Jay-Z will be going deep on tracks from Reasonable Doubt, The Black Album, Watch the Throne, and more in an upcoming HBO Max docuseries directed by “99 Problems” producer Rick Rubin.
While fans were already made aware of the impending series earlier this summer, what’s new as of today (Aug. 26) is that we now have a release date: Sept. 18. A freshly unveiled trailer, meanwhile, also gives a bit more of a hint at what, exactly, we can expect from the eight-part one-on-one.
Billed as an “intimate reflection on his storied career,” JAŸ-Z IN 8 will find the 25-time Grammy winner sitting down with Rubin, himself a nine-time winner, to look back on key tracks from across his catalog. Specific songs confirmed to be given the deep-dive treatment include “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “4:44,” and, of course, “99 Problems.”
Following the premiere on Sept. 18, new episodes will debut weekly, two at a time. Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, notably, is an executive producer on the project alongside HOV and Rubin. Format-wise, the series appears to be taking a similar approach as another Rubin-led series, 2021’s Paul McCartney-focused McCartney 3, 2, 1.
Presumably, a lengthier trailer will arrive before the September premiere, but the latest glimpse offers a few choice quotes. For one, HOV points to a specific period in his childhood that he sees in retrospect as the moment he became “obsessed” with writing.
In another, he looks back on a feeling of surprise he felt at the reality of how far rap was able to reach, asking, “How powerful is this music?”
