On the heels of the release of his very emotional and telling 4:44 album, JAY-Z continues to open up like never before about his marriage to Beyoncé.
For a filmed discussion to promote the topics behind the title track of the new album, the married father of three is joined by other celeb men like Chris Rock, Anthony Anderson, Mahershala Ali, Chris Paul, Jesse Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Will Smith and more, who discuss the vulnerability and intimacy of being men in love but also doing wrong in it.
The rapper delves into more detail about creating the album’s title track, which is an honest account of the emotional pain he caused his wife after his infidelities.
“This is my real life. I just ran into this place and we built this big, beautiful mansion of a relationship that wasn’t totally built on the 100 percent truth and it starts cracking. Things start happening that the public can see,” Mr. Carter confesses. “Then we had to get to a point of ‘Okay, tear this down and let’s start from the beginning … It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
As the video continues, JAY-Z adds that his upbringing, being born and raised in the Marcy projects of Brooklyn, exposed him to a plethora of pain and devastation but nothing compares to the hurt inflicted by romantic heartbreak.
“I’m from Marcy Projects. I’ve been shot at. But nothing is harder than this. By far. I’m telling you, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Most humans, us, you know what I mean? We’re not willing to put ourselves through that. Most people give up.”
Tidal users can watch the full video here.