JAŸ-Z GETS PERSONAL IN HBO’S REVEALING NEW DOCUSERIES JAŸ-Z IN 8

The hip-hop icon sits down with legendary producer Rick Rubin for an intimate eight-part journey through the lyrics, life experiences, and creative fire behind a historic career

Three decades after Reasonable Doubt changed the sound of hip-hop, JAŸ-Z is opening the book on his life, his lyrics, and the experiences that transformed a Brooklyn hustler into one of the most influential artists of his generation.

The HBO Original documentary series JAŸ-Z IN 8 premieres Friday, September 18, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, bringing audiences inside a candid, career-spanning conversation between JAŸ-Z and his longtime friend, legendary producer Rick Rubin. The first two chapters will air back-to-back on HBO and begin streaming on HBO Max at 8:00 p.m. ET. Two new episodes will arrive every Friday through the October 9 finale.

No crowded stage. No screaming arena. No carefully rehearsed acceptance speech. Just two creative giants sitting together, pressing play, and digging into the words, memories, victories, regrets, and hard-earned lessons behind the music.

Marking Rubin’s documentary directorial debut, the eight-part series explores the connection between JAŸ-Z’s art and the life that shaped it. Across hours of intimate conversation, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer breaks down his writing process, revisits defining moments from his childhood, and explains how his lyrics evolved alongside the changing world around him. For anybody who ever rewound a verse just to catch the double meaning hiding underneath it, this one is built different.

“Writing, writing, just writing… every day,” JAŸ-Z says, capturing the relentless discipline behind a catalog that has influenced generations of artists, entrepreneurs, and fans.

The series begins 30 years after the release of Reasonable Doubt, the landmark debut album that introduced the world to JAŸ-Z’s razor-sharp storytelling and layered observations about ambition, survival, loyalty, and life in Brooklyn. Sitting across from Rubin, he revisits the music with the perspective of an artist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and cultural icon who has lived several lifetimes since those early studio sessions.

Iconic tracks and deeper album cuts become doorways into the conversation, including “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “99 Problems,” “Dead Presidents II,” “Can I Live,” “The Story of O.J.,” “Family Feud,” and “4:44.” Instead of delivering a traditional music documentary packed with talking heads, JAŸ-Z IN 8 keeps its focus tight and personal, allowing the music and the man behind it to lead the journey.

Viewers will hear JAŸ-Z unpack how his environment influenced his pen, how experience changed his perspective, and why the strongest writing often comes from confronting uncomfortable truths. Rubin brings the patience of a longtime collaborator, giving each record room to breathe while guiding the discussion into territory fans rarely get to witness.

JAŸ-Z IN 8 Episode Schedule

Chapter One
Friday, September 18, from 8:00–8:42 p.m. ET/PT

The opening chapter features “Intro,” “Meet the Parents,” “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” and “What More Can I Say.”

Chapter Two
Friday, September 18, from 8:45–9:22 p.m. ET/PT

The conversation continues through “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “I Love the Dough,” featuring JAŸ-Z and Angela Winbush, and “What More Can I Say.”

Chapter Three
Friday, September 25, from 8:00–8:41 p.m. ET/PT

Featured tracks include “Lyrical Exercise,” “This Can’t Be Life,” featuring Beanie Sigel, “You Must Love Me,” and “4:44.”

Chapter Four
Friday, September 25, from 8:50–9:51 p.m. ET/PT

JAŸ-Z and Rubin revisit “Where Have You Been,” “Allure,” “Where I’m From,” “Can I Live,” and “Don’t You Know.”

Chapter Five
Friday, October 2, from 8:00–8:42 p.m. ET/PT

The fifth chapter features “U Don’t Know,” “Politics as Usual,” and “Regrets.”

Chapter Six
Friday, October 2, from 8:45–9:38 p.m. ET/PT

The series turns up the volume with “Jail,” “Ignorant Shit,” “Hovi Baby,” “Kill Jay-Z,” “99 Problems,” “Threat,” “Dead Presidents II,” and “Public Service Announcement (Interlude).”

Chapter Seven
Friday, October 9, from 8:00–8:47 p.m. ET/PT

Chapter Eight
Friday, October 9, from 8:47–9:42 p.m. ET/PT

The finale features “New York (Concept de Paris),” “The Story of O.J.,” “No Church in the Wild,” “Family Feud,” and “Legacy.”

JAŸ-Z and Rick Rubin are the featured participants in a series designed to move beyond the mythology and get closer to the human being holding the pen. Hip-hop fans know the records. Many know the stories. JAŸ-Z IN 8 promises to connect those pieces through the voice of the artist who lived them.

Brooklyn is officially in the building, mi gente, and class is about to begin.

JAŸ-Z IN 8 premieres Friday, September 18, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. Episodes one and two will be available to stream on HBO Max beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET, with two new chapters debuting every Friday through October 9.

Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents JAŸ-Z IN 8, a Tetragrammaton production. Directed by Rick Rubin. Executive producers: Shawn Carter, Daniel Kaluuya, and Rick Rubin. Producers: Leila Mattimore and David Rohde. Co-producers: Harlin Lawal and Will Mavronicolas. Director of photography: Bradford Young. For HBO: executive producers Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.