JAY-Z Interview 2009

Why a sequel to what is considered to be your classic album?

A: I always wanted to do a trilogy uhm… with “The Blueprint”, you know. I think things are complete in threes, and I did a trilogy before with “The Lifetime”-series, you know. “In My Lifetime Vol. 1, 2 and 3”. And ah… I just didn’t have uhm… the right subject or perspective for it. And I didn’t wanna do it because, you know, it’s such a classic. I didn’t wanna do it just for the sake of having the name. So I waited until there was a time and a reason to do it, and ah… I feel like now is the right time to do “The Blueprint 3.”

To release another platform, a new blueprint for everybody out there? What makes you do so?

A: Uhm… just, just the state of where everything was. And, and… it´s really for myself as well, because the first “Blueprint” was based on, you know, soul samples and records that I heard growing up. So it was my “Blueprint”. Just the things that shaped me, the music and the sounds that shaped me to what I am. The second “Blueprint” was all my musical influences, the things… you know, so that’s why it was a double album and it was all over the place. And, yeah, me just grabbing everything. And this one is like the next generation, right? It’s like we are becoming those people that we looked up to, the Marvin Gaye’s and Sinatra’s and all that, and ah… I wanted to go back to that classical approach of making music, just making music for the sake of making music, you know. Just great sounds and you know… ah… cuz I feel like now with the internet and, you know, music sales down and everything, people are more than ever forced to make records uhm… you know, geared towards the radio because they need as many impressions as they can. You know, like as before artists like Redman could put out a record without having a radio single at all, and it would sell 500.000 records. That’s not happening… and make a living. That’s not happening anymore. So everyone’s forced to record into this little small lane and all the music is sounding the same, you know. And I just wanted to ah… pretty much just make my own sort of sound and hopefully people emulate that, because rap should be everywhere, it should be diverse, it should be you doin´ whatever you do, you know. Just all different types of music.

A question of wisdom, if not age?

A: Yeah, well, yeah I guess the time you grew up in. But music is music - if you love music, you love music. I don’t, I don’t, I mean I think if you give the person or the consumer reason to buy an album, they buy an album, you know. If you make three singles to be on the radio and the rest of your album has nothing to do with the records that you made, you know, then they probably not gonna buy your album. They’ll probably just buy the three singles and won’t even know who you are, if you walked past them on the street, you know.

So how does “Blueprint III” differ from the previous parts? Will it be a double album again? Are you still working on it, with just weeks to go?

A: Yeah, always work to the last minute. I always work up until the deadline. And ah… I pushed them as far as I can, because once I send out an album it’s gonna leak. So I try to push it back as far as I can and uhm… no, not a double album. It’s like 12 records, hopefully. Hopefully I can get it down to 12, 14 to 12. Definitely not more than that. And ah... you know. Oh, yes, how do they different from the other two? Ah… like I said: The first one had the soul samples, and the second one had all my influences. I think this is a hodgepodge of both of them, you know, it’s that… that´s why I call it a new classic, right? The first one is a classic, the other one was like my new interpretation of music. So it’s like a hodgepodge of those two sounds, and ah… just, just getting back to the classic approach of putting together a full album and, you know, even with the sequencing, you know, and just something you can put in an IPod - I was gonna say the deck – the IPod now, and just ride.

What made you cover Alphaville´s “Forever Young”, a German song from the 1980s? And how the hell did you find that one?

A: That was Kanye, he found that and put Mr. Hudson on in. Ah… you know, I love… I just loved the way the ah… the juxtaposition of this, the “Forever Young”-singing with the 80s synth drums. It’s just kind of sick, yeah… (chuckles)

Plus there’s a track with Rihanna. What makes her a superstar? Where you find talent like that? And what´s it like working with someone like her?

A: Uhm… it’s easy. It’s actually easy, you know, when someone has a work ethic and really love what they do, you know. Not to mention she’s just a natural star. When she walked in my office the first time, I said: “Man that girl is a star”, you know the room changed when she walked in the room. It was like it just got different in there, the energy was different so... It’s pretty easy to work with guys, people like that. Kanye as well, you know, to work with people like that uhm… when they want it so bad.

Have you really locked the room and told her she couldn´t leave until she signed to Def Jam? Is that true?

