Jon Blistein
Contact Jon Blistein by Email View all posts by Jon Blistein August 26, 2026
Jay-Z and Rick Rubin in ‘JAŸ-Z in 8.’ Courtesy of HBO Jay-Z discusses his life-long love of writing, rap’s irresistible underdog energy, and more in the new teaser for his upcoming docuseries, JAŸ-Z in 8.
The upcoming HBO series finds Jay digging back into his catalog while in conversation with Rick Rubin about his life, career, and music. While Jay has done this in various forms over the years, the black-and-white clip appropriately opens with Jay reciting one of his most famous lines: “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov.”
From there, Jay talks about how he caught the writing bug at age nine and pontificates on hip-hop’s enduring appeal, as well as its limitless potential. “The reason why rap is so loved — that feeling of that underdog,” Jay says. “That’s why people were listening, that’s why it hit them somewhere.”
The first two episodes of JAŸ-Z in 8, which Rubin directed, will premiere on Sept. 18, with two additional episodes dropping every Friday through Oct. 9. The discussions in each episode will center around a handful of Jay-Z songs, selected by Rubin. For instance, episode one will feature “Intro” (off 2000’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia), “Meet the Parents” (off 2002’s The Blueprint 2), “Can’t Knocks the Hustle” (of 1996’s Reasonable Doubt),and “What More Can I Say” (off 2003’s The Black Album).
