Oprah Talks With Jay-Z

The complete interview will be available in the October 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, on newstands September 15th. Snippets of the interview is below.
Oprah: So tell me how you got into the drug dealing.
Jay-Z: It was natural.…Oprah: Because drug dealers were your role models. There wasn’t a teacher or a lawyer or a nurse or a doctor or an accountant in the neighborhood?
Jay-Z: Well, we were living in Marcy by then, so, no. And if anyone did become something like that, they moved out. They never came back to share the wisdom of how they made it. If anyone made it, you never knew it. That’s why I’ve always said that if I became successful, I’d come back here, grab somebody, and show him how it can be done.
Oprah: When I met you a few years ago, we discussed our disagreement over the use of the N word and misogynist lyrics in rap music. Do you believe that using the N word is necessary?
Jay-Z: Nothing is necessary. It’s just become part of the way we communicate. My generation hasn’t had the same experience with that word that generations of people before us had. We weren’t so close to the pain. So in our way, we disarmed the word. We took the fire pin out of the grenade.
Oprah: Do you and Beyoncé have a pact that you just won’t talk about each other?
Jay-Z: Yeah. When you’re a public person, you have to keep some things to yourself, or else people will just—
Oprah: Eat it up. I know. But can I ask how in the world you kept your wedding a secret?
Jay-Z: Late planning!
Oprah: So here we are, talking on a Sunday afternoon. If you weren’t sitting here with me, what would you be doing?
Jay-Z: I’m gonna get killed for this, but I’ll tell you anyway. There’s a great pizza spot we go to every Sunday. It’s our tradition. It’s a small place in Brooklyn, you can bring your own wine, and there are candles there. It’s a nice date.Source: Oprah.com

admin on September 2nd 2009 in Magzine