Jay-Z has already built a legacy unlike anyone else at 51-years old, but he knows it isn’t up to him to decide how he’s remembered when all is said and done.
In a rare interview with The Sunday Times to promote his Puma partnership, Hov opened up about navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic, how he views race relations within the U.S., and taking pride in his decades-long career and extensive portfolio.
“I have no idea,” Jay said when asked how he wants to be remembered. “I’m not beyond ego, right? Hopefully they speak of me [with] the names of Bob Marley and all the greats. But that’s not for me to say.”
Speaking on race relations within the U.S., Hov shared that he finds things frustrating. “As a human race we’re still on basic things,” he said. “We’re still on Stop Asian Hate. We can’t sit and cry over spilt milk, but we do have to acknowledge that there’s milk, right? Are we here today? No. Are we further than 50 years ago? Yes.”
Also in the conversation, the mogul touched on his feelings around social media and the potential of saying the wrong thing when given a platform as a young person.
“You can’t give someone a microphone for 24 hours a day and [have them] not think they have to use it,” he said. “These kids, it’s unbelievable. Imagine having a microphone and you’re asked about social justice questions at 18 years old? It’s like, ‘What? I’m meant to know the answer, and if I don’t answer the correct way, if I don’t say everything right, even if my intentions are right, and I don’t say the same right thing, it’s going to be everywhere.’”
And as for his personal life, Jay went into detail on how he and his family—Beyoncé and their three children—have become more connected as a result of the pandemic, which helped them focus on being together.
“In the beginning, it was time for everyone to sit down and really connect, and really focus on family and being together, and take this time to learn more about each other,” he said. “And then, as it wore on, it’s like, ‘OK, all right, what is the new normal?’ If anything came from this, it’s that we have to recognize that we’re all connected. It’s a metaphor for how connected we are.”
