Jay-Z Says He Sees Himself Spoiling Blue Ivy
Tough guy rapper and shrewd mogul Jay-Z shows a softer side when discussing parenthood. Jay-Z explained his philosophies on raising children on “Oprah’s Master Class: Special Edition” that aired Sunday on OWN. In January, Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce welcomed the birth of their first child, daughter Blue Ivy.
The 43-year-old Roc Nation head said he’s optimistic about his new role. “Well, I mean, everyone imagines they’ll be a great dad,” he said. “Until they’re teenagers saying, ‘Get away from me, Dad. You’re embarrassing me!’ Right? Everyone images that, right?”
Jay-Z said he will base his parenting style on his own experiences. “I imagine I’ll take things I learned from my mom and things I’ve learned from raising my nephews and apply that,” he said. “Then, at the end of the day, I just know I’ll probably have the worst, spoiled little kid ever.”
It has got to be hard for Jay-Z not to spoil his daughter. Forbes magazine estimates his net worth to be $460 million.
Despite working two jobs, Gloria Carter, Jay-Z’s mother, could not afford to give him and his siblings the kind of lavish lifestyle he and Beyonce can give Blue Ivy, but she raised him with a lot of faith. “She had a lot of trust in me, she gave me a long leash, and she let me, you know, learn on my own,” he said in a 2009 interview on “60 Minutes.”
Learning on his own often meant getting into trouble. Jay-Z grew up in Brooklyn’s crime-ridden Marcy Projects. He sold drugs, and when he was 12, he shot his older brother for stealing his rings. His father left the year before.
In an interview with “O” magazine, Jay-Z said being abandoned by his father made him never want to “get close to someone like that again.” It also made him more protective of his mother, who he considers a role model.
“I remember telling her, ‘Don’t worry, when I get big, I’m going to take care of this,” he told “O.” “I felt like I had to step up. I was 11 years old, right? But I felt I had to make the situation better.”
Jay-Z has spent a lot of time thinking about being a dad. Over the last year, he released two songs about fatherhood. On “New Day” from his “Watch The Throne” album with Kanye West, the duo explained the types of lessons they wanted to impart on their children. And days after Blue Ivy was born, Jay-Z released “Glory” that conveys his excitement about the new baby. “Glory” even includes audio of Blue Ivy crying.
Elite.
