"JAY-Z and Gayle King: Brooklyn's Own" prime-time special to feature never-before-seen interview highlights
Never-before-seen highlights from a rare, wide-ranging interview with hip-hop star, business mogul and activist JAY-Z will be featured in a prime-time special, "JAY-Z and Gayle King: Brooklyn's Own," airing Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The hour-long special will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network and streams on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers.)
"CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King anchors the broadcast, which features portions of her recent three-hour interview with JAY-Z at the Brooklyn Public Library, where a new exhibit explores his life and legacy.
In the interview, JAY-Z — born Shawn Corey Carter — talks with King about growing up in the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn, how some difficult experiences shaped his early life, and how music became his path out.
"The fact that people go there and, like, take pictures in front of this is just amazing to me 'cause this, you know, the Marcy Houses that I grew up, it was not a tourist attraction," he says, recalling seeing someone shot when he was just 9 years old.
He also opens up about his business career, how he makes music, and the stories behind some of his famous lyrics. The special features footage from a 2002 "60 Minutes II" interview, where viewers will see a younger JAY-Z on the cusp of becoming the globally influential figure he is today.
"He's more than a musician, he's a mogul," King says. "He's more than a rapper, he's a visionary."
JAY-Z has earned 24 Grammy Awards and a Peabody Award, and his work inspires millions of fans. In addition to his impact on music, style and businesses trends, he has investments worth millions of dollars and is a major proponent of criminal justice reform.
He shares how his focus has shifted from making music to helping others improve their futures.
"I think what matters most is, today, is, being a beacon and helping out … my culture. People of color. I think I pull the most satisfaction from that. Like making music earlier was, like — my first love. I could sit there for hours. It consumed me. Just finding words and figuring out words and how to say this and different ways to say that and different pockets and melodies and how to write this song," JAY-Z says. "That consumed me."
"And I think now, you know, the idea of, of taking that platform and, you know, reproducing it for others or doing something like Reform ... I think I derive the most joy from that."
"JAY-Z and Gayle King: Brooklyn's Own" is produced by "CBS Mornings" and See It Now Studios for CBS News. Gayle King and Shawna Thomas are the executive producers.