>> rose: welcome to our program. tonight, jay-z at the brooklyn museum taking questions from the audience. >> what is jay-z going to do to give back to the community? i know you're part owner of the brooklyn nets, but have you ever considered buying or investing in morrissey projects and changing that and creating educational programs or something to show that, listen... because many of those kids end up in my office. and that i's something i just want to ask you. not to get all political or anything but that's a very significant thing for me, actually. (applause) >> i think what you do for a living is very important to the mind-set because, you know, buying morrissey projects, in my opinion, doesn't fix the problem. you have to fix the thinking. (applause)

projects in the beginning was just... it was like a stopover. projects were built... well, we know why they were really built. but they were built for low income housing until you've got enough money and you moved out and you moved somewhere else. that's the origin of low-income housing, right? then it became this thing of, you know, i've got to rep my hood, i'm not leaving out of my hood. and i don't think anything is wrong with wanting better orb making where you are better. i think it's more of the think and the drive for us to want to do better than represent something that doesn't belong to us. >> rose: jay-z and the audience for the hour: next.

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from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. >> rose: on november 18 we went to the brooklyn museum tape a conversation with jay-z about his life and music and his new book "decoded." you love making great art? >> absolutely. >> rose: so why did you retire? >> well, i was making an album every single year, '96 up until that point, an album every year. ten, 20 features in between. i didn't want do just make an album every year because it was november or qlipt to take for granted the thing that saved my life, for one. you know, and for two it... you know, it felt like i had a bigger responsibility for the culture, to show in the a different light. most people put out two or three albums and then it's like where are they now andedly there's vh-1 specials. (laughter)

and things like that. just thought i had a responsibility to the culture to show in the a different light that we can obtain the executive levels. because who better to coach the players than the people who played the game? i can relate to an artist in a different way. an artist can't tell me, yo, you don't know, this is what they saying on the street. i'm like, well, until it reach me... (laughs) that's not what they're saying. i can have the conversation with an artist on a different level. i've had records that didn't do so good. i had to write from a place of when i wasn't as confident as i was. you know, i wrote when i was on top of the world. all these different things and nuances to being an artist. >> rose: in that conversation we talked of many things, but obviously there were many questions left, so after our taped conversation, jay-z sat with me on stage and took questions from the audience.

it was a magical moment between a star and his audience and we thought you'd like to see that as well. so tonight a q&a with jay-z from the audience at the brooklyn museum. all right, who's got the first question? right there, yes, sir. >> jay, what's up? i'm glad you mentioned how dismissive people are towards rap music and how charlie touched upon the growth in your music because one of the things people dent get regretted for is the progression in music. for example, volume one, which is my favorite album, is very dark. then you go into "kingdom come" and there seems to be almost spiritual progression there. can you talk about was there, like, an awakening where you were making songs like "you must love me" to "beach chair" there was almost like a huge spiritual growth. is that what happened after you went away? >> yes, it was more obvious on the black album because the black album i wanted to make my most personal album. so it was more obvious there. but during my whole career i was

evolving as a human being and, you know, as i was evolving on a... on a human level it was making its way into the music. because for me music was some sort of therapy. it was my time. and to this day i'm still pretty guarded as a human being and i'm trying to get further and further daily. but rap was my time to get in the booth. i not go the booth and i could say things that i wouldn't normally say in everyday conversation. so, you know, i would just be... the entire time just overstated on the black album because it was... i try to make it my most personal album. >> rose: thank you. >> first i'd like to say thank you for inspiring me for the last ten years almost everyday. >> thank you. >> what was the most valuable lesson you learned as president of def jams? >> i learned that being the president of a company is a

thank let job. (laughter) so you had better do it for the greater good and not for yourself because, you know, if you have a successful artist, it's because they did it. if they fail, it's because you. so it's a no-win situation on a personal level so you have to just be focused on the greater good. and the greater good is getting great music out there however and really just realizing that not everyone's going to be successful and i guess that's the biggest. >> jay, this is an epic moment for me. my name is renee jennings and i moved to new york when i was 19 and i'm 30 now, but, like i went through sleeping in my car and all kinds of crazy stuff. but your music when i listened to it i was just like, man, this is so great. and, like, to see you, i'm like, oh, man! (cheers and applause) >> thank you, thank you. >> this is big.