A: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. We said the only way out is through the window, and we was on the 30th Floor. So… (laughing).

Were you furious at Chris Brown for hitting her?

A: Uhm… yeah. I’ll say, you know, anytime, you know, something happens to anybody that you care about, you know, you’re gonna feel a certain way.

Meaning: You are protective when it comes to your artists?

A: Well, a lot of times, you know, the lines blur. You know, when you´re around somebody so long, you don’t just look at them as artists. You start looking at them as family, you know.

You´ve showcased the album at Air Studios. And I don´t know if the titles are correct, but there is a song that could be titled “Reminder”. And it´s basically who you are, what you´ve achieved, and how you should be treated accordingly. Is that something that you have to do all the time? Like go out there and say: I’m the king of hiphop, I´m at number 11?

A: You have to constantly remind people, because in rap everything is in 30 seconds. And people forget so fast. Like a new cycle… like they forget in one week, and it’s like, you know… And any new person that comes on the scene, they automatically start comparing to you. And you´re like: “Man, let me put up some of my stats, so you could understand that like, you know, the things that I’ve done, you know.” But it’s fun for me, because it’s like… almost like I use that sort of talk, you know, be it competition or whatever, as fuel, you know. It keeps me hungry, it keeps me motivated, and it keeps me pushin´. Like if everyone just said: “You’re the greatest.” That’s it, then it would be nothing left to do, no challenge to it, you know. That’s the beauty about rap. Like every single album, people are looking at you like, you know, do it again. Like I did it 10 times. So, do it again, you know.

On the other hand there is a track that´s quite the opposite. Where you say: I’m an artist, don’t overexpose me. Is that the other side to it? Does all that gossip take away from the music?

A (chuckles): That’s what happens, you know. It’s just how… that’s how, that’s just pretty much how it goes. It’s like there’s a balance. And you can go over the balance either way. So I’m just trying to keep it all in perspective. That’s pretty much what the album is. It´s trying to keep everything all in perspective, but at the same time having a good time and, you know, enjoy the music.

So what´s wrong with hiphop these days? Is it all about Auto-Tune?

A: No, I think some of it is understandable, ´cause people are fighting for their lives, right? I’m just… like the sales is, you know, is dropping every year with the internet and just music in general. But people… the consumption of music is at all time high. I mean music… you need music. That’s it, you gotta have music in your life. So I think people are just nervous and afraid, you know. And uhm… you know, they have some great music out there. Don’t get me wrong, you know. The Kanye’s, and the Lil Wayne’s, and TI’s and now Drake coming up. So there’s great music. I just think the guys is following what everyone else is doing, you know. There’s so many of them, so it’s making… it’s watering down the music a little bit, and like I said: Everyone’s tryin to get on the radio, so they all making this one type of sound. And Auto-Tune just happens to be the popular sound, so everyone’s tryin´ to make the same record over. But I don’t wanna hear the same record a thousand times, and if we do make the same record a thousand times, people get turned off on hiphop. For me that… it reminds me of when Rock´n´Roll went through that hair metal stage, you know. And it’s like: That opened the door for hiphop to come in and dominate. So if we do that we may open a door for another genre to take over from us. I mean it happened with rock.

But there are still artists out there who use Auto-Tune in a creative way?

A: I like that! That’s what I’m sayin´! I´m… What I’m sayin is: I don’t hate Auto-Tune. I’m sayin: Let the few people that do it really well, you know, do that. And then everybody else find you something, you know. Go find something else, find something you do really well, you know. Uhm… so it’s more of a challenge record than a… than a diss record or me being dissatisfied. It’s more of a: C´mon let’s… I love music so, you know, the more creative people are, the more… the better music we’ll have, and the more enjoyment we’ll have. So if it takes me to shake it up a little bit, then cool. Then they’ll be mad at me (laughs).

What made you choose 9/11 for a release date? Is that due to what happened in New York on 9/11? Or because part one of the trilogy was issued on that day, too?

A: Yeah, the first… the first one is the tragedy at World Trade Center, of course. And ah… we didn’t plan that date, you know, of course, right? It just uhm… so it just felt like it was coming full circle uhm… you know, the end of the trilogy in this way. You know, I put on a date and plan some things, you know. We got a huge concert planned at The Garden, you know, for the widows of the fireman, police department, emergency response workers, and all that. So it was my way of… you know, brining it full circle as well as paying homage to that date, you know, and what happened.

