All language subtitles for Hart.to.Heart.S02E02.WEBRip.x264-ION10

**

-My guest today
is not a businessman.

He's a business, man, and he's
hip hop's first billionaire.

We can also say out loud
that he's one

of the most successful
recording artists of all time.

He holds the record for the most
Grammy nominations in 83,

and he also has 23 wins.

God damn, he has
more number one albums

than any other solo artist
on the Billboard charts.

And besides all that, well,
he influences the whole planet

with his brilliant,
creative mind.

You should already know
who I'm talking about.

But in case you do not.

Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Jay-Z.

Welcome to the show.
-Yer-her.

-I got a cold.
That's even on camera.

-Even on camera you do it.
-I can't be dirty to you, dirty.

-I like it, man.
How are you doing, man?

-Congratulations, man.
This is a great setup.

-Holy shit.
I can't believe I got you here.

-Beautiful setup, man.
-You like this?

-I love it.
-The kid has done well

for himself, right?
-Yeah, you made it.

-I don't shine shoes no more.

-That's right. That's right.
-I'm not shining shoes.

-That's right.

-Oh, before we even start, man,
I got to say thank you.

Reason why I'm saying thank you,

because I don't
ask you for much.

I asked you to come here
and you came.

I'm conscious
and aware of your time.

Reason why is because

I know how much people
aren't aware of my time.

I know how much people
don't value my time.

So in our relationship, I never
wanted to be one of those guys

to constantly throw
the monkey wrench in.

And the moment
where we're hanging out,

where we're a part
of gatherings, and I come,

and "Hov, I need to talk to you.

I need you to do something
for me."

I never wanted to do that.

But this case here,
this was a need, it was a want,

it was a must,
and it had to happen.

So hopefully you don't hold

this one against me
because I need it.

-No, no, no. It's all love.
-It's all love?

-And again, like, you know.

You know, for us,
same thing with me.

Like, I don't want to reach out
to ask you for things,

you know, asked you
for something other day,

you know,
we support each other.

-We have to.
-Yeah, and it's all good.

-Here's the thing, though,
when you ask you,

you know, you already know
how you're coming in.

So you come in so warm.

"Hey, and you know
I don't ask you for something.

Just say yes."

"What are you talking about,
Hov?

Look, just don't tell me no."
I need you.

And I'm like,
What would you never ask?

You come in such a humble man.
You know I'm not gonna say no?

There's questions that I have

and I'm gonna take advantage
of my set today

to ask my guy things
that he's yet to be asked.

And we're gonna celebrate.

We're gonna celebrate
by changing. Changing my tone.

Normally we drink wine,
but I got you on, you know,

feel like I want to
we're gonna embrace you.

-I don't get any wine?
-Well, not wine.

We're gonna drink Ace today.
I can't have you on.

And you have a valuable entity
like you do.

-Hey, my man, look how
he's walk-in was amazing.

-This is my somm.
-Yeah.

-How are you Mr. Carter?
-Peace man.

Can you bring us
some wine as well?

I just want a little taste, Ace,
and bring this nice bottle.

-Beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon
in the cellar as well for you.

-See, I just wanted to let him
get that off.

You see that, man?
look-it alley oop.

This is how we work.
-Well, I'm excited about this.

I mean,
you think about the history

of 13 generations
of champagne cattier.

And this newest rendition
of Armond de Brignac, of course.

This is the the grande van
or the tête de cuvée.

That's a beautiful brut,
obviously gold.

A fantastic blend of
if I can play a pun on 40/40

40%, Chardonnay, 40%,
Pinot Noir, 20%, Pinot Meunier.

And I decided to go
into these these GGAP glasses,

all purpose glasses,
because you need

to get the bouquet
and you have these this.

this, these the champagne
has to open.

-You are not stealing him.
-I play, I play.

-Don't steal him.
-You know I was thinking that.

I was like --
-So what else do you do?

Yeah, no, this is what he does.
He's brilliant, man.

He's changed my whole my whole
world when it comes to drinking,

when it comes to embracing wine,
champagne, the whole nine, man.

He's well, he's well educated
in the space.

Thank you, man.
I appreciate you.

-You're very welcome.
-You can do two glasses

of the wine, too.
-[ Chuckles ] Absolutely.

-We want the same
break down too. Thank you, man.

-Absolutely. I'll be right back
with the Cabernet Sauvignon.

When you're dine with this.
-Cheers, my brother.

Cheers, congrats.
Congrats on this.

-And more success.
-More success.

Dude, I want to start off.
-Mm-hmm.

-I want to start off.
Not in the beginning.

I want to start off
where you sit now, right?

You're more of a mentor and
a friend than anything, right?

I watch you.
I watch the way you move.

And I try my best to study the
the reason behind the movement.

But my question now
is about the seat you sit in

and how you see yourself

from where you started
to where you now are, right?

It's not about the billion.

Let's take the money

and put the money
to the side for a second.

Let's talk about
the accomplishment.

Let's talk about
what you've done.

And now the doors that have
opened up and how you're view.

Do you do you find yourself

in awe of what you've been
able to accomplish?

-Yeah, I was actually on an on
FaceTime with Ty today, Ty Ty,

who you know well and I was
saying, like,

I don't think people realize
that we just sit around

all the time and like,
can you believe this shit?

-Can you fucking believe it?
-I can't believe this shit.

-That I've been able to do.
-Just that in the place

where we from
and where we come from.

Like everyone has their story,
right?

We all from tough locations

and that's just the way
the world was set up.

But just like the things
that we were able to overcome

and where we sit now today,
you know, and as far as,

like, you know, success,
I just look at it

like all the people
that I was inspired by,

like Muhammad Ali was, like,
he gave me my bravado.

You know, I'm like,
when people see that,

I'm like,
I have total belief in myself,

not because it comes
from a place of, like, arrogance

and just this pompous-ness.