this is big. but one of the things... okay, whatever, let me hurry up. (laughter) i'm sorry. one of the things from me is when i listen to your music and i hear people say "oh, well jay-z's music changed." i live in brooklyn so you hear stuff, people talk. (laughter) you know. but they're like "oh, it's not the same anymore." but people don't understand that you went through things that you went through in your life to get through a point to do better. you're not going to be the same person you were back then. you're going to elevate. >> absolutely. >> how do you stay focused when you know that people say that about you? how do you remain calm when people talk about beyonce "hey, b." (laughter and applause) i'm just saying, like, you know... (cheers and applause) but how do you... going back to the question, how do you remain focused with all that you have on you? you carry brooklyn on your back. i admire you because you don't feed it into it.

you're like, yo, i'm up here. not because you're better than people but you're up here because you see. you're standing on people that came before you and you see where people are trying to take you. how... i mean sometimes are you overwhelmd? how do you do this? (laughter) >> to answer the question, for one when we talked about the whole fight club thing, that was a very pivotal moment for me that i knew that everything could... was built on the deck of cards, to so to speak. and that it can all go away with one wrong decision. so i had to be more disciplined on where i was going. there's a great story and i'm going to take time to... because we're not going anywhere. (cheers and applause) there's a great story. one time me and ty, we had went to dinner with big and d rock, and we're in the car and we just finished eating and we're going into a club, it was called exit at the time. (audience reacts)

yeah, we was going to club exit and we get into the... we get in the front of the club, we pull up and big sees some guys out there and he says "man, i'm not going in there." and i'm like, "what?" he's like "these guys over there i don't... i'm not even... i don't feel like it tonight." so me and ty-ty, we don't really understand what he's saying, we think he's scared. so we're like "what? let us out this car right now." (laughter) so me and "ty-ty leaf the car and we're talking about big behind his back and we're say canning you believe that, man? we wanted to prove to the guys in front of the club that we wasn't scared. so we go in the club, big pulls off and for a while i thought that he was really scared of these guys. until later on i realized that he had a bigger goal and he knew where he was going and he didn't want to deal with it. he wasn't scared, it was just like why do... why put himself

in that position if he didn't have to? and i thought that was genius and i guess that helps me a lot as well. i thought that question was great. thank you. (applause) >> i don't mean to bring the party down, but i was at a party the other night. i was on put numb between compton and morrissey and i was with a mixed group of friends and i said "i'm going do go see jay in a few days." and they said "why would charlie rose have jay-z on?" (laughter) and i begin to explain to people you know, in my own way, rags to riches, the american dream, all the various notes. and before long the party was empty because four people. and this is my question. can you get a cap in new york city? (laughter) (cheers and applause)

a cab. when you're alone. >> that was genius. and, yes. (laughter) cab drivers know me, too. (laughter) but i don't think... (laughs) yes, i can, i'll be honest with you. >> i'm impressed. >> rose: but also, this is not the first time he's been on my show. >> i mentioned that. if i can have one more moment, someone said what has he done with his money? and i just wish that i could pull up the "forbes" interview at that moment. i can't have the imaginary power to explain but it was just amazing that, you know, you've had a variety of superstars going from tom cruise to various people i admire. but when it came to jay-z, the question was immediately what has he done with his money? and i just found that stunning that, like that was brought up.

i had to validate... i had to defend both of you. (laughter) >> and that's why, you know, even in a place where we're finally after 44 tries and two terms of bush we realized that we come so far and we still have those these conversations and i think that's why... not to plug the book, there's a very important part of the conversation. because until those conversations are had and had on multiple levels then we won't have this sort of understanding that at the end of the day we both have the same fears and the same loves, you know? you know. i said this earlier so i don't want to say it again but it was kind of true. who do you love? i love my mother. who do you hate? i hate my father, he wants me to be just like him. i can't, he left me. we all have the same fears, loves, and aspirations. >> thank you very much. >> thank you.

