When Jay Z recorded his recent 4:44 album, he dropped quite a few bombshells about his personal life and loved ones. Typically, he’s pretty radio silent when it comes to letting his fans know what’s up with him behind the scenes, but we guess the 4:44 album caused him to dig deep and let truths out.
How Jay Z Revealed His Mom Was A Lesbian
One of such truth was revealed in his song, “Smile.” Jay Z let the world know that his mother, Gloria Carter, had finally found peace with her sexuality and he was very happy that she was ready to let the world know she was a lesbian. In the song, Jay rapped:
“Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian
Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian
Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate
Society shame and the pain was too much to take
Cried tears of joy when you fell in love
Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her
I just wanna see you smile through all the hate”
Check out the video for “Smile” below…
His Upcoming Award
Now, the Roc-A-Fella legend is being honored with an award from GLAAD Media Awards- the award ceremony that recognizes and honors celebs and media for their “fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives.” After hearing how Jay Z embraced his mom’s sexuality in a ‘I-don’t-give-a-damn-what-the-world-thinks’ type of way, GLAAD has now decided to honor him with a “Special Recognition” award for his honesty and bravery.
Jay Z’s Mom Reveals How She Came Out To Him
In September 2017, mama Gloria revealed how emotional it was for her to finally come out to her son, Jay, after so many decades of hiding it:
Via US Magazine: “Me and my son, we share a lot of information. I was sitting there and I was telling him one day, I just finally started telling him who I was,” she explained on the D’USSE Friday podcast on Tuesday, September 5. “Besides your mother, this is the person that I am. This is the life that I live. My son started actually tearing ’cause he’s like, ‘That had to be a horrible life, Ma.’ I was like, ‘My life was never horrible. It was just different.’ So that made him want to do a song about it.”
How His Mom Felt About Him Putting Her Sexuality In A Song
Via USM: “The first time I heard the song, I was like, ‘Eh, I don’t know, dude. I ain’t feeling that,’” Gloria recalled. “When it first happened, I was sharing myself [with Jay], not to share myself with the world.” After several discussions with her son, Gloria’s apprehension faded away and she agreed to appear on the song. “I was never ashamed of me. But in my family, it was something that was never discussed,” she said. “I’m tired of all the mystery. I’m gonna give it to ’em. … Now it’s time for me to live my life and be happy, be free.”
The most beautiful part in all of this, is that Jay Z used his platform to not only praise his mother and her bravery of finally standing in her truth, he’s also encouraged some of his fans to stand in their’s. That type of unconditional love Jay has for his Moms is exactly what the world needs to see more of and we salute the brotha for displaying that.
We’ll leave y’all with the poem Jay’s mother, Gloria, recited at the end of “Smile.” Her words were empowering for so many and hopefully they’ll continue to empower many more to stand in their truths, regardless of what that truth may be:
“Living in the shadow
Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live?
In the shadows people see you as happy and free
Because that’s what you want them to see
Living two lives, happy, but not free
You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love
The world is changing and they say it’s time to be free
But you live with the fear of just being me
Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be
No harm for them, no harm for me
But life is short, and it’s time to be free
Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed
Smile” -Gloria Carter
