Exclusive: Jay-Z Breaks His Silence—“We Played Enough Defense, 2026 is All Offense”
Video Overview & Insights
“It’s been a minute,” says Jay-Z as he sits across from GQ’s Frazier Tharpe.
Great job Jay
Thirty years on from his debut album—a milestone that will hit with the _Reasonable Doubt_ anniversary in June—Jay-Z, now 56, is more influential than ever before. But the journey hasn’t been without controversy, criticism, and challenges—most recently in the form of a civil lawsuit brought against him at the tail end of 2024.
The self-made billionaire (touching three times over) reflects on the tidal wave of turmoil that rippled through 2025, which was punctuated by the unwavering support of his wife, Beyoncé, alongside their tight-knit family. The pair also cover the evolution of hip-hop and Jay’s thoughts on the Kendrick vs. Drake beef, alongside him quarterbacking the Super Bowl’s halftime show within the kaleidoscopic nature of the zeitgeist.
People are mad at this interview because it doesn't contain 'gossip'....They spoke abt what is important. If they didn’t talk abt it, then it's not important. People are so used to gossip podcasters, tiktokers and youtubers they forget what actual journalism is.
Three decades into the game, Shawn Carter reintroduces himself. This is the GQ Video Cover Story with Jay-Z.
#JayZ #ShawnCarter #GQ
You're supposed to control your own narrative....not the media
*Credits:*
Director: Nick Collett
Taking that 500k every time.......GTHOH
Director of Photography: Carter Ross; AJ Young
Editor: Brady Jackson
❤️👑
Talent: Jay-Z; Frazier Tharpe
Producer: Sam Dennis
Orlando brown need to interview jay z and do it at Abakuá HQ
Senior Producer: Michael Beckert
Creative Producer: Kristen DeVore
I Love Jay , no matter what they say they never prove it anyway. Hey , What More Can I Saay !! 🎶!!?!! 🤜🏿💥☝🏿❤️
Line Producer: Jen Santos
Production Manager: Evie Roop
With aLL the Showing us how to baLL all those Years
To see him with no Name Brands is truLy the BLuEpRint
I have always adMired him
Great DisCuSsion indeEd
GQ👊🏼
Talent Booker: Dana Mathews
Camera Operator: AJ Young; Taylor Frontier; Jenna Huskisson; Brooke Mueller; Mike Maliwanag
🩵 "Veto Viola" 🩵
Assistant Camera: Adam Lee; Ethan Smith; Molly White
Gaffer: Shay Eberle-Gunst
Black and white, Masonic symbolism once again…
Grip: Dominik Czaczyk
DIT: Lauren Worona
Can we get the Flat Buttoms? Those chairs look like forever to get out of. 😂❤
Sound Mixer: Glo Hernandez
Production Assistant: Fernando Barajas; Hollie Ortiz; Hope Millner
Busby got Boskait shook
Groomer: Hee Soo Kwon
Hairstylist: Nakia Rachon
1/2 way through 2026 and he did 2 shows. All Offense, yeah ok.
Video Interview Looks: June Ambrose
Cover Shoot (BTS) Looks: June Ambrose & Mobolaji Dawodu
Art of war
Post Production Supervisor: Jess Dunn
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
when jayz said "catch me at the fight with cam" that was the strongest point of his rap career💯
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Still haven’t subscribed to GQ on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2iij5wt
s dot, im homeless.
Subscribe to GQ magazine and get rare swag: https://bit.ly/2xNBH3i
Join the GQ Discord to talk men's fashion, watches, and more: https://discord.gg/gqmagazine
Why is Jay acting like he's the victim
ABOUT GQ
For more than 50 years, GQ has been the premier men’s magazine, providing definitive coverage of style, culture, politics and more. In that tradition, GQ’s video channel covers every part of a man’s life, from entertainment and sports to fashion and grooming advice. Welcome to the modern guide to style advice, dating tips, celebrity videos, music, sports and more.
Dark…
https://www.youtube.com/user/GQVideos
I’ve never met anyone excited for a jayz album to come out lok
More User Perspectives
Jay Z is no doubt a complex and often contradictory individual but I like what he represents for Black men. He’s very cerebral and I like his style
@nykareem2001Brittany had a you? Ign
@JeremyRichardson-c9gThis the voice I hear laughing in the back of my head Everytime I tripped out or did some off the wall 🤣🤣 after "tHiX bIT** iiS cRazZyyY!'
@JeremyRichardson-c9gPeriod.T ! King ❤❤❤
@CategoryIsBlackHe sure knows how to make em…… he must see something in shorty… congrats
@jamalweston1840I see two chains he put sum 😎 wtf
Is jay z 😂
Uhm too late. We got black fatigue now.
@steve-us2hg7:21 he's doing that masonic hand signal.
@TapoTaposonThe 444 album was garbage😂
@jacobmeleciox8707At 20:00 He hinted he had to “Get this sh** out first” before doing a feature he wanted to do because the first thing he has to say has got to be on his platform first!
@KCGainzNice pr play 😒
@MetaWorldKeyswíi R ❤, yeah I said eat we R😊
@MkhululiJacobs-l2fI wonder if Jay understands he already showed his true colors already❗Where he stands with the devil 👿 and that's a problem.. Just like he said in this interview the pit snakes check out the diss that MC HAMMER PUT OUT‼️😈
@BloodyOrangeThanks for the Gems J. More Life, More Joy & Prosperity.
@terikjobe1723Tucker Carlson New Interview, guy says Jay Z was at FREE MASON LODGE!!! Please go check out the interview, shameful
@TeamhonestyThe King 👑 is Back .....! 💪
@LordAbortion23Just got here, given his freestyle, I hope he got all that out. And give us something nice, 90s feel. Take it back to the music
@candi614WHY did they have a kid do the interview?...I mean he is an exceptionally intelligent kid but a kid. You can see it on hm. oh well I guess his age group is fueling hiphop now so the wanted to represent them. ok. MAYBE he's not as young as I think too
@2kt2000i love how he made the difference between "rejected" and "dejected."
@hipnxticaBut now you dissing 24:41
@TremfjonesBut drake just threw shots at you again!! You need to take care of the young boy lol
@SmoothEntertainment508Interviews are so much nicer when the interviewer is actually a fan of the interviewee
@angelnkosiiLucian told you to pick Kendrick jay stop playin puppet. Now the iceman beheaded your record, and your legacy
@DennisMullensI kind of agree with Jay regarding where modern battling has gone. Bringing peoples families into is not cool. Jay probably learned that lesson a long time ago when he dropped super ugly. It was deemed as too offensive and going too far. Nowadays it seems to be less about skill and more about who has the most personal dirt, which has always kind of been part of the sport but it’s the focus now, not who can out rap who.
@nickolasecker9596He interviewed himself.
@moeletsireginald9777DJ got Cole 26
@thesp1r1twalk3rSir in my head🎉
@thesp1r1twalk3rKanye woukd say, who is this guy they just dropped in here to interview Jay. Jay wants nothing to do with his peers in the hiphop game
@derricksmalls2293Been saying that "Offense" now for a minute. The people need to play offense. Do you even know what that means?
@derricksmalls2293❤❤❤
@MichaelBubble-w9y8m