>> rose: thank you. (applause) >> if you could pick the ultimate cipher with you and five emcees dead or alive. (audience reacts) what five emcees would you choose and why? >> i would choose big because of his ability to tell stories to be humorous, to be dead serious, to be... he just had it all and it was voiced alone. i would choose pop because his fire will overcome his... what he doesn't have in technical skills will be overcome by passion. if you listen to that tunnel verse with big explaining, you know, three emcee hammer and them .357 women. (laughter) and then you hear how he comes on and he just screams on the track like his passion could put a lot of guys to sleep i guess

kuji rap, cain... (applause) and, man, i would k.r.s.-1. i would put anymore as well. (applause) i need more emcees. we got to get eminem inas as well. but those five and then we'll switch them out. (laughter) >> rose: thank you. over here. >> my name is sean, too. (laughter) and i'm also in the same place as your cousin jamar. i was at his wing spot buffalo boss, go check out my man, my pride brothers. >> he's gonna be happy that you did that. what street is it on? >> it's on poison street right across if mcdonald's. >> i know, right! (laughter) >> i saw your moms also. >> good man. >> my question to you, i'm a

psychologist in the school system and i work in the heart of brooklyn and i'm pretty much the person responsible for kind of placing a lot of these young african americans to special education, many of them came from broken homes and what have you. one of the questions myself and my frat brothers talk about, clearly you're the greatest rapper. but we talk about what is jay-z gonna do to give back to the community? i know you're part owner of the brooklyn nets. but have you ever considered buying or investing in morrissey projects and changing that and creating educational programs or something to show that, listen, because many of those kids end up in my office. and that's something i just wanted to ask you. i mean, and, you know, not to get all political or anything but that's a very significant thing for me, actually. (applause) >> i think what you do for a living is very important to the

mind-set because, you know, buying morrissey projects, in my opinion, doesn't fix the problem. we have to fix the thinking. projects... (applause) projects in the beginning was just... it was like a stopover. projects were built... well, we know why they were really built. but they were built for low until you got enough money and you moved out and you moved somewhere else. that's the origin of low-income housing, right? and then it became this thing of i've got rep my hood, i'm not leaving out of my hood. and i don't think anything is wrong with wanting better or making where you are better. i think it's more of the thinking of... and the drive for us to want to the do better than represent something that doesn't belong to us. (applause) >> hello and thank you for being in brooklyn.

thank you for not forgetting about brooklyn. you in spire me in so many ways. i'm an upcoming designer and song writer and i made special shades only for b. and i also have something in here for you and it would be more than an honor if i can give it to you. >> well, that's a great question. (laughter) good luck. >> thank you. >> all right, okay. (applause) >> hi, jay, my name is glow. okay, so basically... first off i wanted to say i've been a fan since day one, since '96 and reasonable doubt since can i live.

since i heard you first rapping in springfield, virginia, where i worked at. and so, you know, as someone who followed your career throughout these years, past 14, 15 years, your work ethic has definitely been something that i've always tried to emulate and as someone who is staying on my grind everyday, being on my hustle every single day. (laughter) you know, putting hours in the kitchen... (applause) i do. i do. i work in a sweatshop pretty much in new york. (laughter) i just... there's a lot of ups and downs on the road to success and highs and lows and bouts of self-doubt and naysayers and [no audio] talkers. what's the best advice you can give to someone, insight or inspiration to get through those rough times and kind of keep

your eye on the prize? >> i think the best thing is you have to believe... you have to have such a strong belief in yourself that you can quiet all the outside noise because you're going to need that every step of the way. there are people that are projecting their fears and their shortcomings and failures on you and you have to be very careful with that. people telling you you can't do that. why can't i? because they may have tried or they don't believe it that they can do it. and it's not really about you. it's about what they feel and their fear inside. so you have to be strong enough and resilient to believe in whatever it is you're trying to do and good luck with it. >> it was a pleasure just seeing you. i know you're a legend. i look up to you as a brother, father figure. o.g. up the block. (laughter) your music.

