The Rolling Stone Blog

Jay-Z: Rap Shouldn’t Be a ‘Young Man’s Sport’

By | The Rolling Stone Blog – Thu, Nov 18, 2010 9:19 AM EST

During the web-exclusive portion of Jon Stewart's Wednesday night interview with Jay-Z on The Daily Show Stewart asked the 40-year-old MC if he saw himself making music and hitting the road when he was 65, a la rock stalwarts like the Rolling Stones.

"I'm checking my knees now — I don't know about 65, but I'll get close. In order for rap to have that sort of longevity, we have to stop viewing it as a young man's sport... We have to view it as a serious art form," he said.

Jay-Z's Decoded Excerpts: The Best Bits

He went on to talk about how "Empire State of Mind" was a big hit in Germany, despite the obvious geographic boundaries, and how commonality helped make great music.

Check out photos of Jay-Z and Beyoncé's life as hip-hop royalty.

"You have more longevity if you get closer to the truth, and closer to who you are," he added. "After we take the labels — black, white, male, female — we take all those labels off us, we all basically want the same things. We love the same things."

Exclusive - Jay-Z Extended Interview [The Daily Show]

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