8 Key Takeaways from Jay-Z in 8: Episodes 5 & 6

Episodes five and six of JAŸ-Z in 8 premiered on HBO Max on Friday night (Oct. 2). Hov and Rick Rubin continued to peel back the layers on Jay-Z’s discography, ranging from Reasonable Doubt to 4:44 and even Jigga’s reunion with Ye (formerly Kanye West ) on Donda in 2021.

The pair of episodes dive into Ye’s “JAIL,” “U Don’t Know,” “Politics as Usual,” “Regrets,” “Ignorant S—,” “Hovi Baby,” “Kill Jay-Z,” “99 Problems,” “Threat,” “Dead Presidents II” and “Public Service Announcement (Interlude).”

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Episode six features the quote that has gone viral of Jay-Z being highly complimentary of West’s artistry. Although he doesn’t provide an exact look at where their relationship stands today, following Ye’s derogatory attack on Jay’s children last year.

Hov also details how Goodfellas inspired “Threat,” “Public Service Announcement” nearly not making The Black Album , while a journalist inspired the third verse on the track, and much more.

It’s been refreshing to see the 56-year-old rap mogul candidly open up about his family life, relationships with the likes of Biggie Smalls and break down the intricacies of his brilliant wordplay, which may have gone over the average fan’s head.

“Nothing was difficult,” Jay told Billboard when asked if it was hard to reflect on anything in the documentary. “It wasn’t difficult at all. It was easy. The ease of the conversation with Rick [Rubin]; he’s super curious about life [and] music. We share the same love for music. It was an easy conversation.”

Here are eight things we learned from episodes five and six below. Tune into the JAŸ-Z in 8 finale on Friday night (Oct. 9) on HBO Max.

_Originally reported by [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/lists/jay-z-in-8-review-episodes-five-six-rick-rubin-hbo-max/)._