Jay-Z will be the first rapper ever to be featured
on 60 Minutes II. Bob Simon will speak with Jay-Z on his rise to fame, running
Roc-A-Fella and other issues.
"Filming 60 Minutes II was a different experience
for me and for them," Jay-Z told AllHipHop.com. "We are introducing
a whole new audience to hip-hop culture."
The show will focus on Jay’s involvement in the
community as well as the the day to day issues of running an empire that rakes
in over a half a billion dollars a year and consists of a record label, clothing
line and a film production company.
Simon also digs into Jay’s checkered past, which
included drug dealing in the Marcy Projects, where he grew up.
It was a pretty rough time for everyone, like,
especially in that neighborhood, it was a, it was a plague in that neighborhood,
it was just everywhere, everywhere you look. In the hallways. You could smell
it in the hallways. Back then, it was like, I would say it was, like, two things,
like, it was either you were doing it or you was moving it," he say during
the interview.
Jay, who’s estimated wealth is pegged at $50
million said that fifteen years ago, he had no idea he would be so wealthy and
instead was focused on survival. “I had no aspirations, no plans, no goals,
no back-up goals," Jay continued.
At 33, Jay has moved over 15 million albums and
has produced a new album every eight months for the past six years. His latest
release, The Blueprint 2: The Gift And The Curse, is in stores now.
The 60 Minutes II special airs tonight (11/20)
on CBS at 10 p.m. EST.