NEWSJay-Z Admits He Faced 'Uncontrollable Anger' After Rape Lawsuit in Rare Interview: 'I Was Really Heartbroken'
Jay-Z had trouble dealing with the aftermath of a bombshell civil rape lawsuit filed against him in December 2024.
March 24 2026, Updated 10:24 a.m. ET
Jay-Z is reflecting on a recent low point in his life — when a bombshell rape lawsuit was filed against him and Sean "Diddy" Combs in December 2024.
"It was hard. Really hard," the famed rapper admitted during an interview with GQ for their April 2026 cover story, surprisingly addressing sexual misconduct allegations made in a civil lawsuit that was dismissed with prejudice in February 2025.
The Roc Nation founder noted he "was heartbroken" by the scandal, which included claims that Jay-Z and Combs raped a 13-year-old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000.
'I Haven't Been That Angry in a Long Time'
Jay-Z doubled down on his innocence while reflecting on the lawsuit during a rare interview.
"Like I was really heartbroken by everything that occurred," he continued. "We’re in a space now where it’s almost like consequence is not thought about enough. Because everything is so instant, you know what I’m saying?"
Jay-Z confessed, "That whole [lawsuit thing], that s--- took a lot out of me. I was angry. I haven’t been that angry in a long time, uncontrollable anger. You don’t put that on someone — that’s a thing that you better be super sure… I took that really hard."
'Truth Still Reigns Supreme'
A lawsuit accusing Jay-Z of raping a 13-year-old girl was dismissed with prejudice a few months after it was filed.
"It used to be like that. You had to be super sure before you put those kind of things on a person. Especially a person like me. Even when we were doing the worst things, we had those kind of rules. There was a line: no women, no kids. You hear those sayings, but those are the things that I took from the street. We lived and died by that. So it’s strict for me, like it meant a lot to me," he expressed.
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Jay-Z said he faced 'uncontrollable anger' after the lawsuit.
The "Empire State of Mind" rapper, however, said he "knew that we were going to walk through that" because "it's not true."
"And the truth, at the end of the day, still reigns supreme," Jay-Z declared.
Jay-Z Admits Fatherhood 'Gives Everything Meaning'
Jay-Z shares three kids with his wife, Beyoncé.
Elsewhere in his interview, which was published Tuesday, March 24, Jay-Z got candid about fatherhood and raising three kids — daughter Blue Ivy Carter, 14, and twins Rumi and Sir Carter, 8 — with his wife, Beyoncé.
"It gives everything meaning, everything. I’ll go cross-country, do what I have to do, and I’m back on the plane that night. I love taking them to school. I love picking them up. Everything means so much more," he expressed.
