Jay-Z Says "Super Gangsta Rappers" Thanked Him For "4:44"

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Jay-Z reveals that some of the hardest rappers were thanking him for helping save their relationships.

Anytime Jay-Z pops out for some sort of interview, there's always a gem to takeaway. His appearance on LeBron James' The Shop had the rapper opening up about everything from learning how to swim to his relationship with DMX. Though it's been a few years since Jay released his last album 4:44, he touched on the importance of the album, especially to other rappers who've faced similar issues in their personal lives.

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"To be vulnerable in that space, after you've done all this work -- and you don't have to. Your ego will tell you, I don't gotta do that," he said. "But then, you know, no one else heals. So many super gangster rappers comin' up to me like, 'Yo, thank you for that.' You know, they could tell me on the side, 'Yo, you saved my relationship.'"

On a personal level, Jay-Z explained that the album played a role in the shift of their relationship. He said that when he first played "Smile" for his mother, who ended up on the song, she got "super defensive."

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"What happened, I was in L.A.. She flew out to L.A. then she left and was like, 'No.' We talked through it and then, when she flew back to L.A., she had written a poem. She wrote that on the plane. It came with the American Airlines, like a little notepad. I was like, 'You got bars, ma.' Gloria got bars."

Peep the clip below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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