Jay-Z Vanity Fair: Talks Blue Ivy, Beyonce Fake Pregnancy Rumors, Drug Dealing Past & 'Magna Carta Holy Grail' Album (PHOTO)
Jay Z landed on the cover of Vanity Fair again but this time solo for the Pop Culture and Fashion Issue.
The Holy Grail rapper appears on the magazine's November 2013 issue for the second time. He first appeared on a Vanity Fair cover in 2007 alongside singer Alicia Keys for the Africa Issue.
The Brooklyn native looks dapper in a tuxedo with white jacket with round lapels, black bow tie and matching black pants for the latest issue.
In his cover story interview, Jay Z discussed his daughter Blue Ivy being his biggest fan, how he landed his wife Beyonce, his drug dealing past and those fake pregnancy rumors.
Jay Z shared how Blue Ivy fell in love with her mother's music first and how he discovered she is a fan of his music as well.
"She does like her mother's music - she watches [Beyonce's concerts] on the computer every night. But my album came out, and I don't know if Blue ever heard any of my music prior to this album - she's only 18 months old and I don't play my music around the house. But this album was new, so we played it. And she loves all the songs. She plays a song and goes, 'More, Daddy, more... Daddy song.' She's my biggest fan."
He said he experienced so much joy seeing his daughter love his music that it didn't matter if it would become a success or not.
"If no one bought the Magna Carta [album], the fact that she loves it so much, it gives me the greatest joy. And that's not like a cliché. I'm really serious. Just to see her [say] 'Daddy song, more, Daddy.' She's genuine, she's honest, because she's doesn't know it makes me happy. She just wants to hear it."
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He also explained why he and his wife decided to copyright their daughter's name.
"People wanted to make products based on our child's name and you don't want anybody trying to benefit off your baby's name. It wasn't for us to do anything as you see, we haven't done anything."
During the interview, Jay Z admitted he was frustrated at first about Beyonce's fake pregnancy rumors, but they learned to live with it.
"It's so stupid. You know, I felt dismissive about it, but you've got to feel for her. I mean, we've got a really charmed life, so how can we complain? But when you think about it, we're still human beings," he said.
Opening up about his past, Jay-Z said he's not proud of being a drug dealer -- but it has its benefits. The financial knowledge he gained helps him succeed in the music business today.
"I know about budgets. I was a drug dealer. To be in a drug deal, you need to know what you can spend, what you need to re-up. Or if you want to start some sort of barbershop or car wash- those were the businesses back then. Things you can get in easily to get of [that] life. At some point, you have to have an exit strategy, because your window is very small; you're going to get locked up or you're going to die."
In April, the music mogul landed on TIME magazine's highly coveted annual 100 Most Influential People List and cover for it.
Forbes announced last week that Jay Z landed at No. 2 on their annual Highest Paid Hip-Hop Artists of 2013 list. He grossed $40 million thanks to earning from his Legends of The Summer Tour with Justin Timberlake, his stake in Armand de Brignac champagne, D'Ussé cognac and Roc Nation label/management firm, which represents a myriad of artists and athletes. His latest album, Magna Carta ... Holy Grail, went platinum before its July launch thanks to a $5 million investment from Samsung.