As you´re paying homage to it on the album – what makes that place so special? Is it because that´s where you were born?

A: Yeah, I think for me it’s the center of the world, you know. I just love New York, I love the energy, I love the people, I love the melting pot. You know, you go to any club anywhere, and everyone is co-mingling, and, you know, I just love the freeness of New York, you know. Uhm… you get something to eat at any time of night. You can jump in a cab or jump on a train and go anywhere. It’s like, it’s just so free, you know. Like in California… it´s a great place with fantastic weather, you know, you need a car. You… if you’re a teenager in California, you know, your parents have to move you around. Like it’s very difficult to move around in California, and, you know, the weather’s great all the time. In New York we have, you know, four seasons so when the summer comes around - back around for us - we appreciate it, you know. Everyone’s outside at the first sign of spring, you know, and it just changes the mood. Like it’s really cool.

First of all there was talk about Timbaland producing this album - or was it just him talking about it?

A (laughs): Yeah, I spoke to Timberland early, and we just uhm… very early talked about, you know, going in and getting some workin´. And then he had spoke about it uhm… ah… but he’s on the album. He pretty much did a couple of tracks, but Kanye pretty much laid the foundation for the album, and did the bulk of the work. And then Timberland came and cleaned it up at the end and ah… So it´s only them two on the album as of now, and then we’ll get some other guys on it.

So once the album is out, and people get the message, what development do you expect within the next half year - if this is the new platform for hiphop?

A: Uhm… just the freeness in making music and making music for the sake of making great music, not because this is the radio record or the girl record or the street leak record or, you know. Just all… just ah… just ah… how do you say it? How do you say the word? Uhm… this robotic-ness of making music. Music should be made freely, it should be made, and then put into whatever category, whatever people want to… whatever box people wanna stuff it in. When you’re making music, it should be just for the sake of the song, whatever’s best for the song, you know.

Then I’d be interested in what you sign to your new label, what artists you have on there and what direction you´re going?

A: Yeah, well it’s just why it’s taking a bit longer uhm… because we´re in the business of developing an artist from the booth to the stage, you know. That’s our business, that’s our business model. So we make someone that just has radio records and not… and not really a viable artist, then it doesn’t work for our platform, you know. We don’t… we don´t get to see the thing to the end, we’re with the artist to the end, you know. And if we don’t make it to the end, then we’re not gonna be successful based on our motto, you know.

So who’s on there right now? Who are you working with?

A: Uhm… we took out a bunch of people developing, but, you know, the first two that I say uhm… is the closet, is a young lady from out of London name Rita Ora, and a young man out of the States called J. Cole, yeah. Who´s right now online, it´s creating a lot of buzz. He has a mix tape out, you should check him out, he’s pretty good.

Having been around for so long, do you ever wonder how long you could be cutting edge? Or if hiphop – just like Rock´n´Roll – is just a young man’s game?

A: I think, I think that as long you make music that relates to the to true emotion, I don’t think it has color or age, you know. I think I pretty much, you know, believe that. And I think hiphop is like 30 years old, so it has to widen at some point, you know. Cause when you’re listening to music at… hiphop at 18, you don’t stop liking it at 30. You still like it. The reason why you turned to different types of music is because there’s no one making music that you can relate to, you know. So you turn off, you turn away from it, but if people were making music that was still relating to you within that sound, you will still listen to it, you know. I still wanna hear hiphop.

So what on earth made you step down as the CEO for Def Jam? Was it time for something new?

A: Yeah, it was a fantastic experience, but I wanna do what I’m pretty much doing now - work for an artist from beginning to the end, and that took ah… a tremendous amount of funding that the record companies wasn’t very comfortable with at the time. You know, they have a motto uhm… of putting out records that they´re comfortable with. And that’s been successful since the beginning of time so, you know, and I’m talking all these ideas and entrepreneurial ideas and, you know, they wasn’t ready for it at the time, you know, which is cool and so I just went and signed a deal with ah… Live Nation.

Looking back on your time with Def Jam, are you happy with all the decisions you´ve made?