It's just like I felt proud,
like, in a place in a time

where we all
were being called ugly

when Muhammad Ali was like,
"I'm so pretty."

"I'm the greatest." Like people
paid to see him lose.

-Mm-hmm.
-That's what was drawin'

his fights, like, people would
come in there to see him lose

because he was so confident
in his ability.

And not, not, not again,
not from a place of arrogance,

because he knew he put the work
in, one and two,

he he he lift us all up.
-Mm-hmm.

-So, you know, I hope that
at the end of this journey,

however, it ends out like
I represent that,

too, you know, as well.
-Like you're --

-A piece of that. Yeah.
-I've seen you

make that change, though.

I've seen you make that change
and growth

in a person
just in conversation,

information that you've started
to put out, right?

Like, you know,
it made a shift from money.

I'm getting it.

You're not getting the life
that I'm living,

to what we as people
need to open our eyes

to what we need to understand,
what the opportunities are,

where the real wealth lives
and lives like.

There, there there's been

a significant
just change in person.

Even that like even that.

If you look back to
"Reasonable Doubt,"

like even the songs that were
like more braggadocious

and out than about money
were really more so directed

at like the system in America.

Like, you put us
in these situations

and you handcuffed us and you
you put it behind our back,

and we still made a way.

We still you guys
took, took the music,

took the drums,
we beat on the table,

you know what I'm saying?
-Mm-hmm.

-Like, you know, you stole
the you made, like, blackface.

We created soul music.
You gave us scraps.

We made soulful, like everything
that was presented to us.

We made a way.
We're made a way.

So even even
in those songs a it's like,

almost like like like a,
you know, you know,

like a peacock,
like, spreading his wings.

Like, you know, we made it like.
So the transition has happened,

you know, because with
more information that you get,

you, you evolve and you grow
for even even and remember,

my first album came out at 26.

So "Politics as Usual"
and those songs really dealt

with regrets my on the last song
on my first album.

You know those are real topics.

The evils, you know,
just talking about, you know,

the relationship and how money
can come between friends.

You know, we haven't had money
for a long time,

so we don't know
how to be not professionals

at navigating how to communicate
from that space.

You know, I mean,
like you, you know,

you have people
that we you come from

if you behave
in a certain manner

that is not accustomed
to where they are, right?

Some people
haven't evolved past 16,

they still stuck in that place.
But you evolving every year.

So that may be a threat to them
subconsciously or consciously.

"Kev acting funny, 'cause --"
bah, bah, bah.

You have to navigate that.

You have cousins, you had to
go home for Thanksgiving

and people are talking
to you like Kevin Hart

and you gone home for solace.
You want family.

-Going home for peace of mind.
-You're going home

for peace of mind.
-And they don't give you that

because you're not that.
-Your cousins, the cousins

in your grandma's living room
saying, "Yo, man,

I got this, I got this play.

I want to you if you just give
me, you know what I mean $4,800,

I could make you 2 million." You
like it don't work like that,

fam, you got to explain to him
like life isn't like that.

Money isn't free and no one's
given an opportunity

if it sounds too good to be true
it really --

And then he like, "Oh, you don't
believe in my dreams?"

-Where, where did
that come from?

Or like, at what point
did you make

the switch of understanding?
Because there's a,

there's a level of conscious
that you have.

-Yeah. I think in the beginning
is about you and your circle.

-Okay.
-Right? You take your circle,

you got the people that grind
with you every day

and share your dreams and slept
on the floor with you

and you know,
and then you make it out

and then you look and you go
"Okay, what else?" [ Chuckles ]

Right, what else?

Like, how else can
I be of service, you know,

and as in, as you move further
and further away

from you achieve these goals
that you thought were, you know,

unattainable in the beginning,
and then you achieve them.

And then you look around
and you say, okay.

How can we duplicate this?

The reason we created Roc Nation
was to be able to say, okay,

this is all the information
we gathered.

Here it is, Rihanna.
Here it is, Kanye.

You know, whomever, whomever,
right?

Like in just like here,
here's the information.

So if we achieve those goals,
at 36, you do it at 26.

-Geez.
-You know and if we make

you know, if we created
a billion-dollar company,

you create a $7 billion company.
-We're giving you

the infrastructure
that we know works,

but we're embedding it to you
at a young age

so that it works earlier
for you.

You can succeed
and surpass what we've done.

-Yeah, because they buildin' on,
you know, had you had someone

at 26 or earlier
to say you know,

here's Kevin Hart Production
and things,

this is how you do it,
you don't need the backing

you want to create the content
you want to own the content,

you want to take a hit,
et cetera, et cetera.

If you had someone
just to give you that road map,

that road map
has been given to people

since the beginning of time,
we just was never...um...

-Privy to it.
-Privy to it.

We never had access
to that sort of information.

-I call it the I call it the
room with the door

with the door behind it.
You never get to that door.

We always got through
the first door

and we were so excited
about being in that room

that we never looked
at the next door, right?

I'm-a stop right here.
Let's take a break.

We'll be right back with
more "Hart to Heart" after this.

**

-We're back.

This is still "Hart to Heart",
and I'm still talking to Jay-Z.

There's a moment in time
where we realize

that our likeliness is more
valuable than our actual income.

Right? Our likeliness.

The attachment to --
-Are you saying your likeness?

Well, are you like likeness?
Likeliness. What am I saying?

-Likeness.
-Is it likeness?

Did I fuck it up?
-No, I.

-I may have fucked it up, is it
like likeliness or likeness?

-I don't know which one, you
talkin' about.

-Well, which one --?
-I don't know where you

goin' with it.
-If I'm using my

if I'm attaching myself to a
brand, I'm giving my likeness.

-Likeness? Yes. Okay. Yes.
-Alright. One. Nothing. So.

