Jay-Z Says Song ‘Smile’ Changed Relationship With His Mother

Jaz-Z has dropped plenty of meaningful tracks in his day, but one song specifically changed the relationship he had with his own mother. While speaking to HBO’s The Shop, Jay-Z revealed just how much the song Smile influenced his life in a very personal way. His relationship with his mother Gloria Carter would never be the same again.

While speaking on the HBO show, Jay-Z revealed a very interesting bit of information about his song Smile. The track mentioned some of his best lines, and it also features a revelation about his own mother’s sexuality.

The lyrics in question go as follows:

“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”

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Jay-Z revealed that his mother was very defensive about those lyrics to begin with. She said that he can’t put the record out, but then it became something much greater that changed their relationship.

“It changed the dynamic of our relationship,” admits Hov. “When she first heard that song she got super defensive. She was like, absolutely not. What happened was, I was in L.A. She flew out to L.A, then she left and was like, ‘No.’ We talked through it and then, when she flew back to L.A., she had written a poem. She wrote that on the plane. It came with the American Airlines, like a little notepad. I was like, ‘You got bars, ma.’ Gloria got bars.”

Jay-Z and his mother’s relationship might have been changed due to that song, but it was for the better. This was nothing like Debbie Mathers suing her son Eminem for $5 million over what he said on his tracks.

This just goes to show that airing out family history in such a public way doesn’t always have to be a bad thing at all.

What is your take on Smile? Does having this insight help you appreciate the track more? Sound off in the comments!