Jay Z says therapy saved marriage, talks Trump effect in David Letterman interview
Jay Z sat down with David Letterman in a wide-ranging interview for the former late night host's new Netflix show, "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction."
The two bold-faced star names discussed just about everything in the rapper's career -- from growing up in Marcy Projects in Brooklyn to selling drugs, his friendship with controversial rapper, Kanye West to his marriage with superstar singer Beyonce.
A stand-out moment during the nearly hour-long conversation was when Jay Z discussed how he and Beyonce overcame infidelity. He credits therapy.
"Much like you, I have a beautiful wife who was understanding and who knew that I'm not the worst of what I've done and who did the hard work of going to therapy and really, we love each other," Jay Z, 48, said. "We really put in the work."
The rapper previously detailed his past cheating and subsequent reconciliation with his wife of 10 years on his latest album, "4:44."
"For years, this music that I'm making now is a result of things that happened already," he said. "Like you, I like to believe that we're in a better place today, but still working and communicating and growing. I'm proud of the father and the husband that I am today because of all the work that was done."
Jay Z also revealed several details about his private life in his onstage sit down with Letterman:
1. Jay Z was 'terrified' of becoming a father
"I was worried about being a good father because ... there weren't very many examples for us growing up of that. We had like a high IQ for other things," Jay, who's now a father of three, said. "But emotional IQ was minus 100 or so."
2. Jay Z escaped jail thanks to a trip to London
"[Rapper Jaz-O] had a record deal early on from EMI records ... For two months we were in London recording with these guys, or fake recording," the rapper recalled. "During that time, there was a secret indictment ... and they swept up and grabbed up 30 of my friends -- everyone got locked up and went to jail. One of my closet friends went to jail for 11 years, a guy I was [selling drugs] with every day."
3. Jay Z considers Kanye West a 'brother' and calls him 'brilliant'
"That's my brother. We're beyond friends ... my little brother is Kanye and like [any] little brother things happen sometimes," Jay Z said. "I've watched Kanye from without an album. The thing I respect about him is he is the same person. Like he interrupted our studio session and stood on a table and started rapping. And we were like, 'Could you please get down?' He was like, 'No, I am the savior of Chicago.'"
4. Jay Z calls Donald Trump's administration 'a great thing'
"I think what he's forcing people to do is have a conversation and for people to band together and work together," Jay explained. "You can't really address something that's not revealed. He's bringing out an ugly side of America that we wanted to believe was gone. And it's still here and we've got to deal with it."
