He even quoted a lyric from his own song to emphasize his reason.
The 2023 Grammy Awards included a 14-minute homage to hip-hop in recognition of its forthcoming 50th birthday, so viewers were in for a treat—rappers of all ages performed on stage to honor the influence of hip-hop on music and society.
The legendary Jay-Z finished that night with a performance of his most recent collaboration, “God Did.” Despite Jay-Z’s unquestionable brilliance and extensive history in the music industry, the singer recently discussed his hate of being on camera.
The rapper and businessman discussed the situation during an interview with Tidal in January 2023. In his explanation, Jay-Z acknowledged that he and his peers had trouble getting used to cameras at the beginning of their careers. He even acknowledged that arguments started over attempts to record them.
He said, “Yeah, we don’t come from that school. We come from the don’t-you-ever-record-us school.” adding, “We come from that school, and we had fights over that. N****s trying to record — ‘Aye yo, don’t record me, champ. I ain’t into that.’ We come from a different world.”
He even cited his 2013 song “Oceans,” specifically the lyrics “See me in s*** you never saw / If it wasn’t for these pictures you wouldn’t see me at all,” to explain his point of view further.
However, Jay-Z did note that there was one instance when he welcomed cameras into his world. When recording his 2003 album, “The Black Album,” he had cameras follow him to document the process.
The footage was compiled into the 2004 documentary, “Fade to Black.” Jay-Z said that it was special because it was the first time cameras had come into the studio to live with them.
Despite his hatred or reluctance to be filmed, Jay-Z has remained one of the pioneers in the music industry. Until now, the high-profile figure continues to release music, with “Tip Of The ICEberg” being his most recent album, released in 2022.