A: Well, yeah, well, I think for the most part they´re more good than bad, right? Because if you look at my tenure for three years, you know, they say if you break an artist a year, you’ve done great, right? So if you look at it, I’ll just take three artists during my there years, I was only there three years, and if you take Rihanna, Kanye, and Ne-Yo then forget about it right? (lauhghs)

Apart from what you´ve just said – is it the 360 degree contracts that make the difference? Is that the philosophy behind Roc Nation - as opposed to what you were doing before? 

A: Yeah, a freer approach, because of the times, and what’s going on, you know. We wanna craft each artist´s career differently, you know. Not based on a marketing plan that worked on someone else. You know, cause what´s maybe good J. Cole is not good for Rita Ora, you know. It’s just, just not. And it’s just a new way of doin´ business now, and a lot of times in record companies they have these 360 deals, but they don’t have the people in place. You need people that are expertise. How am I gonna give you a, a piece of my touring when you don’t have any touring agents or promoters or you’re not even in that business? Like why? So why would I give you my touring? Now we, on the other hand, have the largest concert promoter in the world, right? So, you know, it makes sense, you know. Cause we have writers and producers, we have… we’re partnered with the biggest publisher in the world, you know. So we have expertise in the field that we claim, we claim to, you know.

So it’s a small company, with less staff, operating from your studio?

A: Yeah, and then with… right now, all our writers are with Rihanna so, you know, we have the writers and producers, and all we need to do is plug into the machine and, you know, there we go.

Does signing with Live Nation mean that you will be touring more extensively in the future?

A: Yeah, but that´s what I always wanted to do, you know. That was part of my plan. Like the next step was to really get out and ah… you know, improve upon that part of being an artist, you know. Every year I’ve been trying to get better and better at ah… being a live performer and working on a craft, whether it be now with the band and, you know, just building, building on a show. So everything was pointing in that direction.

It just takes time?

A: Yeah. A lot of times people… first time you’re on stage, you’ve never been on there before, you have a big record and they throw you onstage in front of 50.000 people and say. “Perform!” You’re like: “Well, what do I do?” (chuckles) You just start screaming into the mic, right? “Turn it up!” (chuckles)

You’ve been playing some shows in July, and then there’s these huge concerts with Coldplay in the UK. How do they come about? Is it because you´re friends with Chris Martin or are you trying to expose yourself to a new, a different audience?

 A: Yeah, I think that anytime that I can expose different audiences to hiphop, you know, I think it’s right. Like Glastonbury was another barrier broken, and then, you know, working with Chris it was a natural thing. And we did a concert together in a Canada last year, and we talked about it then. Like: “Man, we should do some dates together and, you know, expose some people to you, you expose some people to me“ And, you know, cause that’s how people listen to music now. You know, I listen to Kings Of Leon and ah… Lil Wayne. That’s how we listen to music. It ain’t… It´s not I listen to one type of music only, you know.

How does it feel going out there as the support act?

A: Yeah, it was great, you know. Especially, you know, for (an) act as big as Coldplay. And ah… you know, plus I really like the guys, so, you know, it’s great for me. It’s no pressure. He has to… he has to close the show off. I just do my little couple minutes and watch his show, you know. (chuckles)

When are we going to see you in Germany? Any dates coming up?

A: Yeah, well, after we do like our fall tour in the States, sometime October/November, then probably uhm… come out top of the year or early spring, and just do an entire run, you know. So, you know, we’ll come to Germany then.

Say, with the music industry changing so much and you being involved ever since the 90s, where do you think are we heading for? How abstract is music going to be in the future?

A: I think the beauty of what’s going on with the business of making music is gonna be a good thing for the music in general, cause it’s like purging itself. You know, like for years, you know, we were so spoiled of the success that we were having. And record companies kept putting out more and more and more, to the point when one year I was at Def Jam we put out like 60 artists, in one year! Like 60 records? You can’t put out 60 records and concentrate on 60 records. There’s only 52 weeks in the year. (chuckles) It’s impossible to put out 60 good artists, like maybe three of them work, you know. Now you can’t put out those numbers, because of what’s happening, so you´re forced to not put out 60 artists to put out 20 good ones, and really concentrate on them and, you know, separate them to give each artist time to breath, and, you know, really do some A&R and talent development. So I think in the long run, it be better. And as far as… You know, there also is a recession as well, and I think all great music is made out of pain at some point, you know. So I think the music will get better. The business model is, I think, people have to just ah… resign theirself to the fact that music is just in the clouds, you know. And it should be something that you don’t think about like your cable bill, you know. You pay a fee, and you get whatever music you want all year long, you know. I don’t think about… I watch HBO, I don’t think about, you know, what I pay for it, I just pay it every month. It’s just on, and that’s what music should be, it just should be there - instead of fighting it, you should work with it, you know, the technology, for once. You know, we fought Napster. There was one Napster. When you shut Napster down, now there is a 100 million Napsters, you know, it just made it worse. So if we would’ve embraced Napster, it would have came through one hole. Now it’s, you know, it’s everywhere. So, you know, we should embrace the technology for once.

