Is Jay-Z Holding a Grudge Against Robert De Niro?
Jay-Z’s upbeat interview with The Breakfast Club morning show on New York's Power 105.1 got awkward Wednesday when Robert De Niro was mentioned.
The Magna Carta Holy Grail rapper responded, “No, I haven’t,” when asked if he ever returned De Niro’s phone calls.
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Last November, the New York Post reported that De Niro confronted Jay-Z for not calling him back after six attempts to make contact.
When the Power 105.1 personalities probed, asking Jay how could anyone shrug off De Niro, Jay implied that there was an issue of mutual respect.
“I treat people based on who they are, who they really are, like not the name, not Robert De Niro. Who you are as a person, and it doesn’t matter who you are,” Jay said.
He continued, “Everyone has to be respectful, and everyone has to be a human being and no one’s above. We all human beings, and we all have to be respectful to one another and that’s just the end of it and just how I carry it with anybody.”
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According to the New York Post, De Niro said he had been attempting to contact Jay-Z regarding a song he agreed to make for the Tribeca Film Festival. The two spoke at Leonardo DiCaprio’s party in November. De Niro was said to be complaining to Jay-Z.
De Niro reportedly described Jay-Z’s lack of responsiveness as rude as the hip-hop mogul blamed his poor telephone etiquette on him simply being terrible on the phone.
Otherwise, Jay-Z has made it clear that he is a huge fan of the Godfather actor. Over the years, Jay-Z has paid homage to De Niro in his music. On “Empire State of Mind,” he raps, “Yeah, I’m out that Brooklyn. Now I’m down in Tribeca, right next to De Niro. But I’ll be hood forever.”
(JAY-Z DISCUSSES ROBERT DE NIRO AT 6:12 MARK)