Jay-Z has spoken candidly about the emotional toll of the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in late 2024, describing feelings of 'uncontrollable anger' in a new interview with GQ. The case, which also implicated Sean 'Diddy' Combs, was voluntarily dismissed in February 2025.
The rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, said he was 'heartbroken' by the allegations. 'I haven't been that angry in a long time,' he told GQ. 'You don't put that on someone – that's a thing that you better be super sure about.'
Jay-Z explained his decision to fight the lawsuit rather than settle, stating, 'I can't take a settlement – it ain't in my DNA. I would die.' He noted that while settling would have been cheaper and quicker, he felt compelled to defend his name, especially for the sake of his family.
The lawsuit alleged that a 13-year-old girl was drugged and raped by both Jay-Z and Combs at a party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Jay-Z's attorney, Alex Spiro, called the claims 'provably, demonstrably false' and highlighted an 'impossible timeline'. Jay-Z himself described the suit as a 'blackmail attempt'.
In the same interview, Jay-Z also weighed in 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, adding that he believes collaboration is more beneficial than conflict.
The interview coincides with the 30th anniversary of Jay-Z's debut album, Reasonable Doubt. He is set to perform two shows at New York's Yankee Stadium in July, celebrating both the album and its 2001 follow-up, The Blueprint.
