Jay-Z addresses lawsuit, Kendrick vs. Drake, Blue Ivy, and why he regrets feuding with Nas in GQ interview [VIDEO]
In his first major interview in nearly a decade, the hip-hop mogul opens up about the civil case that left him angry, the support of his family, and his mindset moving forward.
Jay-Z has broken his silence. In a wide-ranging GQ cover story published March 24, 2026, the 56-year-old hip-hop icon addresses the civil lawsuit filed against him in late 2024, describing the experience as “heartbreaking” and revealing he was overcome with “uncontrollable anger” for the first time in years. The interview, conducted by GQ editor Frazier Tharpe over two sessions in January 2026, marks Jay-Z’s first major long-form sit-down since the release of his 2017 album 4:44.
The conversation, which spans approximately two hours in its video form, covers his early career, the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt approaching in June 2026, his role in shaping the Super Bowl halftime show, and his reflections on fatherhood. But the most striking moments come when Tharpe asks him to rate his 2025. Jay-Z does not hesitate: “It was hard. Really hard. I was heartbroken.”
‘I Haven’t Been That Angry in a Long Time’
The civil lawsuit, filed at the end of 2024 by an anonymous accuser under the direction of attorney Tony Buzbee, alleged sexual assault from decades earlier. The case was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice months later. Jay-Z states unequivocally that the allegations were untrue, but the toll they took on him was profound.
“That s— took a lot out of me. I was angry. I haven’t been that angry in a long time, uncontrollable anger,” he says in the interview. He draws a contrast between the rules he learned growing up and what he sees as the recklessness of the accusations. “You don’t put that on someone. That’s the thing that you better be super sure. It used to be like that. You had to be super sure before you put those kind of things on a person. Especially a person like me.”
He references a code from his early life: “Even when we were doing the worst things, we had those kind of rules. There was a line: no women, no kids. You hear those sayings, but those are the things that I took from the street. We lived and died by that. So it’s strict for me, like it meant a lot to me. I took that really hard.”
When Tharpe asks how he rebounded from that period, Jay-Z’s answer is simple. “I don’t know. This is the first thing I’m doing, actually.” Then he delivers the line that has become the headline of the interview: “We played enough defense. 2026 is all offense.”
The Support System That Held
The interview reveals the role Jay-Z’s inner circle played during the legal battle. He describes the moment he told his wife, Beyoncé, that he could not settle the case, even if it would have been the cheaper, faster route. “It ain’t in my DNA,” he says. “I couldn’t do it. The makeup, I would die. It would’ve been cheaper, quicker, move on with your life. It was like a testament because people know me. I know who you are and that’s impossible.”
He also recalls calling his business partners, including a contact from LV Nation, to explain what was coming and that he could not take a settlement. Their response was not to distance themselves but to ask what he needed. “I have partners, I’ve had big deals with,” he says. “I called my guy from LV Nation. ‘Hey man, this is coming, and I can’t get rid of it. I can’t take a settlement.'”
He credits his wife and children with providing stability during the crisis. The support, he says, was unwavering. “Not only we standing by you, but what do you need?”
Blue Ivy’s Evolution on Stage
The interview also touches on his children, particularly his daughter Blue Ivy, who has become a fixture in her mother’s live performances. Jay-Z describes watching her grow from a tentative performer to someone who fights for her place on stage.
On the first tour, he says, she worked hard but was still “going through the motions.” Then something shifted. “She started fighting back. I saw her fight maybe for the first time in her life, like fighting back, you know, like not everything is just given to her and everything is easy. She had to fight for that and she fought for it.”
He recalls having to physically remove her from certain numbers because she wanted to perform every song, dancing in six-inch heels at 13 years old. “That’s a lot of choreography to remember. She was 13 at the time, that’s a lot. And she was nailing it, she was going crazy.”
He also mentions her musical talent, noting that she has perfect pitch and teaches herself songs after hearing them once or twice. “That’s just talent,” he says. “We tell her like, you know, that’s not normal, right? And she’s just like, ‘No, I just don’t want to, I just want to play. I enjoy playing. Let me just play.'”
On Kendrick, Drake, and the State of Battle Rap
Jay-Z addresses the 2024 Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud, acknowledging the quality of the music produced but questioning the lasting impact of such public conflicts. “In this day and age, it’s so much negative stuff that comes with it, you almost wish it didn’t happen,” he says. “Now people that like Kendrick hate Drake no matter what he makes, no matter what he says.”
He notes the escalation of rap beefs through social media and the way fans form “cults” around artists, attacking the personal lives of the opposing figure. “It’s like an attack on his character. I don’t know if I love that. I don’t know if it’s helpful to our growth.”
When Tharpe points out that the speculation extended to Jay-Z himself—with some suggesting he chose Kendrick for the Super Bowl halftime show as a slight against Drake—he dismisses the notion with characteristic bluntness. “I chose the guy that was having a monster year. What do I care about them two guys battling? What’s that got to do with me? Have at it. Have fun.”
Then comes the punchline. “It’s almost like—not on just me, by the way—they drag everybody in there. Everyone’s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess. But like, what the f—? Like what? I’m f—ing Jay-Z. All due respect to him. I’m f—ing Hov. Respectfully. Like for what? Or to what end?”
The Weight of 4:44 and the Future of His Music
Reflecting on his own work, Jay-Z describes 4:44 as the hardest album he ever made, one he still cannot listen to because it required a level of vulnerability he had previously avoided. “It’s the album that I was always afraid to make,” he says. “Like, you think about like, man, I want to make an album that’s just pure and vulnerable and just the real interior thoughts, you know? Not like this Superman, this mythical figure.”
He reveals that he has been working on new music but is not ready to release anything yet. The ideas he has been sketching are “all bad,” he admits. “I got to be honest, they’re bad.” When asked what a great Jay-Z album looks like in 2026, he says he does not know yet. But he knows what it should not be. “Make your type of music. Because you ain’t doing what you saying you’re doing. I’m not doing the same thing I was doing in ’96. Any type of music that approaches that would be embarrassing because it’s not authentic.”
Conclusion: A Reintroduction Three Decades In
The GQ cover story functions as a reintroduction of Shawn Carter at a moment when his legacy, his business empire, and his personal life have all been under scrutiny. The interview is his first major sit-down in nearly a decade, and he uses it to set the record straight on the lawsuit that consumed much of his 2025, to praise the family that supported him through it, and to declare that the defensive posture of the past year is over.
“2026 is all offense,” he says early in the conversation. By the end, the phrase has taken on the weight of a mission statement. For a man who has spent three decades at the top of hip-hop, the declaration is not about reclaiming anything. It is about moving forward—on his terms, in his time, with the people who stayed when others ran.
The interview is accompanied by a video cover story directed by Nick Collett and photography by Rashid Johnson, featuring Jay-Z in Valentino, Saint Laurent, and Giorgio Armani. But the most lasting image may be the one he creates with his words: a man who has weathered a storm, kept his circle close, and now stands ready to return to the offensive.