As the world is mourning about the economic crisis: How does it affect you – as a businessman and in private as well?

A: Well, uhm… you have to be just smarter. But I mean with any… in anything ah… any type of recession is opportunity. You just have to still be fearless as an entrepreneur. Your best quality better be fearlessness, right? Because you have to take chances, that´s what an entrepreneur is. You have to take chances, and do things atypical. So any time like these you just have to be smarter and look for the opportunities, because there will be opportunities out there.

Like the J Hotels? Are they put on ice for the moment being?

Yeah, that’s put on ice, right? Because that’s just a difficult time, but, you know, you just put that in plastic and hopefully when it breaks through, you just get right back to it, you know.

What would the J Hotels look like? I mean, you being the seasoned traveler staying at luxury hotels around the globe, I’m sure you know what makes a good hotel, or?

A: Yeah… I’m just taking a piece of everything. (chuckles) You know, a piece of everything that’s good about, you know, all the hotels that I really love, you know. And tryin´ to bring it all into one thing. Like the wood in ah… the heavy wood feeling at Lanesborough or the ah… I just stayed in a hotel in Switzerland, and the remote had a screen on it. It was like weird, it was like… it’s round on the bottom, and then there was a square screen, and it was… it was just super cool. You know, all the little cool things that… from the hotels that I’ve stayed in.

So will it be more modern style or more classic style? 

A: I think a blend of both. I think you gotta marry the two. I think Philippe Starck does a good job at marrying the two, you know. It’s like these sleek lines and… but, you know, he has these old mirrors with ah… I think chandeliers every place.

Just for New York? Or are you planning on a chain?

A: Well, the whole thing is the whole… of course, the whole… the end goal is to have, you know, a chain of ´em. But ah… yeah, you just gotta wait till the tide blows over.

With the global recession being based on people who just can’t get enough, how about you as the businessman? How modest are you? Do you keep your feed on the ground?

A: Oh, yeah. I mean… I came from, I come from a very grounded and rooted place, you know. I think I´ve been able to maintain success over this amount of time, because of, you know, my connection is still being on the ground and my integrity in what I do… uhm… I don’t think you survive, especially in the genre that I’m in, for so long if you don’t have that, you know, if you’re not grounded. So uhm… absolutely. And I think a lot of that was fueled by… fueled by greed, of course. But it was also fueled by the banks´ greed as well, because, you know, they made these people believe that they can afford these homes or afford these ah… credit cards, and, you know. “No, you can get the house for two million”, and, you know, people are sitting there like: “I can’t afford that”, but no money down and you get a beautiful home and, you know, you don’t know what’s coming, you know. The bill that’s coming later, but they made it too easy to obtain these things, and then hit you with all those bills. Never thinking that, you know, the banks would go bankrupt. You know, it’s almost like they sold the same note four times, you know. They took… like a million dollars turned into three, but it’s really only one million dollars, right? (chuckles) And they sold that debt to another bank, and they sold it to another bank, and the only time it comes to roost if all of them, you know, go bankrupt which will never happen - until it did. (chuckles)

What about your other businesses? Like you own the 40/40 clubs, but you’ve sold the fashion label and the old record company. What do you base your decisions on? Do you rely on your stomach, your instincts? Like: “Clothes are done with. I´ve got to get rid off them?”

