If there’s anyone who can get Jay-Z to unpack three decades of music, it’s probably Rick Rubin.
Rick Rubin has spent decades producing some of the biggest records ever made. More recently, though, he’s built a reputation as one of music’s most thoughtful interviewers.
Through his Tetragrammaton podcast, Rubin has had candid conversations with artists including André 3000, Paul McCartney, Tyler, the Creator, Questlove and St. Vincent, focusing less on headlines and more on the creative process behind the music.
Now he’s taking that approach to HBO.
The network has officially announced JAŸ-Z IN 8, an eight-part documentary series built around a long-form conversation between Jay-Z and Rubin.
Directed by Rubin and executive produced by Jay-Z, Rubin and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya, the series will explore Jay-Z’s catalogue, lyrics and creative evolution across more than three decades.
Anyone remotely familiar with their work will know this pairing isn’t new.
Rubin famously came out of a lengthy break from hip-hop to produce “99 Problems” for Jay-Z’s The Black Album in 2003, helping create one of the rapper’s most recognisable tracks.
Fans will also remember the pair working together in the 2004 documentary Fade to Black, before Rubin later returned as a creative consultant on Magna Carta Holy Grail.
The first teaser suggests JAŸ-Z IN 8 won’t be a traditional career retrospective.
In the black-and-white trailer, Jay-Z reflects on growing up in Brooklyn and using music to tell stories from his community.
“Everyone had this same experience, except I was the one who could stand on the soapbox and articulate what we were going through.”
When Rubin observes that “without the pain, you wouldn’t have done the work,” Jay-Z replies:
“So the pain, you don’t say it’s necessary, you don’t say you need it, but if it’s there, use it.”
The series arrives during a milestone year for Jay-Z, marking 30 years since Reasonable Doubt and 25 years since The Blueprint. He’s also preparing for a run of rare stadium performances.
If Rubin’s recent interviews are anything to go by, JAŸ-Z IN 8 is likely to spend less time revisiting tabloid moments and more time breaking down the songs, decisions and experiences that shaped one of hip-hop’s most influential catalogues.
