The rapper Jay-Z was told he’d never be bigger than

Jay-Z is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, and this is partially to do with his powerful lyricism. Using complex rhyme schemes and punching metaphors, his wordplay is unparalleled. However, there was someone close to the emcee (real name Shawn Carter) who told him he would never be better than LL Cool J. 

The New York rap scene was very competitive when Jay-Z first began rhyming in the early 1990s. MCs such as Biggie Smalls, LL Cool J, Nas, and The Wu-Tang Clan were sitting at the top of the charts. As such, many assumed they would stay there forever.  

However, Jay-Z believed that he could out-rap all of these acts, and, as a protégé of Big Daddy Kane, he slowly began to dominate the Brooklyn underground with his tracks. But even his own family members didn’t believe in him. 

In an appearance on HBO’s The Shop: Uninterrupted, Carter explained how he remained confident while those closest to him insisted he would fail. Speaking with the hosts LeBron James and Maverick Carter, the lyricist elaborated, “Part of being confident is taking chances and being fearless … I had a foolish confidence early on… I remember my first demo, like when I first said I knew how to make songs—I didn’t know how to make songs, I thought [I did] at that time.” 

He continued, I played it for my uncle and I was like, ‘Yo, I’m better than LL Cool J.’ And he said, ‘Get the f*ck out of here.’ My uncle was like, real, like, ‘Get the f*ck out of here. You ain’t never gonna be better than f*cking LL Cool J.’”

Despite his uncle’s piercing remarks, Jay-Z continued to hone his craft and record new songs. After years of doing this and building a following, in 1996, Carter released his full-length debut album, Reasonable Doubt, on which he boldly claimed that he was one of the best MCs.

Carter disclosed to LeBron and Maverick that his uncle’s comments hurt him, revealing, “I was hurt. I was like, ‘Sh*t, damn.’ He damn near damaged me, right? But I survived that. So I always had confidence, and I always knew that I was gonna excel beyond. But, you know, you still gotta do it. You could believe it. You could have the belief. It’s just second nature.”

You can watch Jay-Z’s interview on HBO in the video below.