you let me know how i should do it. how i should do it and not get caught. (laughter) when to stop doing it. when to grow up and stop doing it. >> yes, sir, yes, sir. >> from you i learned how to tell a hoochie and i learned how to tell a wifey. (laughter) so it's like as you grew, we grew and i'm probably about ten years younger than you, but, i mean, each step you take, the street takes it with you. i'm born and raised in brooklyn. you got nothing but love out here. i want to let you know that from the bottom of my heart. >> i appreciate it bro. (applause) >> you know, you inspired us all. i've been on planes to go see you in concerts in other countries. i mean, you're just an inspiration. your music is absolutely amazing. but, you know, one thing that

you've done is obviously always collaborate with dre, with diddy with big, great music. you've also more recently got involved with linken park, with chris martin. do you think you'll be doing more collaborations in the future? >> yeah, i always believe in... i love the... i love that thing of collaborating. taking the best of what you do, someone taking the best of you what you do and not robbing from from what they do and they're not robbing what from what you do. you're offering the best of what you are to the table and you put it in its mix and see what happens. i love that part of creating. because i don't believe in those mind-sets people put up for music. this is for this person, this is for that people. i just believe in good music, bad music. put those two elements in the room and see what happens and let god, the universe, the movement, whatever happens in

that room that we... not we, i... (laughter) whatever happens, you know, make great music. >> i think it's crazy how you just come off the top with everything you do. you don't write it down. i think that's an amazing talent. i'm actually cool with free, i know he do like the same type of thing. when did you start to getting into not writing your rhymes down, i just want to come off the top of my head. >> it's not really off the top of my head. i'll sit and listen to the track and i'll go over it. for me it was a necessity. it wasn't something that i tried to showcase my skill or anything. it was more out of necessity. i was awake from this notebook that was my world and i was out in the street and moving around and i had no place to write it down so i had to memorize it. so it was more out of necessity than it being some sort of skill and i just worked at it. like i'm sure you heard there's an exercise for it. so it's not really off the top of the head.

it's thought out over and over again and i go in and do it. >> do you ever catch yourself like trying to get back to it. >> get back to writing? >> yeah. >> i tried a couple times but for me it's just freeing. it's just something about it without having any rules or any box or anywhere to stop. sometimes you can see where to stop and say "okay, here's the stop." i don't see that. so i don't know when the last line ends or the first one begin sometimes this word stops a sentence. for me it's just a better technique. >> appreciate it, bro. >> i'm such a huge fan and i just want to thank you for all your music. you're the best that ever did it. and you had a lot of big features on all your albums. what was your favorite guest on one of your albums and what was your favorite guest verse that you've done? >> man. my favorite guest was big because of the relationship that happened after that night. the relationship that we had was the direct result of that song.

and the respect that we had for each other over that song. and my favorite guest verse is... i have too many... i have no idea, man. "crazy in love" was pretty good. (cheers and applause) >> rose: over here. >> hey, what up, jay? i just want to know, seeing as you left the hood for a minute now, where do you get this inspiration to write music for us because we're still in the hood. you going out in the projects, chilling, bringing it back? how do you do it? >> well, i've lived the life. my life is so rich. the wealth of my experience, you know, you have some people in visit the topic because they drove by the hood. the wealth of my experiences, i

can relate to anybody from anywhere. i can write a rhyme about you in washington, d.c. on the lawn with the helicopter coming down because i know exactly how you feel, the emotions that you went through, the angst that you feel the things that you hope to acquire. we're the same person. >> one more question. would you sign my book, please? >> that would probably be a bad idea. (laughter) >> but... >> sorry. >> rose: over here. >> jay, i'm so proud. in 1997 we did a show called hip-hop nation here. we were incredibly criticized for doing it. we were right then and we're certainly right to have you here this evening. i'm so proud. >> thank you, man. >> and i just want to tell you, we have a spot next summer to work together on right here. big gallery? small gallery? what size gallery? (laughter) >> yes! (cheers and applause)