Wait. What, what --

In that space, though,
there's a moment

where you realize
the value of that, right?

And I'm like, Damn, man,
if I know what I know now,

I was just talkin' about
an earlier age.

The attachment to companies,

the attachment
to investment opportunities,

the attachment to the things

that are starting
from the ground up.

That are eventually gonna be
here that you're gonna be

a part of and exits the world of
this information and strategy

within DC that you now are a
part of.

That's what's got clicked on
as well, right?

When did that switch clicked on?

Because it seemed like
everything started to line up

and the business success
was surpassing,

it was surpassing the stardom.

-Now what it was,
was like it was,

it was all the accumulation
of all the work

that was put in early on

just came,
you know, bare fruit like Ace.

This is 15 years.

You know, D'USSé is 10 years
in the making.

These things
we've been planting seeds for,

and it just so happened
that they all,

you know, you know,
happen at the same time,

I think, from the beginning.

Because we came from a street
in like a hustler's mentality,

you know, it allowed us to think
differently about the business.

And on top of that,
we couldn't get a record deal.

It wasn't as if we came
with this brilliant idea.

We just used like, they say

necessity is
the mother of inven--.

-We were forced to.
-Yeah.

-Necessity is the mother of
invention. Right?

So we were, we were, we were
forced to either give up,

even give up on the dream
or to create our own lane.

And because we had, you know,
this entrepreneur mentality,

you know,
we created our own lane.

So we started from '96 and

then the information
is then you get closer to the

Oh, there's other things.

And then being curious, you've
got to stay forever curious.

You can't just, you know,
a lot of a lot of time,

you know, we settle, we get
we get happy with the position

and we think we made it
when we just, like you said,

there's another door
there's another thing.

This is another door
to open and open,

not just for yourself,
for the next generation,

you know, of entertainers of,
you know, great creative minds.

And we have a responsibility.

That's the responsibility
that we have.

It's not is not a burden
is actually a privilege

that we have
the responsibility to, you know,

usher in this whole
new generation,

because, again,
it's still all new to us.

Rap is 40 years old, no,
it's gonna be 50,

50 years old that's still,
that's still pretty young.

You know, and you, you buildin'
on that.

You buildin' on Redd Foxx
and his his entrepreneurship

and Eddie in the way he set up
his deals

and Richard Pryor, you know,
and all those guys and.

You know, the information
comes as you see.

-As you see, as you stand.

-But the crazy thing
about what you just said,

you're educating a generation
through, through this portal,

this thing
that people don't know exists.

Like you said,
it's what we're privy to.

You know, when you talk about
Roc Nation, talk about Bad Boy,

that was the real life example
of entrepreneurs

and men that said
we're gonna take advantage

of what you don't
want us to have.

So we're gonna figure out how
to have it and make it our own.

What I most envy of now,

it's like, "Well, fuck.
You did that.

Well, but now the mainstream
side of it matches

the same energy of what was once
the hustler side of it."

So the conversation
that was only over here,

you got to put them two together
because smart is smart.

My way of getting here
was just a longer road.

Because you didn't let me
take the shorter road.

-That's right.
-But I'll be damned if

now and I'm not here.

Well, our energy don't match
and opportunities fucking match.

And, you know, we attached a
billionaire conversation to it.

You attach all the other success
up under it.

Well, it's not
a fucking coincidence.

It's kind of
groundbreaking, dude.

And, you know, it's one
that I think you deserve

Flowers and flowers
and flowers again,

because you can't say it enough.

And I hope that
we're paying attention.

I hope that this younger
generation is paying attention.

I hope that we realize
how to spend money.

-I just think about this
younger generation they,

they have they have
the information.

Right, because
it's at their fingertips, right?

And they are bold, right?
Because they believe

they have more information
than us at that time.

And what in some ways they do,
you know.

But information without
understanding is nothing, right?

Because on the on
on a cigarette box

it has "This can kill you"
and people still smoke.

So it's not just information,
gotta be understanding

the information
and who is coming from.

So I speak to a lot
of young guys, you know.

And they're curious,
you know, they're curious.

And they've seen,
they grew up in a time

where the banks collapsed

and all these things happened,
you know,

so they don't really
have a trust of

the generation before them.
-"You did it wrong."

-We need to create
a whole new system.

We need a whole new system
because you guys went too far

with it,
which is super exciting.

It's super exciting to see
where they're gonna take it.

But I do see that.
And I'm honored by that.

Honored by that.
And thank you for those words.

And I'm honored by that.
And, you know,

I'm conscious of you know,
I'm conscious of it.

And I constantly want to live up
to that position,

you know, above and beyond
just being successful.

Like, you know,
how how successful can you be?

This is like, okay, another one.

Another number one
is another number one.

At some point it's like,
what are we doing this for?

And it has to be
a bigger goal than,

shiny things, shiny objects.

And yeah, it's a great time.
-Bigger, bigger question

for you right now,
are you retired?

-Um. No, I, you know,
I, I tried that.

I'm terrible with that.
-I was about to say.

-I found one thing and I'm
terrible at.

-Because you announced it.
You announced it.

You said "I'm retiring."
-Yeah,.

-You made the world say,
"Oh, shit. Damn farewell."

-I just needed a break.
-Okay.

-But I really thought that,
you know, I was really burnt out

that time I was releasing
an album every year --

'96, '97, '98.

And in between it soundtracks
other people albums

you know Rockefeller,
touring, like, back to back

and you know I just looked up
one day and I was like,

I'm tired. I had never been
on a vacation to like.

I want to say 2000, like,
my whole life.

-Mm-hmm.
-And, you know,

I was just really
burnt out at that moment.

-How long? How long do you think
the break was that you took?

-Not long.
I just needed a maybe a year.

Maybe two years,
it wasn't that long.

