Hip-Hop titan Jay-Z continues to garner praise outside of the music arena after being named one of GQ magazine’s Men of the Year.
The 41 year old, who shares the honour with Justin Timberlake among others, chats with the mag about impending fatherhood, ‘Watch The Throne’, and much more.
Peep quotes from the publication’s December issue below…
Jay-Z on Kanye’s obsessing over microdetails during the recording of the album:
“I think he just can’t help himself,” Jay says. “He puts so much into everything, and he’s like, ‘You have to treat it like I treat it.’ It drives you crazy sometimes—like when you’ve put seventy-five versions of a snare on one song and he’s like, ‘No!’ and you’re like, ‘Come on, man.’ ”
…on his father leaving and how that affected him:
“If your dad died before you were born, yeah, it hurts—but it’s not like you had a connection with something that was real,” Jay says. “Not to say it’s any better—but to have that connection and then have it ripped away was, like, the worst. My dad was such a good dad that when he left, he left a huge scar. He was my superhero.”
“[I talked about] what it did to me, what it meant, asked him why. There was no real answer. There was nothing he could say, because there’s no excuse for that. There really isn’t. So there was nothing he could say to satisfy me, except to hear me out. And it was up to me to forgive and let it go.”
…on their (he and wife Beyonce) decision to announce their baby at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards:
“It was actually Bey who wanted to [announce] it,” Jay says. “You want to be in control of your life.”
…Jay-Z, when asked if he’ll be putting a car seat in the Maybach:
“Yeah,” Jay smiles. “Wouldn’t that be great? That would be a great picture.”