It’s hard to get a feature from Jay-Z these days. It’s even harder to get an interview. But fortunately, Jay stopped by Kevin Hart’s Peacock talk show, Hart To Hart, to talk about how his career has evolved over the years.
One of the biggest revelations was the fact that he no longer charges for features. Jay, however, admitted that he is still very selective about who he collaborates.
“It’s mostly [based on] relationships,” Jay said. “It’s actually always been mostly relationships. Sometimes it’s talent and sometimes someone asks me to be on something. Pretty much every song that I’m on I’m asked to be on. I don’t ask people to be on their songs. I never charge.”
JAY-Z says he doesn't charge for collaborations, says they are mostly based on relationships and sometimes talent#HartToHeart Season 2 is now streaming on @peacockTV pic.twitter.com/GmB4z6i6Np
— JAY-Z Daily (@JAY_Z_Daily) July 15, 2022
Jay also admitted that it can be hard to reject requests from other rappers, but says it’s better to be honest and transparent.
“I try to be straight up,” he said. “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.”
In the interview, he also spoke about marriage, fatherhood, and his plans to retire eventually. He confirmed that he is not currently retired, he just hasn’t put out solo music in a while, as he “needed a break.”