Jay-Z reflected on his decades-long career, the lasting impact of his early music and his recent return to the stage during the black-tie premiere of HBO Max’s upcoming docuseries Jay-Z in 8 on Sunday at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.
The rapper and business mogul spoke about the experience of performing songs from his earliest records for huge audiences, his conversations with legendary producer and director Rick Rubin and the ways in which some of the ambitions he expressed in his lyrics years ago eventually became reality.
The docuseries, which premieres Friday, September 18, arrives after an especially active summer for Jay-Z. Earlier this year, he headlined the Roots Picnic, marking his first performance as the top-billed act at a festival in six years. In July, he also celebrated major anniversaries connected to his catalog with a series of concerts at Yankee Stadium.
The shows commemorated the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint and the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. The performances broke attendance records at Yankee Stadium and brought out a remarkable lineup of special guests, including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Eminem and Nas.
Speaking on the red carpet, Jay-Z discussed what it meant to hear songs written decades ago still connect with audiences on such a massive scale.
“It was just phenomenal to have these songs still resonate,” he said. “And they weren’t made for such a big venue.”
He specifically pointed to tracks including “Can I Live” and “D’Evils,” saying their ability to connect with audiences inside a major stadium demonstrated the lasting strength of the music.
“So to see ‘Can I Live’ or ‘D’Evils’ connect in such big stadiums — it’s a testament to the work that was created,” he said.
The performances also gave Jay-Z an opportunity to revisit a much younger version of himself. Looking back at lyrics he wrote in his mid-to-late 20s, he said he was struck by how many of the things he once imagined eventually became part of his life.
“Just going back through there, there were a lot of things that were said — a lot of manifesting in those songs,” he explained. “A lot of those things came true.”
For Jay-Z, revisiting that material was therefore more than an exercise in nostalgia. It offered an opportunity to reflect on the ambitions and hopes that shaped his early career and compare them with the life he ultimately built.
“So to just go back and connect with those things — it’s just a phenomenal feeling, because you believe it at the time and you hope,” he said. “And now, reflecting, a lot of those things came true.”
That journey through his career forms the central focus of Jay-Z in 8. The series features intimate, one-on-one conversations between Jay-Z and Rubin, taking place inside a desolate museum setting.
Rubin, who co-founded Def Jam Records and became one of hip-hop’s most influential producers, has worked with some of the genre’s most important artists, including Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy and the Geto Boys. His production credits also include Jay-Z’s influential track “99 Problems.”
Across the series, Jay-Z and Rubin revisit different stages of the rapper’s career while discussing his lyrics, personal experiences and creative process. Their longstanding relationship and Rubin’s extensive knowledge of hip-hop created an environment that Jay-Z said felt very different from a traditional interview.
“I know Rick so well; it’s easy talking to him,” Jay-Z 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.”
He also described Rubin as “super curious,” explaining that the conversations felt natural rather than structured around a conventional interview format.
“So it wasn’t like sitting for an interview,” Jay-Z said. “He’s really genuinely curious about what we were talking about, and it makes for a fascinating conversation.”
The premiere brought together a wide range of figures from the worlds of music, entertainment and culture. Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Yo Gotti, Charlamagne tha God, Winnie Harlow, Gunna, Rubin and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson were among the guests seen on the red carpet.
The evening also served as a celebration of Jay-Z’s standing within hip-hop and his influence across popular culture. Vibe previously named him the “greatest rapper of all time” in 2023.
Jay-Z’s wife, Beyoncé, was also reportedly in attendance, arriving before the screening began to watch the premiere alongside him.
Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, who serves as an executive producer on the docuseries alongside Jay-Z and Rubin, also discussed why he was drawn to the project and why he believes Jay-Z’s story warrants an expansive examination.
“He tells the truth. He’s honest. He wears it out,” Kaluuya said.
The actor also pointed to Jay-Z’s voice and origins as important elements of his appeal, describing his tone as representative of a particular generation of New York.
“His tone is very much of that generation of New York, and that’s fascinating,” Kaluuya said. “His story represents a lot of things that have happened with American society.”
For Kaluuya, Jay-Z’s career is not simply the story of a successful musician. He sees the rapper’s work as a record of the environment and culture surrounding him and the circumstances that shaped his rise.
“He’s documenting what he’s around, and the environment and the culture that allowed Jay-Z to rise to the top of it,” Kaluuya said.
With its conversations between Jay-Z and Rubin, Jay-Z in 8 offers an extended look at the experiences, lyrics and creative decisions behind one of hip-hop’s most influential careers. The series arrives at a moment when Jay-Z is once again revisiting the music that established his legacy while reflecting on how many of the aspirations contained in those early songs eventually became reality.
