Jay-Z will join David Letterman as a guest on the once late-night talk show host’s monthly Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. Netflix has released a short preview of the episode where Jay and Letterman are seen center stage in dialogue as Hov defines his take on what makes a good rapper, using Snoop Dogg and Eminem as examples.
Jay-Z starts by highlighting the catchy wordplay tactic and melodic tone of the hip-hop emcee with the craft of Snoop Dogg and his famously hypnotic line on Dr. Dre‘s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”: “You can have a great voice, and you can just almost say anything,” teaches Hov. “I think Snoop Dogg has a great voice. Like he can say, ‘One-two-three into the four,’ I was like ‘Oh my God.’ It just sounds good, right?”
He goes on to touch base on the subject of lyrical cadence and syncopation bringing the deftness of Eminem into display, describing the Detroit rapper’s voice as “percussion inside the music.” “You can be someone like Eminem and just have amazing cadence,” Jigga sensibly explains. “You almost become a percussion inside the music. So there’s multiple ways to be really good. Some people just have it all.”
Jigga’s brief “good rapper” teaching session with Letterman is a rather interesting scope into the mind of Jay-Z and how he rationalizes his fellow friends in rhyme. It serves as a sense of regard and respect for both Snoop Dogg and Eminem, who are both often high in the ranks as being one of the greatest rappers of all time, alongside Hov.
Jay-Z will be the fourth guest on Letterman’s Netflix show following prominent guests Former President Barack Obama, actor George Clooney, and Noble Peace Prize honoree Malala Yousafzai which made its debut in January.
Jay-Z’s episode on David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction will premiere on Netflix this Friday (Apr. 6). Watch the episode preview, “The Good Rappers,” below!
