Jay-Z is the subject of an eight-part documentary series, Jay-Z in 8, built entirely around conversations with Rick Rubin about the records he has made over three decades. HBO released the trailer on August 26, and MUBI has since been confirmed as a release partner.
The format is simple. Each episode centres on a handful of songs that Rubin picks, and the two men talk through how they were written, what was going on around them and what the rapper was trying to do. The trailer indicates the series reaches back to early work from Reasonable Doubt, including "Can't Knock the Hustle" and "Brooklyn's Finest", and forward through "Dead Presidents II", "Can I Live", "99 Problems", "No Church in the Wild", "The Story of O.J." and "4:44".
Rubin directs the first two episodes, which NME reports is his first credit as a director. The conversations also cover Jay-Z's childhood and the experiences that shaped him as a writer rather than sticking to the studio. In one clip he talks about why rap connected so widely, pointing to the feeling of the underdog inside the music.
The release schedule is spread across four Fridays. Episodes one and two arrive on September 18, and two more land each Friday until the run ends on October 9.
The series is part of a year built around the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, which has also included stadium shows in New York, pop-up events and a run of commemorative library cards issued with the Brooklyn Public Library. Jay-Z has an October 24 date booked at SoFi Stadium, with two nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 4 and 5 and a Paris show at the Stade de France on September 10 before that.
There is still no new album behind any of it. Cash Cobain recently told Variety that Jay-Z had said he was not putting out a record any time soon, and the only confirmed new music is a track with Eminem and Rakim, their first work together in 25 years. His most recent verse arrived on a surprise remix of Beyonce's Morning Dew (Donk), which was his first original rap verse in four years. The series sits alongside the rest of the site's hip-hop coverage.
The facts
- Jay-Z in 8 premieres its first two episodes on September 18
- Two more episodes arrive each Friday until October 9
- Rick Rubin directs the first two episodes, his first work as a director
- Each episode is built around songs Rubin selects from the catalogue
- The series is part of a year marking 30 years of Reasonable Doubt
- MUBI has also been confirmed as a release partner
How this checks out
Developing
Reported by 2 independent outlets
A few outlets have it so far, short of the bar we set for confirmed.
Cited sources 2
Every outlet that reported this, linked to what it published. Equal credits, in alphabetical order.