Jay-Z: I Was Addicted To The Danger Of Dealing Drugs

Jay-Z became a crack dealer at age 13 and dodged bullets in the Brooklyn projects before moving "from grams to Grammys." He opens up about his drug dealing past in October's O magazine in an interview with Oprah herself.

Oprah: So by the time you were 13, this was a way of life. Did the lifestyle frighten you?

Jay-Z: No. It was normal. And at some point, you become addicted to the feeling. The uncertainty and adrenaline and danger of that lifestyle.

Oprah: This is where we differ. This is where we differ. Because I'd be very scared! Weren't you shot at three times--within six feet--and you lived to talk about it?

Jay-Z: That was divine intervention. Divine intervention, and nobody knowing how to shoot.

Oprah: What happened in each situation?

Jay-Z: It was one situation, three shots.

Oprah: So he was a bad shot.

Jay-Z: Well, no one really practices shooting a TEC-9 machine gun, right? And when you're a kid, with little bony arms--no wonder nobody could aim.

You can read the entire interview, where Jay-Z talks about his quiet wedding to Beyonce and their standing Sunday night pizza date here.

Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[progressiveblkgrl]

I really don't like when HuffPo puts anything about rappers on this site because all of haters come out. I for one don't agree that the Beatles are the greatest band of all time, but if I wrote it on this website everyone would cheer me and tell me how great I am. You don't have to like his music to appreciate the man. This man changed his entire life to go on to be one of the greatest entertainers in the world. Shouldn't that be applauded as opposed to mocked? I don't get it...what should he do to make you dogooder non-former drug dealers happy? He's donated all kinds of money, I mean the President of the United States loves his music but somehow he has something to prove to all of you? I am not even the biggest Jay-Z fan, but I can appreicate someone who worked so hard to try to do something positive with their life. I hope all former drug dealers have half the brain this man does. Man....yall some haters.

[hulagirrrl]

That is not even fair, because not everyone is a hater here. I listened to his music before, but just can't get excited, can you relate to that. Incidentally, I think you are absolutely right about the Beatles, never understood the hype, love the Stones much better.
Give people a break though, they just like to have their voices heard, that's why we are out here on HP, right?

[PatA]

Oh, if you negative people had the money that this man has made. He was on the Letterman show last night and I found him refreshingly articulate and very funny.

[texmike]

He was quite obviously HIGH during that interview. Not saying i's bad, just saying.

[progressiveblkgrl]

Jay-Z doesn't do any kind of drugs.

[texmike]

Oops, I meant "not saying it's bad." Geez, maybe I'm high and don't know it.

[hulagirrrl]

I do not know much about him, listened to his music sometimes. I just hope that the lessons of his past can be turned into something positive for the future. Hopefully he will find a way to reach out and help to keep the now thirteen year olds off the streets. I guess then he will know why there was a "divine intervention" when someone aimed to shoot him. Everything happens for a reason, I do not have a lot of sympathy for drug dealers, especially if they are dealing to kids, but maybe he will do something good for it now.

[american-dolt]

This guy is lame

[MWNY]

Why is it still necessary to dwell on his drug selling past? Although, I don't agree with that being the only option seeing that someone else who grew up in that same building went onto become a lawyer and great businessman as well. I think the best way to help people out is to go to those projects today and see what you can do to help the kids. Not only when you have a product to sell I mean he's moved on from drugs to music, clothes and cologne. Yes, he is now living a great drug free life but what are you doing when you don't have records to sell? Bring Oprah around the block then. I like Jay but both he and his wife have agenda's when they got married they didn't talk about it, when she needed to sell her album guess what she talked about it. It's almost like that one friend you go out with. You only call when you want to go out and that's it. Until the next time.

[cyoohoos]

appears to be a desperate need for 'street cred'

[AContrario]

Gosh you must the man for his ability to succeed in spite of all the hurdles he
started life with:poverty,criminal environment, being black(yeah it is still a stigma)

What is funny though is racist in denial like you,think they can use the narrow
experience of their insignificant life to make uninformed comments in public.