It was like maybe three years,
because I remember

I went to Def Jam.
It was three years.

-You took off
and then you appeared.

It was like you appeared
on a track. And people said,

"Well, what the fuck?
I thought he was."

-Yeah, he was. Yeah.

And then I came back,
like, 2007, I believe.

So, not long.
-So three years. So three years.

And, um, yeah.
I don't know what happens next.

You know, I'm.
I'm not actively making music

or make an album
or have plans to make an album,

but I never want to say
I'm retired.

Just, you know, it's a gift.
And who am I to shut it off?

You know, I mean, like, it's
just like it's open to whatever.

And it may have a different
it may, you know,

a different form,
a different interpretation.

Maybe, it maybe is not an album,
maybe it is. I have no idea.

But I just, you know,
just going to leave it open.

-I like that. Talking about
breaks, I'm gonna take

that opportunity
to take one now, man.

We'll be right back with
more "Hart to Heart" at this.

**

-I'm sitting here with Jay-Z.

What an amazing conversation
we're having.

You know, we talked about you

and just what the definition
of separation was at the time.

And you said you don't know.

You just needed some time
to rest.

And right now,
there is no clear.

There's no clear definition
as to what that even means

if you're done with music,
if you're not.

My question is, when you make
the decision to attach yourself

to somebody else's body of work
or a cameo,

a little a moment of whole,

is that all based on
relationships at this point,

or is it based on talent
that you're a fan of?

-Yeah. Mostly relationships.
-Okay.

-You know, it's mostly

it's actually always been
mostly relationships.

Sometimes it's talent.

And sometimes someone asks me
to be on some pretty much

every song that I'm on, you
know, I'm asked to be on.

I don't ask people to be
on their songs.

-Yeah.
-And I never charge.

-How many no's? How many no's?
-Oh, no. It's a lot.

Way more no's than yes's
-But do the no's get to you?

Do you have to
verbally say no or.

-I try to be straight up.
I try to be straight.

Sometimes it slips
through the cracks.

Sometimes I want to do it,
and my life

is in a certain place and I'm
movin' and I can't do it.

But I typically try to be
straight up with people.

I don't like to drag
or like waste people's time

or hold them.
You know, if it's something

like I'm not in space
right now to create

or if I don't like the songs,
like it's just not for me.

-You're saying I'm direct
and you're just in a

in a calmer space,
you're in a more Zen-like space.

You're happy.
I would like to think

that fatherhood has a lot
to do with that, man.

I mean, a father now of I mean,
three.

You got twins.
You got a little girl.

How much has that
played a role

in allowing you
to understand the importance

of taking a break,
taking time away?

-Definitely.
Because time is all you have.

That's the only thing
we control.

-Mm-hmm.
-It's how you spend your time.

-Did you have to learn that?
-It's clearly the only thing

you can tru--
Oh, absolutely.

-I was gonna say,
because I had some of that.

-You're reckless with your time
before you just,

you know, all over the place
and then, you know, you have to.

What are you leaving
your house for?

-Mm-hmm.
-You know, like,

every second that you spend,
you're spendin' away,

from the development of these
people that you brought here

that you love more
than anything in the world.

So what are you going --

What are you gonna spend
that time on?

So, that changed a lot.

That changed
practically everything for me.

-Your biggest change in you,
right?

When you just talk about change,
you talk about development.

It has to be some type
of self-awareness.

At some point, you get to
a point where you start

to look at yourself.

You go, "Okay, here's my good.
here's my bad," right?

And in rearranging that
and figuring out that order,

well, it takes
a fucking strong individual

because you're
checking yourself.

-Yeah.
-Have you had the moment

where Hovi has checked himself?

You're checking yourself.
My rights, my wrongs.

But I'm away from everybody
with this.

This is for me.
It's not for everybody else.

And now that I know this,

I'm working on
fixing these things.

-There's a strange thing about
this, and I'll tell you this,

this is a real,
real deep thing, because,

because I grew up,
I was always super highly aware.

You had to be to survive
what I survived.

And but there was a point
of knowing and execution

that I had to figure out, right?
An example.

In the song called "Lost One,"
I say, "Can't run from the pain,

run towards it."
-Okay.

-And Ty Ty, again, Ty Ty came to
me and he told me,

"Man, you know, I went to see my
mom based on what you said."

He hadn't seen his mom.
His mom passed away.

He went to go see his mom.

And I hadn't gone
to see my nephew.

-Mm-hmm.
-So I will -- here, here it is.

I said this in a song.
I know what to do.

-Mm-hmm.
-But I wasn't, uh, you know,

I hadn't matured to the point
where I can really do it.

-You can actually go and do it.
-The execution of that

there was so much pain
there that I couldn't do it,

but I knew it was
the right thing to do, right?

So even that, like,
think about that

knowing and doing is not --
you think it's this close.

-It's far. Far, far. Yeah.
-It's this far.

-It's far.
-Yeah.

-You know, so I knew
the right thing to do,

but I wasn't able to do it
till years later.

I mean, finally went.
Most painful thing ever.

You know, I've been
multiple times since.

But the fact that I was saying
that knowing it.

So that's again, like you were
saying about self-awareness,

that's a big checkpoint for me.

That was one of the times
where I had, you know, okay,

you can't just be sayin'
these things

and not, like, really livin' it

because this is havin' an impact
on people you love.

Like, like, this changed Ty.
I felt horrible.

And great at the same time,

I felt great that I was
able to give him

that information
to make him grow,

to allow him, not make, to allow
him to get over that hurdle.

And I hadn't gotten over
that hurdle myself.

-But the biggest, I think,
the craziest thing --

after this I'm gonna call in
for some wine for us --

I think the craziest thing,
though, is like

when you're just talking about

you're talking
about pain, right?

I'm okay with reality
and how life presents it.

