Hot 97 sits down with Hov to speak about money, failing, being a father, music and so much more. He even opens up about how his parents divorce makes him feel. Check out the full audio interview plus additional quotes below!
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Quotes source: VIBE.
On the RIAA changing their rules
“If you did 500,000 digital, 200 thousand, whatever the metrics is, they should certify what’s digital. It should’ve been happening. I was just the agent of change.”
On whether he’s surprised about moves he pulls off
“It’s a bit of business acumen and it’s a bit of believing I can and not being afraid to fail. That holds a lot of people back, that fear of failure.”
On whether he hates failing
“I’m a person that loves winning. [But] I don’t hate to lose. That’s a different personality trait. Some people hate to lose and that drives them.”
On being a father
“[It’s] just more reaffirming the things that’s really important in life and editing your life in such a way that you don’t have anything that’s distracting you. Anything that’s taking away from that time you should be with your child.”
On growing up with both parents
“They were together my early years, till I was 9 or something. That’s what made it worse—’cause I knew. Some people don’t even get to feel that sort of love at all so you can’t miss what you don’t have. It’s still this empty feeling. There’s more of an empty feeling having it then having it taken away from you.”
On watching TV
“I’m watching the trial heavy right now. I was just looking at the news and like it’s strange how you can see everyone’s agenda… CNN is almost like TMZ. Certain things it’s like, Aw man this is really just entertainment. It’s really all for ratings. And you squeeze a bit of information in there… [Sports], that’s the only thing that’s real. The outcome of that is real. Although people want to believe that it’s fixed. That’s the real reality show.”
On his stake in the Brooklyn Nets
“Everyone may try to trivialize my whole involvement in the Nets to a percentage. Okay, which one is it? Am I all about money or do I… It’s difficult to keep up with.”
On living without money
“I don’t need money… I think success is just being able to do what you want to do on your terms.”
On having Barack Obama “on the text”
“Yeah, I’ve spoken to him on the phone and had texts… Yes, that’s happened and it’s amazing. He’s a regular guy as well. He’s very heavy into sports so a lot of his analogies end in sports… I don’t know if this is reaching National Security, but when he was getting elected the second time, he was like, ‘Fourth quarter, just gimme the ball.’”
On Beyonce’s Life Is But A Dream HBO documentary
“It gave me a little anxiety, but it’s something that she had to do, she wanted to do…” You feel weird just putting yourself out there in that sort of way, especially when you reveal so much in your music. It’s like, any more? I’m naked out here.”
On whether he’ll have more kids
“Absolutely. God willing… A little basketball team.”
On whether there will be a Watch The Throne 2
“Yeah, hopefully.”
On his relationship with Damon Dash
“The thing we built , you can’t take that away so no matter what, the love is still there. Because what we’ve done will forever be stamped in history… We created something that’s gonna go down forever. So I can only have love for Dame. I just don’t know where we are in our life–We’re not the same two men at that time when we gelled in that way. I haven’t seen him in a while. I have ultimate confidence in him that he’ll find his way ’cause he’s an amazing and smart guy…. He’s a hustler and he’s highly intelligent, so I always root for him and always believe that he’ll find his way out of it. But I can’t control what happens life.”
Notes
1. “Open Letter” will be available on special edition vinyl.
2. Jay has lots of video footage from the Magna Carta sessions. The BBC video is insane.
3. Hov had to shut someone down from the studio for attempting to tweet the session.
4. Jay always tweets himself, yesterday was all him.
5. Jay does read the blogs… sometimes.
6. Jay has watched the reality shows but doesn’t watch regularly. “CNN is almost like TMZ.”
7. He mostly watches ESPN and HBO because sports are “real”
8. “I don’t need money,” says Jay. “Success is just being able to do what you want to do, on your own terms.”
9. Jay-Z loves Miley because she’s being “herself.” He says there’s room at the Roc for her.
10. He wouldn’t get pissed if J. Cole had the number album over him.
11. Jay-Z on Yeezus: “I love it” and “It’s fearless.”
12. He and Bey have a stash of songs at the crib.
13. Hov calls “Holy Grail” Justin Timberlake’s best vocal performance.
14. He says he does infart have Obama’s number and has texted him. Hov says Obama uses a lot of sports analogies.
15. He wants to have more kids.
16. Jay and Bey will never do an album together.
17. Hov says he still has love for Damon Dash and that will never change.
18. Jay will be touring for the next year.
19. He does feel like Blue Ivy has made him more vulnerable.
