’t know if I love that, I don’t know if it’s helpful to our growth, where the fallout lands … It’s too far.”

Jay finished with a pointed message, essentially saying he doesn’t see the need for rap battles moving forward. “I don’t know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore,” he concluded.

After sitting with his thoughts, Hov later texted GQ‘s Frazier Tharpe: “I realize it’s a bit hypocritical because of how many battles I’ve been in, and given the nature of ‘Super Ugly.’ It takes growth to arrive at this place, because I’ve done the bulls—t too!”

Jay defended having Blue Ivy join Beyoncé on stage for his wife’s Renaissance and Cowboy Carter tours. Hov argued that the opportunity wasn’t handed to his daughter and how she “fought” to improve her skills as a dancer and performer.

“Blue is a crazy pianist, but she won’t let us get her a teacher. She doesn’t want it to be a job. But she has perfect pitch,” he claimed. “If she hears a song, she’ll be like, ‘Play it again’ and then she’ll teach herself. That’s just talent, she doesn’t work at that. She worked at this, and it makes me proud that she fought for something that she really wanted to do. I don’t think we’re going to be able to get her off that stage now.”

Critics have poked at how Jay has handled his business ventures while amassing wealth to become a hip-hop billionaire. Hov defended himself and pushed back against the “capitalist” narrative, explaining he “didn’t get here by taking advantage of people.” “Your morality defines who you are, not what you’ve attained,” he added.

“The only thing I heard coming up was the American dream,” Jay said. “You could make it if you pull yourself up by the bootstraps. I heard that my entire life — until we started being successful. Then it was like: ‘You’re selling out because you’re making money.’ People had this allure for the ‘struggling artist’ — that’s a mind game, what we would call, back in the day, ‘tricknology.’ I’m not going for that.”

He continued: “I make art first, and then I make sure that I’m compensated for my art. I didn’t get here by taking advantage of people or taking advantage of the loopholes in the system, or some wrinkle in a capitalist structure. That structure exists; I just see the world for what it is, not for what I want it to be. I’m a realist. It’s not idealistic. People speak about the world how they want to see it. You’re never going to win like that.”

Jay revealed he nearly appeared on Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out comeback album, but ultimately decided to pass on the opportunity. Over the summer, Pusha and Malice told The Breakfast Club they sent Jay a few tracks with open verses, including “M.T.B.T.T.F.,” “So Be It” and “Chains & Whips.”

“Yeah, I was close, I was close,” he admitted. “I think the first thing that I say, it has to be said from me. I don’t want to be so rigid with it though… At that moment I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to do something, [but] in order for me to move forward, I gotta get this s—t out.’”

Jay-Z told GQ that “2026 is all offense” and fans have been speculating that all of this Hov activity could result in a new album, which would be Jay’s first solo effort since 2017’s 4:44. He didn’t go as far as to confirm a new project is on the way, but defined what an LP would have to contain for him to feel confident in his next LP.

“I don’t know. But I know that we have enough negativity currently,” he said. “Forget the landscape of music. I don’t know what I need to create currently that’s going to fulfill me and make me happy because that’s most important. I know I just got to be honest about what I feel and where I am. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe I’m stopping myself from just creating.”

Jay went on: “Whatever it is, it just needs to be a true representation of how I feel. Trying to create something that people like is where I think a lot of artists get jammed up. And people can feel that because it’s not authentic. I just got to make something timeless that I really love and that’s really honest and true to who I am.”

Hov’s last solo album, 4:44, arrived in 2017 and was a brutal confessional, with Jay at his most vulnerable. He said it was the “hardest album for me to make,” and admitted he “can’t even listen” back to the album these days.

“It’s the album that I was always afraid to make,” Jay said. “You think about like, ‘Man, I want to make an album [that’s] just pure and just vulnerable and just the real interior thoughts. Not like, you know, this Superman, this mythical figure.’”

While Drake and Jay-Z have a handful of collaborations over the years, some OVO fans felt Hov betrayed Drizzy when he tapped Kendrick Lamar to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show after defeating the 6 God in battle. However, Jay didn’t understand the “conspiracy” theories going around, and defended going with K. Dot because of his “monster year,” still believing he made the “right choice.”

“I chose the guy that was having a monster year,” he proclaimed. “I think it was the right choice. What do I care about them two guys battling? What’s that got to do with me? Have at it. They drag everybody in it, like everyone’s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess. But, it’s like, what the f—k? I’m f—king Jay-Z! All due respect to him. I’m f—king Hov.”

Jay-Z was the subject of a heinous sexual assault lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York in October 2024. The complaint alleged that Jay and Diddy rapped a girl when she was 13 years old following the MTV Video Music Awards. The accusations were eventually dropped months later when the civil lawsuit was dismissed in February 2025.

“It was hard. Really hard,” Jay-Z said. “I was heartbroken. I’m glad we got right to that, so we could get that out the way. I was really heartbroken by everything that occurred. We’re in a space now where consequence is not thought about enough, because everything is so instant.”

While dishing his thoughts on how he feels hip-hop may be past the point of needing traditional rap battles, Jay admitted that he regrets his feud with Nas and has a ton of respect for his fellow NYC titan.

“It was a whole bunch of stuff leading up to that point,” Jay explained that the feud had plenty of precursors before exploding with him dissing Nas at 2001’s Summer Jam. “I actually regret that because I really like Nas. He’s a really nice guy.”

J. Cole was the first rapper signed to Jay’s Roc Nation label in 2009, and he reflected on Cole’s journey to stardom.

“An artist’s expression should be their expression. I really fall back. That’s what I think happened with Cole. The narrative is that we didn’t love Cole,” he said. “No, we believed in him enough to let him find his journey. It took him a minute, but he found his way.”

These days, it doesn’t seem like they have much of a relationship, but Jay’s proud of all he’s accomplished. “I don’t have any negative feelings for him,” he added. “I’m actually super proud of him and what he’s done.”