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5. He Made “Smile” The Day After His Mom Came Out To Him

Jay says he’d known for a long time that his mother was a lesbian, but that when she shared the specifics of her love with him less than a year ago, he was still moved to tears.

He quickly directed his emotions into 4:44’s “Smile,” spitting:

Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian

Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian

Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate

Society shame and the pain was too much to take

Cried tears of joy when you fell in love

Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her

Queen Gloria Carter also added her own bars to the track.

Check out her poem about coming out of the shadows below:

Living in the shadow

Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live?

In the shadows people see you as happy and free

Because that’s what you want them to see

Living two lives, happy, but not free

You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love

The world is changing and they say it’s time to be free

But you live with the fear of just being me

Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be

No harm for them, no harm for me

But life is short, and it’s time to be free

Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed

Smile

Hit the jump for more clips from the talk.

Must-Stream: 5 Gems From JAY-Z’s Netflix Interview With David Letterman  was originally published on globalgrind.com

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