A: Yeah… well, it´s tough right now. I still work in the clothing. What I did was sell all the licenses, like the handbags and women’s, but I kept the main company, the men’s company which drives all those companies. Uhm… and it’s challenging, and I’m in there fighting every day and ah… But, yeah, I base a lot of things on uhm… instinct, right? And uhm… just having passion for what I do. And really doing things for the right reasons, you know. A lot of times people get caught up, they do things because it looks good. Or, you know, I could have opened seven Rocawear-shops, you know, just to make myself seem like I’m ah… a big conglomerate. You know, but I took my time with it, and I did what made sense for the brand, you know, so I don’t have like seven shops sittin´ around losing money, and just for the look of it, how it looks. Uhm… you know, just doin´ things for the right reasons, and being real clear minded and focused about it. And listening to your instincts… ´caus I didn’t go to any business schools or anything like that, so, you know, I´ve just been surviving on my instincts.

Also you´re the co-owner of the Jersey Nets. Is that your thing? Are you a sports-nut?

A: Yeah, I love. ´Cause I’m a huge sports fan. Like that’s pretty much all I watch on TV is Sports Center and HBO. I don’t watch any other channels ah… all the time and ah… And that’s how I grew up though, people would always come over my house to watch sports on the weekends, and my pop would be there, we’d have some beers and ah… just watching sports and playing sports my whole life. So something that’s really dear to me, and the fact that the Nets have a chance to go to Brooklyn, which is my hometown, I mean it’s like a dream for a kid like me, you know.

Are you there all the time? And how involved are you? Do you have your hands in putting together the team, too?

A: Yeah, I would love to be more involved. I wish I could, man. I’m just moving so much, but ah… yeah, I used to sit in on the board meetings, you know. I’ve been… it was actually, it’s actually a fun experience for me. Because, you know, like I said: Growing up watching sports and getting to see some of the inner workings, and the back… the transactions and how people ah… how these deals come about is like: “Wow!”. It’s like really exciting.

And the book project? Are you working on one?

A: Yeah, well I’m working on a book right now. It’s called “Decoded”, and it’s like ah… an inside look behind the lyrics the ah… how you break ´em down, and the thought process, and where it came from. So, you know, a deeper look inside the lyrics.

If I´m not mistaken you never wanted your lyrics to be printed anywhere? What made you change your mind?

A: No, I just didn’t write them, because, you know, for me it was a more freeing process to just think about them, and just, you know, ah… go in the booth and just do it. Instead of the lines, putting them between these lines, like bars, you know.

When will you follow this up with your autobiography? Is that in the works as well? Or a business book?

A: Ah, I actually did one before. And now was the one I looked at, I got like anxiety. You know, just so much to have, I mean I say so much in my music. But to see it right there all in black and white, it was like: “I can´t do it.” It was too much information so… One day when I get over that, ´cause it’s already done, it’s done actually. It’s called the “Black Book”. It was supposed to come out with the “Black”-album, and, you know, just shelved it.

There´s a quote by 50 Cent who says you’re like Gandhi. Are you such a calm, balanced person? Or is that just a mask?

A: Yeah, I used to have more of a bad temper, but, you know, I try to ah… I’m more controlled and I’m more of a thinker, I guess. I’m not nothing like Gandhi, of course, but uhm… yeah I just think that he meant like, you know, more of a thinker, you know. And I don’t rush to rash decision, as you know. A lot of upstarts throw shots at you, and, you know, he’s out there trying to fight them all. And I’m like: “Let them go…” (laughs)

So what makes you angry these days, what makes you furious?

A: Ah… a person that… People that don’t take their craft serious, you know, or you get the opportunity to do something or whatever it is you do, and you don’t work as hard as you can at what you do. You know shotty… anything, you know, like if ah… I used to have weekend… I went through a lot of weekend drivers, and ah… you know, it’s New York, and you don’t know where you’re going. It’s not like we’re out of town, you are in New York, and this is what you do for a living, and you should master that. Every man should be the king of their own kingdom. If I drove a car I would know… I would be the best driver. I would know every single place, especially in New York City, you know what I’m saying? Just someone who takes their craft for granted or someone who has opportunity to make music and they´re always late or they´re irresponsible and they´re missing shows. Like it’s, it’s like, you know how many people would kill to be in your position? You got… you´re fortunate to be in this position and you don’t take advantage of it, you know. I used to beat my artists to the studio. I used to tell them all the time like: “Man, I should never beat you to the studio, you know, that shouldn’t… you shouldn’t want that for yourself. You should…” So just people who don’t take their craft serious.