>> i'm absolutely honored to be up here in your presence to talk to you. it's like i'm shaking, i'm happy i'm scared, i want to cry, i want to scream, i want to do everything all at once. but just for that, i want to sku ask you. i already know the question, i'm sure all of your true fans know the answer. i already know the answer and i know we all know the answer but i really want to hear it from you personally and i want to know if you know how your... truly you... if you really know how they feel just being in your presence, just standing here talking to you and shaking, not being able to keep your composure. like since day one it's like crazy and every concert and everyday i'm hoping and praying to meet you and it's just that i'm standing here right now and i wanted to know if you know how it feels! (laughs) >> (laughs) (applause) >> i'm gonna cry! >> thank you. you know, the fact that i'm here on my 11th album... studio album

right now and still... my last album was number one so i know there are t people that grew up with me and i run across people and see people and for me it's like an overwhelming thing and very honored and very humbled by the effect that i can have on you. we've never met but glad to meet you. >> (inaudible) (laughter) it's a pleasure. >> thank you. >> you're most seriously welcome. >> i'm nervous. i just want to say hi. and you're my favorite rapper, artist of all time. my mother bought me your album "hard knock life" when i was in seventh grade, the cassette, not even a c.d. (laughter) and you already know what happened to that tape. and i knew it word for word and i was in seventh grade. i didn't know my work, though. but that was another story to the point that i had to have my

first son and name him carter. (audience reacts) don't steal my name, though! i know how y'all do. but anyway, i named him carter and before i get to my question let me just let you know he is autoistic so if you was ever looking to do anything in brooklyn, i would appreciate you doing something for special needs children or anything like that. also my question is do you really feel that hip-hop is in a recession? because they there's so limited talented people getting record deals and producing... it seems like they just want to make money as you said instead of putting the passion or the art or the craft into it. how do you feel about those artists coming out right now? >> hip-hop is 30 something years old. so, you know, that's a great question. in the beginning everything

worked because it was all new. it was shock, it was all... you were discovering hip-hop for the first time so it was all antitrust new and these emcees was battling to... not as a marketing plan but to get the right to rap. in the beginning that's what you had to do. it was really about the d.j. so artists went at each other so they can get the mic to say how great the d.j. was. so, you know from there you start having success and start having commercial success and then people start emulateing what is the genuine article and they became a thing of multiplicity, you know, like the further removed from the original thing the weaker it becomes. so now our challenge is to get that back down. and i think with the internet, you know, and it's making sales in hip-hop and music in general... well, hip-hop mostly decrease so it's going decrease

that amount of artists and we'll get back to that core of great artists and hopefully we'll go into the next thing. >>. >> rose: thank you. >> do you think about the school... do think about the school in brooklyn, though. and good job picking a virgo, too. >> okay. (laughs) >> rose: over here. >> good evening mr. carter, thank you so much for the timeless music. my question to you is how do you remain so current and innovative and can i get an internship? (laughter) is >> what was the last one? >> can i get an internship? >> oh, get her number, shotgun. we'll talk about the internship part but i think because, again, just stay true to the music and growing, having my music grow as i grow and not... you know, not being afraid to take those chances and not be success successful.

"kingdom come" wasn't successful. well it was commercially... it was... whatever. it wasn't the best album i ever made but, you know, just the... i feel it was the most courageous because it was a step in that evolution and "kingdom come" became "blueprint three" on the second trap. so always trying to evolve and get better. >> rose: hi, jay. being a brooklyn native, i'm pretty much... i grew up my entire life between washington and green listening to your music. my favorite is "coming of age" my question to you is pretty much me being a student, an artist and pretty much an intern what do you tell a student or an artist who loves to be spontaneous and in her work show her artistic side but be in the mind state of corporate world. what advice do you give up and coming artists and what was the

sign for you pretty much to let go of that tree that you was talking about when you was hustling to becoming the greatest. i'm sorry, i'm nervous. to becoming the person that you are now. like, what advice do you give? >> it would be the same that i gave earlier. that belief in yourself. when we didn't get a deal we believed what we was saying was cutting edge and commercial and the next level of what music would be and we didn't get a record deal in the beginning. so that belief in ourself, you know, kept us going. so, you know, all great music and all great creative people cut through at some point, whether it be today, tomorrow, just stay at it and don't change because of what people think or try to put you in this box or that belief in yourself. just be yourself and all great artists who l cut through at some point. i believe that. >> my question is how do you

