Jay-Z Interview

Currently gracing the cover of the latest issue of Clash magazine, Jay-Z is the hottest property in music right now as the world awaits his 'The Blueprint 3' album (read ClashMusic's reviewHERE).

At the age of thirty-nine Jay-Z has a discography to kill for, his Roc Nation record label and Beyoncé rustling up a full English every morning. And that’s not to mention the basketball teams, clothing brands and night clubs. In his own words; “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.”

Below you can read the full transcript of our chat with Jay-Z. Read more about the issue, and where to get it, HERE and check out a photo gallery of Jay-Z shot exclusively for Clash by Rankin HERE.

You can access a digital flipbook of the new issue HERE.

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Jay Z – ‘Run This Town’

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How are you?
I’m good. Pretty good.

Are you enjoying London?
London’s fantastic. It was beautiful last night. I didn’t go anywhere – I was just standing outside... I was gonna run through Hyde Park at three in the morning. But the big guy was scared (points to slab of muscle body guard). He used the word like creepy... It was too creepy! Which is true, but when I want to run I want to run. He was scared to go for a jog at three o’clock in the morning (laughs).

JAY-Z - Run This Town

interview with JAY-Z

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It would probably be a cliché to state that Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is the opposite of the all-beef persona he proffers in song and video, but he is soft-spoken and polite. As he finishes his lunch at the Brooklyn studio where we did the photo shoot for this story, he asks for something to drink. “Snapple, I guess,” he says. “Bring me something red with that excess verbiage on the label. Although,” he laughs. “I guess that could be any of ’em.” He pays the kind of attention that’s reflected in his lyric choices.

Whenever he digressed during our conversation, he would invariably interject something along the lines of, “But let me get back to your original question . . . ” and then finish his thought—the kind of attention to detail that he brings to bear as a writer, producer, and performer with a career that, arguably, represents one of the longest running periods of sustained success in the history of hip-hop. It’s a genre that he’s seen grow from its infancy to reach a crossroads, mirroring his own evolution from his twenties to his forties. (Jay-Z turned 40 in December.)

Jay-Z - Hard Knock Life

Jay-Z

Biography

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, United States), is an American rapper and former president and CEO of Roc A Fella Records. He is more commonly known by a variety of stage names including Jay-Z, S. Carter, Jigga, Hova, J-Hova, Hov, and Young Hov. He is regarded as one of the most prolific and successful American blend artists of the mid-90s and early 2000s and is known for his use of metaphors, freestyling abilities, word play, flow, and blending of street and popular hip hop. He is one of the most respected rappers in the music industry, and is admired for his ability to craft songs from memory without the use of pen and paper. He married his long time girlfriend Beyoncein April 2008 after dating for over seven years. He is one of the founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, a hip-hop record label which also launched the careers of artists such as Beanie Sigel, Kanye West,Memphis Bleek, Young Gunz, Freeway, and Teairra Mari.