Being a parent can change a lot of things in your life… For Jay-Z, not being able to swim was something he needed to change after the birth of his oldest daughter, Blue Ivy.
The “Holy Grail” rapper appeared alongside fellow musician Bad Bunny and WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike on the newest episode of “The Shop: Uninterrupted.” Lebron James and businessman Maverick Carter co-host the HBO Max series.
During the episode, Jay-Z got candid about fatherhood after Ogwumike asked what it was like to be a father of two daughters.
“It’s amazing. It’s a very grounding thing,” Jay-Z, 51, said. “I didn’t learn how to swim until Blue was born. There goes everything you need to know.”
Jay-Z, who was born Shawn Carter, said his desire to protect Blue Ivy drove him to learn.
“This is a metaphor for our relationship. If she ever fell in the water and I couldn’t get her, I couldn’t even fathom that thought,” he said. “I gotta learn how to swim. That’s it. That was the beginning of our relationship.”
Jay-Z and Beyonce have three children: nine-year-old Blue Ivy and three-year-old twins Rumi and Sir. Blue Ivy was born in January 2012 before the twins arrived in June 2017.
The Grammy winner also joked about Blue Ivy’s blasé reaction to his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination in February.
“I got the announcement. I was taking Blue to school. I was like, ‘This ain’t no celebration,'” he said. “‘She walked away, I was like, ‘Yo, give me a kiss, I’m in the Hall of Fame!’ She’s like ‘Bye, dad.'”
Earlier this month, the Carters delighted fans when they shared the first photo of their whole family in more than a year. Many social media users gushed over how big the couple’s children had grown.