I know real from fake,
right?

And in real, well, there's
things that have happened

that I can't change.

That's life, right? Okay.
-Like what? Like what?

-Well, my relationship
with my dad,

I don't have animosity
towards my dad.

I don't hate my dad.

But there's reasons
and times I'm like,

Damn, that's why my dad
wasn't around.

Let me make sure that I don't do
the same shit right.

What are we drinking?

-400 case production exclusive
Napa Valley

Cabernet Sauvignon
high above the valley

at about 800 feet of elevation,

100% Cabernet Sauvignon
at about 30% new French oak.

I believe you'll love it.
Mr. Hart.

-Like that.
-Yes, sir.

-Thank you. My guy.
"I believe you'll love it."

So.
-Thank you, good man.

-Very welcome.
-Appreciate you.

-Very welcome. Just enjoy.
-So with my dad, right,

there's moments
where I realize,

"Oh, damn.
This is when dad wasn't around.

This is some of the things
that would have been dope

for dad to be around."
There's no animosity there,

but there's an awareness
of where the void is.

So now I take that and make sure
I apply it to mine.

I don't want to duplicate that,

so let me make sure
I get that energy.

I don't feel like that's hurt.

I feel like that's me
being aware of something

that I do feel like,

"Oh, fuck.
This would have been dope.

I can't change it.
Still love you, dad,

but that would have been dope."

-Yeah.
-I'm trying to define

more of those moments
because, like you said,

you start to realize where
you could be fucked up

towards others based on this
other baggage that you have.

So I asked you that
because of the self-discovery,

like how do you get to the point
where you're like,

Oh, wait, in this? Oh, wait,
this could be another thing.

-Yeah.
-You know what I mean?

Oh, wait, hold on. Wait. Here's
something else that happened.

-That's right. It's that. It's
that, exactly what you're doing.

It's, like, really like things
don't happen to you.

They happen for you.
-Hmm.

-That's life. Everything is
life. It happens for you.

Everything is
for your greatest good.

No matter what it looked you.

I mean, you know,
they say you want to

make God laugh tell Him your
plans, right?

You can't,
you can't control the future.

I mean, you can control it up
to some point.

You can't control
what others do.

You can't control anything.
Someone can run a red light.

And that's the end of
everything, you know?

You only can control
what you can control.

So things don't happen to you.
They happen for you.

So when you look
at those situation --

I had a similar situation with
my pop not being around as well.

And then, you know what cracked
the code for me was like,

really, like,
what was he going through?

-Mm-hmm. Looking from
that perspective.

-I took it like -- Yeah, it was,
like, it's happening to me.

-Mm-hmm.
-He's doing this to me.

-Mm-hmm.
-And when I looked at it

from his position,
like, my dad wasn't around,

and, you know,
all these things happened.

And then when I took
a further look,

my uncle, his younger brother,
got killed.

So he spent all his nights,
like looking for them

and the cops,
they didn't do anything.

So to killer's like
roaming the neighborhood.

So he's going out in the middle
of the night and he's looking

for the, you know, the guy
who killed his little brother.

Right?
But he has a family.

So my mom is looking
at him like,

"What you on?
-Mm-hmm.

-She don't have the language
or the tools to tell him,

"Man, we love you. We don't want
nothin' to happen to you.

We need you," right?

So how it comes out to her is
"Where the hell are you going?"

-Mm-hmm.
-"You got kids here."

And how it sounds to him is,
"You want me to choose

between you
and my baby brother?"

-You don't give a shit.
-Who I was supposed to protect.

-Mm-hmm.
-Alright?

Now there's the fracture, right?

So among other things, you know,
there is relationship.

And that's their relationship,
not ours.

Not ours as children.
That's their relationship.

So there's a fracture
in that relationship.

And, you know, things happen

and you are a result
of those things.

So you feel that void.
"Dad's not around.

This would have been told
if he'd been able

to take me to a baseball game
and all these things."

And then life on top of that.
Like, he can't get a job.

You know, the guy at the office
is cursing him out,

making him feel less than a man,
but he got to take it

because he need the $12.50
an hour -- $12.50 an hour.

He need the $6.50 an hour.

-And so, yes.
-You know what I'm saying?

So life beating him down.

So he comes home.
He's defeated.

You know, he's supposed
to pick you up on Saturday.

He's exhausted, you know,

like, so we don't
factor those things in.

-We don't look at things
through those lenses.

-Yeah.

So, you know, seeing things
from other people's perspective

is the answer to your --
long answer.

But seeing things
from other people perspective

and what other people
are going through,

you know, helps me a lot.
You know, it helps me a lot.

-And was that, was that,
was that somebody else

that helped you get to that?

Like, did you is that therapy?
Is that is that group is.

-That part of therapy and part
of being who I am?

You know, but definitely lot
of a lot of therapy

and a lot of, you know,

you know, looking at yourself
and wanting to grow.

Because we, we,
we've been taught everything.

I've been taught everything
but emotional intelligence.

-Wow.
-You know, that's not

what you're taught
as a young man growing up

in projects
you're taught to survive.

Absolutely.
I'm-a stop right here

because we got to pay the bills.
Let's take a break.

We'll be right back with
more "Hart to Heart" after this.

**

-We're back.

This is still "Hart to Heart."
And I'm still talking to Jay-Z.

I earlier told you,
you're giving examples.

You're a life lesson.

You are giving examples
of a different way to move.

-Another story for me.

You know, I probably told you
this story before,

but I'm in the club, it was the
days when you would perform

and stay in the bar,

you know, you wouldn't leave.
it was no big time.

You perform.
-"Thank you!"

-You walk off the stage
and go to the bar

and like you just hanging out
with everybody else

and, you know.
-Appreciate you, man.

-The guy, he's walking to me
and, like, I mean,

this guy had the meanest face
I've ever seen.

