Back in September, Jay-Z sat down for a lengthy conversation with New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet that was released online today, covering a wide variety of topics including O.J. Simpson, Jay’s relationship with Kanye West, and the ways that wealth has affected his home life and the ways he views his legacy. All interesting topics of conversation, but there was one tidbit that stood out amongst the rest: the revelation that a Jay-Z and Beyonce collaborative joint album exists, and it’s in the vault.
During the time that the couple were working on their own music to cope with the realities of their tumultuous relationship (Jay-Z’s 4:44 and Beyonce’s Lemonade), they were also putting together the pieces of a joint statement, something to present both sides of their story simultaneously. As it would turn out, Lemonade was just further along in the production process, and attention moved toward completing Beyonce’s album, then Jay-Z’s, although the joint music still remains, and it’s possible that it will see release.
“It happened — we were using our art almost like a therapy session,” Jay told the Times. “And we started making music together. And then the music she was making at that time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on. Um, we still have a lot of that music. And this is what it became. There was never a point where it was like, ‘I’m making this album.’ I was right there the entire time.”
Check out the fascinating full interview here.