draw a line between the pure art and commercial success? if you have a song that you love that comes from your heart but you know it will not sell to large audiences? what do you do about that? do you taylor that. >> well it depends... sorry. was there a second part to that? >> i have a second question. you have you refer to the universe pretty often and do you know... did you read the book "the secret" about asking the universe what you want and getting it. >> i don't know much about "the secret." but the first part of the question is, you know, you have to ask yourself what it is you want, you know if you want to be commercially accepted or you want to express yourself for merely art. and if it's a combination of both i think then making a song like "new york" takes a lot of skill. it takes skill to blend all those words with melody and

lyrics and double entendres and things like that. so if it's a combination of those things, just continue to try to get better at balancing the two. if it's just for the pure art and there's nothing wrong with that, then just i guess be happy with how talented you are as a person, anyone. depends on what you want. >> i admire you as a rapper but coming from a different angle i admire you more so for your story as i heard it tonight. it's always glamorized and i hear it on t.v. you watch vh-1, jay-z's story. i was more interested in coming, saying jay-z's having a session, five bucks. so i admire your tenacity and it's so hard for especially a female that's trying to be motivated and always looking for motivation. there's people trying to, like,

scam us, there's no jobs, we're our age group... i 250e78 1. it's hard for us. both my parents look out for me, financially i'm set... i'm not set in the long run but i've never been hungry, i've always had a shelter. but as career wise, i want to take care of my parents. you know how you can take care of your mother? i want to do that. so me and my friends, like, we have emotional breakdowns about trying to do it honestly to make it the right way without being exploited because it's hard. it's constantly people trying to bring you down and you have to scam, sell drugs, sell your body. always that. so i'm trying to do my school thing and the career thing and it's hard. because trust me, your words that you tell me, i'm going to tell my friends that are having the same issues that i'm having. (applause) (laughter) but what words would you have for us to motivate us to stay on that path? because i know kind of in school

they want us to read the books and do the home work. they're not telling us to reach outside the box. they're telling us to graduate and get a job. we want more than that. we want careers. we want to be set for generations, beyond money. success. sorry. do you have any words for us, motivation? >> i think you have it. (laughter) >> rose: we're going to move along as fast as we can. >> hi, jay, just like you talked about your plor and cleaning the windows open with the window... you know with the music blasting my son sean who's 15, he has a question for you. he's a little bit nervous. you're looking at two generations of jay-z fans. (cheers and applause) the third will be my grandchild. we didn't believe in parental advisory in my apartment in the bronx. >> yeah! (laughter) >> sean has a question for you, i'm here to help him out. >> um... jay, um, i feel like i

know you so much through your song. such detail. i got so many questions to ask you. (applause) i got so many questions to ask you, but i can only ask you one. (laughter) back a couple years ago, nas said hip-hop was dead and he made a whole song about it. now these new up coming artists such as walker and soldier boy, do you classify them under hip-hop or should hip-hop just be you, big, and a other couple rappers. (cheers and applause) because i was wondering... they don't talk about the same stuff as you. so should they be under hip-hop or should we give them another category? (laughter)

>> man, you tough on them. you're super tough. yeah, i think to the nas... i think the naz hip-hop is dead was another way of saying... i think they were pretty much the same song. i think it was pretty much a challenge to the business, to move it along. like we were in... we were stagnating. we were in a place that wasn't moving forward. i think that statement was more of a rally cry to motivate us because it's music, it can never be dead. hip-hop will never stop because it's music. as far as soldier boy and walker flaccen and people like that, i think... soldier boy for one, he's a young kid making music in the beginning they have to have a chance to develop and everyone can't be great. tupac. it's just impossible.