Like, I was, like,
a little scared.

I'm saying this here on live TV.

And he's look --
and I'm looking around

and he's looking at me
and I'm like,

I'm trying to find,
like, maybe he's looking.

So I look, there's nobody there.

I'm like,
"Okay, so he's looking at me."

And he's coming straight at me,

and he got a long scar
on his face,

and he's just looking.
He's, like, super menacing.

And I'm like, right before
he came up, I was like,

"What's up, man?"
And he had --

he got kinda like your smile.

He had the best,
brightest smile.

And all his teeth was white.

He just smiles and "Yo, man,
let me get this autograph

for my daughter."
-That's all he wanted.

-That's all he wanted.
-That's all he wanted.

But he was protecting himself,
'cause he's like,

if I disrespect him --
like, you know,

he's putting all his
whatever he grew up with,

his mannerisms or his pride
on the line for his child.

-Yeah.
-He wants this autograph.

-Yes.
-He's coming for this autograph.

And he's thinking,
"If this guy plays me..."

-"It's on."
-"...it's gonna be a problem."

-Yeah, we're gonna move
some furniture, you know.

-I want him to know we off top,
we moving furniture.

-But the pleasant reception.

The pleasant,
welcoming reception.

-Just the idea.
I just said, "What's up?"

-Changed the whole thing.
-Changed the whole thing.

-Changed the whole dynamic.
-Yeah.

-Cheers, man. Cheers.

We can't ask for wine
and then not drink wine, man.

Cheers, cheers, cheers, cheers,
cheers.

-Can't waste this stuff
from the Valley of...

-No. No, please, not,
not that.

-I can't say it like him
with some high elevation.

-He's fucking great.
-And he sure we gonna enjoy it.

-Of course.
It's from high elevation.

I tell him make sure
he brings the stuff

from high elevation every time.
-Mm.

-Mm. Hello.
-Oh, that's delicious.

I'm gonna take a bottle
of that with me.

-Hello.

-I'm definitely taking
the bottle of that with me.

Have whatever you want.
-Yes.

-And continuing,
and continuing the conversation.

Like I said,
we're going backwards, right?

Dude you have the opportunity
to work with some

of the most amazing talent,
especially in hip hop?

Now you're seeing this
younger talent emerge, right?

We're seeing another generation.

We're seeing a different
approach to the craft.

We're seeing social media
take over.

We're seeing
there's this new ground

that's able to be broke
that never existed

before of opportunity.

Through something I create.
I create my own fan base.

I dictate what I want to show
them, et cetera, et cetera.

Is your feeling
of social media one of,

"Ugh, I hate it."
Or do you embrace it?

Do you embrace the new thing
that these people have

that are helped elevating their
thing?

Or is that thing that you wish
that it was kind of

back to what it once was?
-No, no, I don't wish

I don't, I'm not, I don't look
in the past like that.

I just whatever. Whatever.
I believe in evolution.

So whatever form it is,
you know, I accept that.

For me, it's not for me, you
know, it's not for me to engage.

I didn't grow up
in this space, you know?

So, I don't --

you know,
I don't engage in that space.

-What's the thing where it's
like, Oh, God, Jay-Z is on IG."

And it's like, then he's gone.

Is that Jay-Z or that somebody
who pretends to be Jay-Z?

-Yeah. No, it's not.
I did it twice.

So one time, Lenny,
I let Lenny gas.

He was drinking at
a J-Coasta concert.

-Yeah, Start a Page.
-Yeah, we did like.

And then it went crazy
and it was like on Timemagazine

the next morning,
and I was like,

"Oh, this is too much."
Shut that down.

And then we put we put out
the movie "The Harder They Fall"

on Netflix.
-Congratulations.

-And it was just --
thank you, thank you.

And congratulations
to you as well.

-Thank you, sir.
-That was amazing.

I called you and told you
to have someone tell you

in the public.
-Yes, I appreciate it.

-It is amazing.
Like, really amazing.

-Thank you, man.
And then this time.

So I wanted to, you know.
-Do it to promote.

-Introduce the film.
And that was it, I shut it down.

-Are you, are you now --
is that a new focus of yours?

Like I'm looking at you in the
producer hat.

You're loving,
the behind the scenes

side of development of creative.

Is that the new priority
of of Jay-Z?

Is there more of an interest now
of finding IP, developing IP,

putting out content that you
feel people need to see,

backing said talent,
said directors, writers.

Is that the goal now?

-Yeah, yeah. It's just
another part of storytelling,

you know, we all --
we just storytellers.

We really are.
That's --

in the most basic form,
we're storytellers.

So whatever forum
that we tell stories in

and I've always had a love,

uh, for cinema.
-Mm-hmm.

-If you listen to any all of the
songs from the beginning.

-You're a buff.
-Like every album

has some kind of
movie references

some, some obscure
movie reference or whatever.

So I've always been
intrigued by that

and I've always loved
like intricate details,

like when people
tell a character

in a short space
what I'm saying,

this is the character, you know,
like the moment when --

I don't know, it's "Godfather."

In "Godfather II,"

when he said,
"That curtain wasn't open,"

you know exactly who he was.

You know, he paid attention
to super detail.

He wasn't, he wasn't out here
just moving loose.

Like he was, "That -- That --

That curtain wasn't open."
-Clear characteristic.

-Get down. Get down.
-Yes.

You know that he's familiar
with everything.

-He goes outside, he says,
"Go find these guys.

They're probably dead."
He already knows.

"And I won't be leaving here
tonight because this person

is gonna try to kill me
because of," boom, boom, boom.

-Mm-hmm.
-He knew exactly

who he was
and what he was dealing with.

Like, you know, those sort of,
those sort of things.

