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Jay-Z’s HBO documentary series sets release date with new trailer

Thirty years after ‘Reasonable Doubt,’ Jay-Z is finally explaining his songs in ‘JAŸ-Z in 8’.

Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, finally shares the behind-the-scenes creative process of his music. HBO has set a premiere date for ‘JAY-Z in 8’, an eight-part documentary series that explores how and why JAY-Z wrote his songs. The first two episodes of ‘JAY-Z in 8’ will air on September 18, starting at 8 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. For the rest of the series, two episodes will be available every Friday. The last episodes, 7 and 8, will air on October 9. This project revolves around a conversation between Jay-Z and producer Rick Rubin about the rapper’s songs and albums over several days. The official trailer sums it up by describing how, thirty years after the release of his debut album ‘Reasonable Doubt,’ Jay-Z recalls everything with the help of Rubin. The series was first announced in June.

The reason for this series is for Jay-Z to recollect and retell his songwriting process while going over the lyrics for the first time. Earlier episodes focus on older music, including ‘Can’t Knock The Hustler,’ ‘Brooklyn’s Finest,’ and ‘This Can’t Be Life.’ Other tracks covered in depth include ‘Ignorant Shit,’ ‘Kill Jay-Z,’ and ‘99 Problems.’ Subsequent episodes delve into Jay-Z’s later works, such as ‘The Story Of O.J.,’ ‘No Church In The Wild,’ ‘Family Feud,’ and ‘Legacy.’ Basically, the series will take a masterclass in the mind of one of hip-hop’s legendary lyricists. Meanwhile, ‘JAY-Z in 8’ marks Rick Rubin’s directorial debut for a documentary series. He is listed among the executive producers, alongside Jay-Z and actor Daniel Kaluuya. Notably, HBO’s executive producers comprise Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez, while Leila Mattmore and David Rohde produce it.

Besides, Harlin Lawal and Will Mavronicolas are co-producing, and Bradford Young captures the series’ cinematography. It originates from Tetragrammaton and HBO Documentary Films. The latest trailer begins with a clip of Jay-Z reciting one of his famous lines: “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov.” He later recounts how he began to write music when he was nine years old. It also includes his personal thoughts as to why this particular genre has stood the test of time: “The reason why rap is so loved – that feeling of that underdog,” Jay explains. “That’s why people were listening, that’s why it hit them somewhere.” Also, he is in the middle of a concert season that saw him headline the Roots Picnic in late May. In addition, he played three sold-out nights at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and the 20th of ‘The Blueprint.’ More live dates in London, Paris, and Los Angeles follow. ‘JAY-Z in 8’ premieres on Wednesday, September 18, on HBO and HBO Max.