Jay-Z has spoken publicly for the first time about the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in late 2024, which was voluntarily dismissed in February 2025. In a new interview with GQ, the rapper described the experience as 'heartbreaking' and said he felt 'uncontrollable anger' over the allegations.
The lawsuit alleged that Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs raped a 13-year-old girl at a party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Both men denied the claims, with Jay-Z calling them a 'blackmail attempt' and his attorney Alex Spiro dismissing them as 'provably, demonstrably false' due to an 'impossible timeline'.
Jay-Z explained why he refused to settle the case, stating: 'I can't take a settlement – it ain't in my DNA.' He added that he first told his wife, Beyoncé, about the lawsuit, knowing the weight it would bring on his family. 'I can't do it. I would die,' he said.
In the same interview, Jay-Z also commented on the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, expressing concern about the negative fallout on social media. 'It's bringing people's kids in it. I don't like that,' he said, while acknowledging the excitement of hip-hop sparring.
The rapper also addressed what he sees as a right-wing agenda against hip-hop, saying: 'There is clearly an agenda to silence voices in our community.' The interview marks the 30th anniversary of his debut album Reasonable Doubt, which he will celebrate with two shows at New York's Yankee Stadium in July.
