JAY-Z had the honor of being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October alongside LL COOL J. To commemorate Hov’s achievement, The Roots’ Questlove brought together some of the biggest musicians, actors and comedians in the world to read lyrics from his immense catalog.
Among the huge names in the clip are Beyoncé, Common, DJ Khaled, Diddy, Regina King, Lenny Kravitz, DJ Premier, John Legend, Kevin Hart, Halle Berry, Aziz Ansari, Jamie Foxx, Chris Martin, Usher, Rick Ross, Rihanna, Pharrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Sheeran, DJ Clark Kent, Chris Rock, LeBron James, Jermaidj ne Dupri, RZA, Alicia Keys, SZA, Tracee Ellis Ross and Idris Elba. JAY-Z’s mom, Gloria Carter, also makes an appearance, with his daughter Blue Ivy closing out the video by reciting lyrics from 1998’s “Ride or Die.”
At the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony in October, JAY-Z said in his speech, “Thank you Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for this incredible honor. And you know, growing up, we didn’t think we could be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We were told that Hip Hop was a fad. Much like punk rock, it gave us this anticulture, this subgenre, and there were heroes in it.”