Jaz-O Didn't Know Jay-Z Would Use His Borrowed Gun To Shoot His Brother

In a recent interview, rapper and former mentor to Jay-Z, Jaz-O, recalled giving the then-12-year-old a gun, which Hov used to shoot his own older brother.

“Yeah, I can’t remember, but it was a shot to not fatally wound but just, you know… to be honest, I don’t think he was aiming to really hit him, in his defense,” shared Jaz-O when asked of his memory of the incident documented on the song “You Must Love Me” (below) from Hov’s 1997 album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.

However, one tidbit that was not included on the track was Jaz-O’s role in the shooting, a detail he revealed during his sitdown on VladTV. “And it was my gun,” noted the “Hawaiian Sophie” rapper. “He didn’t have the gun so he could go and shoot his brother. It was a thing back then. You got some arms, you got guns or got a gun, that was a sign of brotherhood with the street.”

Jaz also spoke about Jay-Z coming to his home following the shooting to return the firearm. “He ran to my crib because you bust a gun, I don’t care who you are, you get nervous. You get nervous and you need somewhere to run to, so I guess he was like, ‘Let me run over to this ni**a’s house and drop this sh*t off for worst-case scenario.’ So he came up there and dropped it off and everything.”

According to the lyrics in “You Must Love Me,” the Brooklyn rep’s reason for shooting his brother was to prove a point to his sibling for stealing his jewelry. However, Hov’s older brother never fingered him for the shooting, allowing him to skate scot-free.

Watch the clip of Jaz-O’s interview speaking on the incident below.

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