it's really a fact do they want to be great? it's all hip-hop. i don't think we should make a different category. some music is better than others. it's just hip-hop. i'm not trying to be... i'm not being funny. it just really is. you have kobe bryant and you have other basketball players. that don't mean they're not great. they made it to the n.b.a.! these guys made it. they have professional records out. they may not be biggie smalls but, you know, hopefully they'll grow. >> jay, one more thing. i would really appreciate it and it would inspire me if we could do the rock hands. >> let me see you. con on up. (cheers and applause) xwl i better not mess this up. come on! oh t that one, three times. all right, yeah. (cheers and applause)

>> rose: yes. >> i didn't think i was going to be up here. well, i'm sure when you first started doing what you did back in your 20s and before you didn't think you would be here in society, meaning everybody look at jay, look at who he is, what he does. you have a lot of access to people and resources now. what person have you met and talked to that you would not be able to talk to when you were in the hood selling doing what you're doing that you can do now. i know you talked to bill gates and other "successful" people, people i'd never get to talk to. (laughter) who's your... how would i say? what's the best conversation that you had in the sense that you learned something, regardless of what you know? >> i learn from everybody. i learn there... i learned

common sense and academic sense is just two different things. some people go to college and well read and, you know, they're just complete idiots. and then you have some people that didn't have the level of education that are geniuses that have a sort of genius that may not be recognized on an academic level but things they say are more profound. so meeting people, you know, it doesn't really change your life. whether i talk to bill gates or shy-g from the hood, it's really about the person and the individual. so i learn from everybody. a security guard... i was in london the other day, he was helping me get one of the records added on the radio in a strange way because, you know, me being me and a human being, i went there twice so i was

speaking to him the first day i went there. so the second day when i came back i was leaving the building and he said... he told me "the program meeting is in there. they're having a program meeting right now." so i walked in into their program meeting and they were playing "willow" and i said "y'all should add this record right there." and they added the record. so the security guard taught me something really valuable that day. that's a true story. >> how you doing, sean? i just wanted to say hello. >> hi. >> how you doing? for all of us who knew you way back when you couldn't get a deal, i spoke to a few people who were in that group and they said "well, if you're going to go to the museum, tell him we all said we're so proud of him." we can't believe that you've gotten to where you are. we knew you'd be successful. we didn't know you'd be this successful.

and everyone len, scott, spoke to a couple other folks, they all said hello. >> could you just really brief me. i don't want to embarrass you. could you sing the song that... could you? really quick. just really quick. >> which one? >> it doesn't have to be in perfect pitch or anything. just... just sing it. i just want... just show people something really quick. ♪ what's the meaning (cheers and applause) ♪ what's the meaning? what's the meaning ♪ >> i just want to say thank you for doing this so close to home. so easy to get here tonight. >> (laughs) thank you. >> and continued blessings on your journey. it's great to watch. >> thank you. >> my favorite rapper ever. and i see you making the dream team again, you signed willow smith, you got my favorite

rapper coming up jay coal, most recently jay electron a. what do you look for in a rapper or artist? because you have rihanna, to. and do you look for anything that you see in yourself like in him? >> just someone with... that just has a point of view, an honest point of view. jay cole, i thought that's him. a true representation of who he is. more so with rappers because different from when you see someone like rihanna. with rihanna i knew she was a star. she walked in the room and the room changed bauds she walked in the room. with rappers i try to write exactly who you are and what you feel at the moment is a very difficult talent to do.

that's pretty much what i look for. >> when jay cole was out, he approached you with his c.d. and you dised him. so do you guys laugh about that now? >> yeah, we laugh all the time. (laughter) and that's again, you see things happen when they're supposed to happen because i wasn't really hoping to hear it at that time. >> my name is donna, i've been a fan since "reasonable doubt" i'm a little older than you. i just want to tell you how much i appreciate that 9/11 concert that you did at madison square garden. (cheers and applause) i was a first responder and i can't tell you how much everybody appreciated in the my old apartment. i'm retired now. also my daughter wants to know will you come to hampton and do a show, hampton university? >> probably next year at we finish this album, me and kanye. (cheers and applause) >> okay. i'll let her know.

