At the premiere of HBO Max’s upcoming docuseries, *Jay-Z in 8*, rapper Jay-Z discussed the resonance of his early music and how lyrics from his debut album have manifested in his life. The series follows conversations between Jay-Z and producer Rick Rubin, exploring his career, lyrics, and creative process.
Jay-Z reflected on performing songs from his early records, including “Can I Live” and “D’Evils,” decades after their release, noting their continued connection with audiences despite being created for smaller venues. He stated, “It was just phenomenal to have these songs still resonate…it’s a testament to the work that was created.” He also observed that many of his early lyrics were “a lot of manifesting,” with “a lot of those things came true.” The rapper, estimated by Forbes to be worth $2.8 billion, was speaking on the red carpet at the black-tie premiere held at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.
The docuseries features one-on-one conversations between Jay-Z and Rick Rubin, the Def Jam Records founder, in a desolate museum setting. They discuss Jay-Z’s lyrics, life experiences, and creative process. Jay-Z described the conversations as easy due to his long-standing relationship with Rubin and Rubin’s deep understanding of hip-hop. “I know Rick so well; it’s easy talking to him,” he said. “And because he’s so studied, he was able to pick up on a lot of what I was saying and take it in different places.”
The premiere included screenings of the first two episodes of the series and drew attendees from across the hip-hop world, including Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Yo Gotti, and Charlamagne tha God. The series caps an active summer for Jay-Z, who headlined the Roots Picnic festival and commemorated the 25th and 30th anniversaries of *The Blueprint* and *Reasonable Doubt* with concerts at Yankee Stadium that broke attendance records. Guests at those concerts included Rihanna, Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Eminem, and Nas.
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