It was always fascinating to me
in storytelling,

so it was just a matter of time
till I got here,

because I was always
intrigued by it, it was --

-I think -- You dabble.

Of course, you dabbled
in it back in the day.

But I think over time,
yeah, it's cliché.

Everything happens when it's
supposed to.

-That's right.
-Right.

And when you're more equipped
to deal with

the opportunity, when the
opportunity presents itself

is so much bigger.

So now the opportunities
that were always there --

-And you need the space like...
-Absolutely.

-Some people just do things
just to do it.

I've never been one
to just do it because, you know,

I had the opportunity or because
my name can warrant it.

I could have got a movie deal
100 years ago,

you know,
like that sort of thing.

Like, no, it wasn't time.
I didn't have the space.

Now I have a bit more space
so I can, like, uh, you know,

really concentrate on it.

I don't want to ever just attach
my name to things,

just, you know --
-Just to do it.

-Just to do it.
-The NASCAR.

-For the announcement.

-Yes. It's the NASCAR,
the NASCAR effect.

You walk around and you got --
-People fall in love with

the announcement like, yeah,
you got a movie deal.

Like, I love the announcement.

Like, okay,
what's the execution of that?

-There's no movies
underneath it.

It's the announcement
and it caught some attention

and there's no development
or execution.

-Yeah.
-Alright.

This is the perfect time
to take a break, guys.

As you see, I'm talking to Jay-Z

and
it's only gonna get better.

We'll be right back with
more "Hart to Heart" after this.

**

-Welcome back.
This is still "Hart to Heart."

And I'm still
talking with Jay-Z.

When you talk
about opportunities,

when you talk about, you know,
you and what you're having fun

doing right, it brings me

to a real interesting side
of conversation.

It's about...

you now have something
that can be forever, right?

And I think about this shit.
So when you look up

and, you know, we, we see names
in the sky on buildings, right?

And some of these names
have been forever.

You look at the Hilton
or the Marriott and you look

at the Rockefeller Center
like all of these.

-The Carnegies.
-Yes.

All these things
that are household names, right?

And for years,
these names have lived

and they've had a major staple
in the world

and a true impact for wealth.

Roc Nation now has
that same opportunity.

This thing is not just
a flourishing company.

It's an ecosystem.
It's an enterprise, right?

And it fulfills so much
from entertainment to sports

to advertising to now TV,
film development.

You're checking the box
on so much.

We're in a world of acquire.
We're in a world of opportunity

to exit or not exit.

Is that a thing of
maybe I will maybe I won't.

Or is this something
that we want in the fucking sky?

Is this something that,
that we want to last

for generations and generations?
-Yeah.

I think that we, we
must, we must understand

that it's not mutually
exclusive,

like both things can happen
at the same time.

Like, if you think about
Steve Jobs.

When Steve Jobs before,
God bless him,

before he passed, you know,
Steve Jobs owned 1% of Apple.

I mean, now that 1%
of a $3 trillion company.

But if you look at his
percentage, you're like, "1%?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha."

So, you know, we've been trying
to look at the percentage

of something you own, right?

We have to get it.
It ain't what you own.

You could own 100% of nothing,
right?

So it's whatever...

the strategy calls for, right?

Like Ace.

LVMH was a brilliant
strategic partner for me.

Like, we were doing this
out of our office.

We were lucky to find
the Cattiers

who've been in the business
since the 1800s.

Like, there's no, there's no,
there's no one that looks

like us in champagne.

It's such a small place.
It's very small.

Not even people that live
in the area

can penetrate champagne, right?
He'll know better than that.

Right? You just.
It's the people who live there.

-And that's it.
-They're making champagne

or they're building the chateaus
around the champagne.

And that's it.
-That's it.

-That's the, that's the economy.

So you're not breaking in there
from,

you know, from New York City.

We've done something really
amazing and got the attention

of some one
of the most prestigious brands.

And it was like a beautiful
marriage, like I owned 100%.

I'll could've said, "I want
to own 100% of this thing."

Well, I can own 50% of it

and take this and push it
even further, right?

So that was that was,

that was right
for that specific situation.

But there's some things
that you want to own forever

and you want to pass down
to your kids.

And I still, again,
I own 50% of it.

So it's still an asset
that I can pass down to my kids.

Meaning that name
on the, you know,

on the top of the building
that you referring to.

And it's really about,

you know, not getting stuck
on a specific thing,

it's whatever works

for whatever situation at the
perfect time.

-Yes, the I mean --
-But the idea of really sorry

sorry to to go so long.
The idea really is to create

these things
and these foundations

that you can pass on
to a next generation.

So, you know,
we can get those opportunities

that we spoke of earlier
that we didn't get,

you know, earlier.

And they can build
and take it even further.

-You know,
it's just important for people

to hear that from you,

to hear you not just be a part
of it, but you -- you are it.

You don't just walk the walk.
You talk this shit, too.

And that's the difference
between personnel being

put in position and personnel
creating said position

and then bringing other
people there with them.

That's what my brothers
need to understand about Hov.

And I don't think
they all grab it.

Your closest circle,
of course they do.

Once again, this is why
I'm just making sure

that I give the flowers
that elevate it.

Perfect opportunity to take a
fucking break, man. God damn.

What a conversation.
This is "Hart to Heart"

We'll be right back, man,
more conversation with

Jay-Z when we get back
after this.

**

-We're back.
This is "Hart to Heart."

I'm still sitting here with
the man, the myth, the legend.

Of course
I'm talking about Jay-Z.

You told me earlier what you
want to be remembered as.

You told me what you hope
that people are realizing

and witnessing
that you're doing.

For me now, right,
in talking to you,

well, I want to ask,
what's the next --

Is there a next thing
to conquer?

-Yeah. I mean, like,
all these things

are just extensions
of what we really love.

You know what I mean?
We -- We love to drink
champagne.

We get a champagne company.

