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JAY-Z is one of the most prolific songwriters in Hip Hop history. In a rare interview, he sat down with the New York Times to honor other great songwriters when the topic of the late legend Biggie Smalls came up.
What Did JAY-Z Say About The Notorious B.I.G.?
While talking about “Brooklyn’s Finest,” he mentioned how good Biggie’s infamous 2Pac diss is (“If Faith had twins, she’d probably have 2Pacs”), leading to him talking more about Biggie’s genius.
“He was one of those ones who ain’t run from controversy, whether it made him look bad or not,” JAY-Z said. “Most people ego wouldn’t allow them to say [that line]. It was one of the endearing qualities he had as a writer.
HOV then gave another example of what made Biggie great by using the famous “Black and ugly as ever, however,” line off “One More Chance.”
“One word was so powerful,” JAY-Z said. “[It’s] ‘however.’ Anything he said after that was gonna be amazing. Those are little tricks as a writer that I’m tryna to accomplish. Just a word that changes the framing of the thought, in a powerful way, in the shortest amount of time, cause that’s hard to do.”
JAY-Z breaks down why Biggie’s pen was special ✍️
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) April 28, 2026
(via The New York Times) pic.twitter.com/wuYtooTnTq
What Else Did JAY-Z Talk About In The Interview?
Along with process he also touched on the hardest album he ever had to make.
“4:44 was the toughest thing I had to write,” he said. “Not lyrically, not the greatest metaphors I ever created, but the vulnerability, the honesty and transparency, that’s hard. That’s a difficult thing. But to do it for an entire album and sit in that and talk about real subjects and how your kids are gonna feel… That was the most difficult album that I had to write.”
4:44 is JAY-Z’s most personal album, delving into fatherhood, his rumored infidelity to his wife Beyonce, “The Story of OJ.”
Hov went on to say that “N**** In Paris” was the most rewarding moment he’s had as a songwriter.
“My most rewarding moments are to make something people are just dancing to, having a good time,” JAY-Z said. It still has the connotation of racism and how people look at you, the French relationship with Africa and then money. It’s a lot of deep things just happening at one time.”
