Source: Elliott Wilson / Elliott Wilson
Nowadays Jay-Z is a man of few words. In an exclusive interview with TIDAL’s Elliott Wilson, the Brooklyn mogul discusses his recent Grammy performance and more.
As spotted on Tidal the legendary MC made history at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards show. The ceremony included a tribute honoring Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary but DJ Khaled pulled off his own memorable moment in the first-ever live performance of his posse cut “God Did”. According to Wilson, he received a surprise text from Jay requesting he show up to Crypto.com Arena for rehearsals. In an exclusive interview Hov spoke with the Rap Radar founder about show and his history with the academy.
When asked why he ultimately decided to perform his four-minute verse he said he did it for the people. “Lenny S. [Roc Nation Senior Vice President Lenny Santiago] got to tell you that one. I thought about it, I was in my head and I just broke down and said, ‘You know, it’s a four-minute verse’. Again, for the culture, for Hip-Hop, we got to do that,” he said.
Jay-Z went on to explain why he needed to take advantage of the special occasion. “It’s not what you expect. And for the culture and for Hip-Hop, we got to do that. We owe that. This thing that changed our lives. We got to do that. A four-minute verse performed at the Grammys. We owe it to the culture, and it ain’t even a burden. It’s a blessing. It’s easy and fun.”
Wilson also got Jay-Z to speak on the elephant in the room regarding his complex history with the Grammys. “The truth is, we grew up wanting to be on the Grammys, and it was our goal. We just want them to get it right. That’s what we want. Obviously it’s music and it’s all subjective, but you got to be in the ballpark. That’s all we want” he added. You can read the interview in its entirety here and watch Rick Ross, John Legend, Jay-Z, DJ Khaled and Lil Wayne perform “God Did” below.