We love we love
to talk about sports.

We start a sports bar.

So, you know, ownership in
a company or a sports team,

that's only natural for us.

Like we own a box together and
that's just the beginning of it.

Right? We'll figure out a way
to get some ownership

in a team at some point,
because that's what we love.

I don't think there's any plan
to say, yo, let me do, you know,

this, this, that, and the third.

It's like, you know,

whatever things
that you're interested in,

you just pursue.
-Absolutely.

-And it's just having
the confidence

and the freedom to know
that you can do this,

and the dedication
and the passion.

Like, you know,
there's nothing that --

You know, obviously
this sounds crazy,

but I really believe this

there's nothing that,
that we can't do, nothing.

There's not anything
that we put our mind to.

That's how strong our minds are.

You know, long as it's with
the right intentions,

it's like again, like I said,
when people,

like, fall in love
with the announcement

so their mind is not on
the success of said thing.

It's on the announcement
and showing people like, look,

I'm in this space too.

Right, they see LeBron create a,
I shouldn't be specific,

because someone somewhere
is gonna be like, ouch.

[ Laughter ]

-Now I bet --
-He's talking about me.

-I'll cut it out. Go ahead.
-Yes.

-I understand
what you're saying.

-You know, you know someone
sees someone doing something

and then say, you know,
I want to do the other version.

I want to do the Burger King
version of this McDonald's idea.

And then, you know, it's not
based on their love or passion

or what they want to do.

It's based on getting the look

that makes people
think we're equals.

-Yes.
-And we got to get out

of that space, obviously,
you know, as a people.

And really lean
on each other and work and talk.

You know, we talk on the phone
about these sort of things

all the time,
I share with you the things

that I'm, you know,
I'm passionate about

and what I'm working on
and you as well.

And, you know, getting advice
from one another

and helping each other
out and like,

really just pushing each other
to a new space, this is spa--

-That's our biggest
conversation.

-Yeah, exactly.
-Our biggest conversation is

our biggest conversation, and,
you know, we can --

I'll say the pieces of it that
we can say

and keep the pieces
that we will keep to ourselves.

But I think the biggest
conversation we have

is there's gonna come a day

when there's a realization
between all of our counterparts

that kind of sit
at a great table, realize

or to realize
that we can go to one table

and figure out
one thing that we,

That we all say we're
gonna do together.

-Yeah.
-And I think for some reason

that's been the most difficult.
-Yeah.

-It's been the most
difficult thing.

And I think it's difficult
because the assumption of egos

from some of the biggest people
that would be at that table of,

"They'll probably never do it,"
or, "He'll probably never --"

There's an assumption of
personnel

and what that person may
or may not do.

But I think the correct
table of men and women

and just the will and want
to do something together,

it changes a huge narrative
and it's scary.

-Yeah.
-It's scary as to what we could

actually do
if we actually sat down.

-Yeah.
-And I just don't think that --

I don't think that everybody
is in full understanding,

even with all conversations,
because I hear it all time.

"Yeah, oh, yeah. Let's do it.
Yeah, yeah."

And then it comes time
and nobody.

-But then there's a lot
of people involved,

you know,
it's so many people.

There's lawyers,
there's accountants,

and everyone's, like,
pulling on for their thing.

You know, no one wants
to lose control.

-Nobody.
-And everyone's like,

is he getting more than me
and this person's doing that.

You know, but I think we're
getting closer.

Once we eliminate some of those
barriers of like

just so many people involved,

you know, we can figure out
a way to like really just like,

you know,
really just join together.

-And join together and co-exist.
-Do things. You know.

-I will say this man, you know,
me bringing you on this show,

it was a talk to you.
Like I said at the top,

this is unscripted.
There's no predetermined dialog.

You know, the easy side
of questions, talking to Jay-Z.

Oh, my God.
Tell me life with Beyoncé.

They tell me all this stuff.

Hey, one time you were
at the Grammys.

What would that mean?
Tell me.

Hey, well, there's there's
a certain side of expectation

within questions
that I feel are easy,

but I feel like...
those interviews,

they cheat you
of really letting people

see the motherfucking brilliance
and mind

of the guy that succeeded.

This was a conversation to give
people an inkling of that.

This was a conversation
so that people really see

this fucking the machine
and how the machine operates

and underneath the layers of him
being a good dude --

Of course,
I'm talking about you --

The fucking high level
of intelligence.

There's a high level
of figure it out.

And, dude,
you've done an amazing job.

And I hope, I hope that this is
a way of me giving you flowers.

Doing my part in my success
and saying,

"I'm not only a fan,
I'm not only your friend,

but, dude, I am one that
respects what you have done."

I respect what you have done.
-Same here, brother, same here.

-And as your brother, man,
I'm gonna say

continue to fucking be an
example.

Continue to be that star
that not just shines,

but that goes and shows
other stars

how to shine correctly because
you're doing a great job of it.

And this is an example
of how dope you are.

You're allowing my star
to shine brighter

by coming onto
my fucking show, man.

And this is dope.

This is a fucking
dope moment for me.

I hope it was
a dope moment for you.

-Absolutely.
-I say thank you...

-Yeah.
-...a thousand times.

And I hope you guys walk away
with nuggets, with information,

because a lot of gems
were dropped.

A lot of gems were dropped
that you should pick up.

I know I will, this is "Hart to
Heart," God damn it.

And I just talked to fucking the
man, the myth, the legend Jay-Z.

Thank you, man.
This was dope as fuck.

-I don't want to mess you up.

-Fuck us up?
Go on then.

This is my friend.
Is it the end of the show?

Fifty? What was that?
Ask him.

**

Kevin Hart here
with another antidote.

I understand, people,
when it rains, it pours.

You know what that means?

Sounds like it's always a good
time to get wet. [ Chuckles ]

**