can i give you this? it's a 9/11 pin. can i just give it to you. >> say it again? >> it's a 9/11 pin. can i give you my pin? >> sure. is it your only pin? i don't... (laughter) thank you. thank you. (applause) thank you. >> hey, jay, how you doing. great that you're here in brooklyn. i've lived here all my life. i remember when i was like nine years old when "hard knock life" came out,ed that cassette tape. didn't know what you were talking about back then. i bought it because of "hard knock life" honestly. i have this question. in the grammy free style and you're talking about success and outcome and everything, what was going on with you at that time?

what possessed you to talk about it. because it's kind of dark, like the material you're talking about. what brought you to talking about that at that moment? >> inspired by my char yot... so i was in my house and i had this bosciot... that was one is a print of bas kuwait painting called charles iii. and on the bottom it most young kings get their head cut off and it had "young" cotszed out. because kuwait. and i just stared at it for a while and i said man, that's sort of morbid. and those real opening lines was true, inspired by basquiat. and that's how he painted. most of the men in his paintings being brought to be grown men, they grew up to be skeletons and

if you look at his paintings, that's life. go through life, you have certain success, people try to knock you down. >> why did you record "dirt off your shoulders" you had the first verse in "fade to black" then you changed it. why did you change it? >> i do that all the time. (laughter) i just thought the second one was better. >> (laughs) >> you mentioned a little bit earlier in your progression from song cry in one of my favorite verses of yours is the third verse in the original version of "ignorance [no audio]." one of my favorite songs at the time you brought back later in your career, i guess it kind of fit sonicly more but theme atally it fit more towards "the black album." i know it's the first song you recorded for the black album. why the decision to drop it ( >> ignorance [no audio] is another record that is very

provocative. it was about... i cursed every senator ted kennedy the hook. just to make a point. and the last verse deals with the whole imus situation and how we took this this guy's comments and made it about rap music and when it stops being about imus uz what does do my lyrics have to do with this [no audio]. and i started the ignorant [no audio] in the hotel, i was on tour and i didn't get to finish it then the juicy sample and then so much... and i just left it alone and i came back when the incident happened with imus to finish it and i thought it was just perfect for the time. it meant so much more. when i recorded it it was just really a joke about provocative lyrics and i wanted to show how these words are just words and

people's intent and action give words power. but then when that happened it made the point of the song and i just added that third verse and that's why it came out on "the black album." >> if you had an interview somebody like charlie is now in a one-hour segment, who would it be? >> i would interview muhammad ali, mahatma gandhi, malcolm x and martin luther king and... (laughter) and mother teresa. (laughter) a couple more people. but those are definitely... those would be first on my list. thank you. >> rose: that's it. (cheers and applause) >> rose: thank you. thank you. (applause) i... this started out first of all... this is a memorable

evening at the brooklyn museum because of this man and because of you whatever we started out as, whether it was an interview and conversation about a book, it ended up as a happening and a love-in and much more. (laughter) we that you can. >> thank you. thank you. (cheers and applause) >> rose: coming up tomorrow on charlie rose, javier bardem talking about his new movie called beautiful.

>> i am obsessed about portraying people in are going through a very hard circumstance struggling with themselves, most tellingly of all in order to become better and to do less harm to others. that's what inspires me and that's what i look for when i read materials. when i read it's great. and there's a moment where you have to really give up of yourself and... give up yourself and give all of yourself to something in order to remind us that there is hope that we can see each other and we can help each other and we can thank each other for being just that. >> well, i think that's one of the biggest responsibilities. >> rose: write the words. >> write it down first, right it right that has some meat and soul and that has some gravity, that has som something the

actors can be attached to. and then it will lead to the decision who have is going to be offered that. to give that gift you are offering somebody that if you commit a mistake, then there's no way back. and that's the first decision which i knew there was right. there was no way because i think the skills of there. >> rose: you knew that from his performances but did you also know that that from the man you knew? >> completely. his nature, there's a moment where the character and javier's nature were converging. i saw that. and i knew that he would be right for the part. and that was it and i was right as you can see i think his work is monumental.

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