JAY-Z Reveals That His Mom Was Against Being Outed As A Lesbian On '4:44'

In part two of Rap Radar podcast's interview with JAY-Z, the 4:44 recording artist continued speaking about a number of topics concerning his family such as Blue Ivy's freestyle on his latest album, Rumi and Sir Carter, and more much.  

One of the many interesting pieces of the sit down was when Hov spoke about his album track "Smile." This is the song where JAY revealed that his mother, Gloria Carter, was a lesbian. It quickly became a fan favorite based on its powerful message. 

JAY raps on the song: "Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian / Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian. Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate / Society shame and the pain was too much to take / Cried tears of joy when you fell in love / Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her." His mom later adds: "Living in the shadow. Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live? In the shadows people see you as happy and free, because that’s what you want them to see... But life is short, and it’s time to be free. Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed."

JAY-Z Explains '4:44' Song Meanings

When talking about how "Smile" came to be, JAY said: "I always looked up to her. She’s so f**king dope. My mom has been dope her whole life... Listen to her, she sounds like Maya Angelou. Her pacing and her voice is just so regal. Our relationship developed into another level as I started getting into myself, wanting to know everything, and go somewhere else, to take it to a new level."

He continued: "We had a beautiful conversation that led to me making that song and I didn’t have permission to make that song. When she first heard the song, she was like, ‘Absolutely not.’ I was like, ‘This is so important. So many people in the world are hiding. This will help them.’ That’s all I’ll say about that. That’s how we spoke about that song. I was just so happy of the person she’s becoming. Live your life, be who you are. One of my proudest songs. I love that song."

Photo: Getty Images


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