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It’s been nearly a decade since Jay-Z dropped his last studio album, 4:44. And while his fans have been clamoring for new music, HOV recently gave one of the reasons we didn’t get any new music last year.
Jay-Z Says He Didn’t Want to Drop Album Amid Legal Drama
Jay-Z and Diddy came under fire in 2024 after a Jane Doe accused them of sexual assault. The alleged assault happened 25 years ago when Doe was only a teenager. Jay-Z spent much of last year fighting to clear his name during a civil trial. The case against the music moguls was ultimately dismissed. But the Black Album creator says it was still a heavy burden to carry. And he didn’t want to put out any “angry” music while he was navigating through that.
“I was just so heavy [last year], and when I write, I write from experiences. And that would have been a very angry offering,” he said during a recent interview with GQ.
He also said that he did not want to add to the amount of “negativity” that the world is going through.
“I’m not sure with the amount of negativity in the world that people needed me to add to that with my feelings, because it would have been harsh, and it would have been harsh on everybody,” he added. “I don’t know how to make music that’s not reflective of how I’m feeling at the moment. That’s why I can quote lyrics in this conversation. I could draw back to what song it was that this thing happened that we’re talking about. Because it’s my real life, and I don’t know how to do it any other way. I had to be real and honest about my experiences at the moment. It would have been fiery.”
In 2025, the Roc Nation boss filed a $20 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Jane Doe and her attorney, Tony Buzbee.