For your information Black lawyer or great businessman are an exception not the
rule. Besides these days with the lack of ethic in American business(Wall St,Enron)
and corporate lawyers whoring themselves to whoever can pay their dishonourable
hourly rates, I find it laughable to suggest these professions as the social yardstick
of success and the embodiment of an honourable and contributing member of society.
but I am digressing,my question for you is do you go yourself around projects and
help kids out? If so, I would love to learn from your extended experience.

[hulagirrrl]

Wow, what are you talking about???

[cyoohoos]

Has he done anything positive for society other than exalt his own image? I still don't know of any song he's performed, never bought it or his clothes and I hope to keep it that way. I refuse to support this type of lunacy.

[reddyfox]

You don't have to support anything he's done but if you don't anything about him I don't think you should be commenting on him. He's said many times in many interviews that he would never recommend that way of life for anyone. He's donated money to hurricane Katrina survivors and has toured poor communities in Africa to bring attention to their lack of clean water. Like I said, I recommend you comment on things or people you actually know something about.

[cyoohoos]

RedFox, why don't you stop trying to be the HP moderator by going around telling people what articles they should and should'nt post on.

I've seen interviews with JZ, I read about him becoming CEO of that record label, etc. I STILL don't get what the hype is about him. Just 'cause I don't set out to give him my money doesn't mean I don't know anything about him. And so what he gave to hurricane Katrina, so did I and countless others and the other probably gave a larger % of their income.

[rjdemont]

Addicted to danger? He is stealing lines from Chris Le Doux!

[SpaghettyIrish]

I'd rather have Oprah ask DOOM why he wears his mask.

[sidehide]

because he is a M....... F..........

[SpaghettyIrish]

Metal Faced Destro?

[AfroGoddess]

Don't love Jay-Z, but I don't think that he was glorifying selling crack in the article. Now his "music" might be another story.

Clearly he's out hustling Blueprint III, but I don't know if his "innovative" is my version of it. I've heard every album but don't have a one, nor a copy in my music library.

I'd love to be proved wrong and discover what all the hype is about.

[NoElephants]

You would love to be proved wrong? If you really have listened to every album as you claim, and do not think that he is innovative, then there is nothing that can be said to you. And as for putting "music" in quotes - really? Do you think it's coincidence that he has been at the top of an industry that is so fickle it will get rid of anybody for any reason for so long? Just because you clearly have bad taste doesn't mean the rest of us are tone deaf.

[AfroGoddess]

Lawd, but aren't you working hard to be rude just 'cause you're all high from sucking Jay-Z's jock juice and the rest of us aren't?! LOL If I asked folks to explain why he's a great rapper and even possibly provide something I should listen to, YOU FAILED! YOU OFFER NO PROOF! SIT DOWN! LOL

For real, I'm more of a Talib Kweli/Eminem/Lupe Fiasco type of rap listener. Jay being in the game speaks maybe to him being a good hoe, and getting pimped correctly, more so than being one of the best rappers. If you are relying on music execs and their masterful marketing machinations to determine what is and isn't good music, you are muy naive.

Oh well, thanks for the very...passionate "support" of Jay-Z! LOL

[spiderbucket]

"Look at how tough I am !"

[firelord5000]

Such a liar, he was addicted to the $$$$s.

[sidehide]

can you read?

[Luvnumber9]

Jayz is lying because crack didn't hit the street of NY until 87...Jayz wasn't 13 then. this is common knowledge

[Nommo]

'87? That may be when your first sale took place, but you gotta know better than that.

[AfroGoddess]

Thank you! I knew about crack in 85 when I was 10 years old. And if I knew about it, then it was BIG 'cause I was a sheltered kid. By 1989 when I was in high school, it had turned parts of my neighborhood into Crackville. That didn't take 2 years to happen.

[Luvnumber9]

Jayz is lying...now is trying to be personal with the media. Jayz has NEVER given interviews until now???? Jayz wasn't dealing at 13

[TheKidd]

he's still a camel...

[bolmah]

And people got mad at Chris Brown for? I knew a slew of people that dealt drugs when i was young. Most got shot at and some got shot, some lived and some didn't. To glorify a lifestyle like this after you have reached where you are now is hypocritical. What is he actually teaching the youth. "hope you can get away with it" and " Do whatever you have to do for the mighty dollar". The people that lived by that motto never made that journey to the other end.

[misszanna]

Why is this relevent?

[stanblack]

It isn't. Don't worry.