Jay-Z's Mom Gloria Carter Has Always Been By His Side

Jay-Z's mother is someone who has been there for the artist since day one. The "Empire State of Mind" performer is Gloria Carter's youngest child, and he and his siblings grew up in the tough area of Brooklyn's Marcy Projects. Carter was then left to raise four kids as a single mom when Jay-Z's father walked away from the family. On a 2008 "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" episode, Jay-Z spoke about how his musical abilities helped him prosper and move on from this environment. "I was lucky enough. I had a talent. I had a talent to make music, and finally, I just said, 'I'm gonna give this thing a try, I'm gonna put 100% into it,'" Jay-Z said. He added, "Luckily, the rap thing worked."

Jay-Z and his mother gave a tour of their old neighborhood in a 2002 chat with "60 Minutes." Carter discussed the moment she realized her son had stage presence during a lively concert. "Little girls were fainting ... and they were screaming," Carter said. "And I just stood there, and I was like, 'He's really a star.'" Before Jay-Z achieved worldwide fame, Carter offered him positive words regarding his pursuits.

From a young age, Jay-Z has been shown love from his mother. Carter revealed to USA Today in 2014 that there were trying times for the family as she cared for Jay-Z and his siblings by herself. "Sometimes I took on an extra job as a security guard to make ends meet," Carter said. In a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey for O Magazine, Jay-Z cited his mother when Winfrey asked if he'd had "one positive Black role model" while growing up. "She worked two jobs and did whatever she had to do for us," the musician said of his mom. Later in the discussion, Jay-Z was questioned about his past as a drug dealer. Through a life lesson from his mom, he decided to exit this role in order to follow his aspirations as a rapper.

"My mom always taught me ... that whatever you put into something is what you're going to get out of it. I had to fully let go of what I was doing before for the music to be successful," Jay-Z said. In another archival interview, the "99 Problems" artist called his mom "a beautiful, strong woman" who "always gave [him] inspiration and told [him] things like, 'You can be anything in the world. You don't let anyone tell you anything different.'" On his end, Jay-Z has also given his mother a strong amount of encouragement.

Jay-Z was supportive of his mother when she officially came out as gay. For his 2017 album "4:44," Jay-Z included a song called "Smile," which mentioned his mother's sexual orientation and included spoken words from Carter in the outro, per Genius Lyrics. Some of Jay-Z's encouraging lyrics in "Smile" include, "Cried tears of joy when you fell in love/ Don't matter to me if it's a him or her."

In 2018, Jay-Z spoke with David Letterman for "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" about his emotional reaction to his mother coming out to him and telling him about being in love with her partner. "For her to sit in front of me and tell me, 'I think I love someone,' I mean, I really cried," Jay-Z said. "That's a real story. I cried because I was so happy for her that she was free." Although Jay-Z said he previously knew that Carter is gay, this talk was "the first time [they] had the conversation" about it. That same year, Carter picked up the GLAAD Special Recognition Award, which was presented to her for her role in "Smile" during the organization's award ceremony. Carter touched upon the unwavering compassion of her family members as she accepted the honor. "Thanks to my family for loving me unconditionally no matter what," Carter said.