When it came to fatherhood, Jay-Z was happy to dive right into the deep end—literally, that is.
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper shared on HBO Max’s series The Shop: Uninterrupted that he made the choice to learn a new skill after his wife Beyoncé gave birth to their first child Blue Ivy Carter in 2012.
“It’s amazing. It’s a very grounding thing,” he said of becoming a dad. “I didn’t learn how to swim until Blue was born. There goes everything you need to know. This is a metaphor for our relationship. If she ever fell in the water and I couldn’t get her, I couldn’t even fathom that thought. I gotta learn how to swim. That’s it. That was the beginning of our relationship.”
Jay-Z and Beyoncé are now also parents to twins Rumi and Sir, who were born in June 2017
In an April episode of David Letterman‘s Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, the “Beach Is Better” artist spoke about how strengthening the bond he has with his family influenced his music.
“I have a beautiful wife who was understanding and knew I am not the worst of what I’ve done,” he shared. “We did the hard work of going to therapy, we love each other. We really put in the work for years. This music I’m making now is a result of things that have happened already. Like you, I like to believe that we’re in a better place today, but still working and still communicating and growing. I’m proud of the father and the husband I am today because of all the work that was done.”
Now, when Jay-Z takes his family to the beach, he can be on daddy and lifeguard duty.
