Jay-Z’s anniversary year is getting a seat at the listening table. HBO announced Wednesday (Aug. 26) that JAŸ-Z in 8, the eight-part series in which Rick Rubin interviews him track by track, premieres Friday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. on HBO Max. A new trailer opens with one of his most famous lines: “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov.”
Rolling Stone says the black-and-white clip has Jay explaining how he caught the writing bug at nine and why rap hits the way it does. “The reason why rap is so loved — that feeling of that underdog,” he says. “That’s why people were listening, that’s why it hit them somewhere.” Complex pulls a second line, in which he asks, “How powerful is this music?”
Read more‘Dragon Ball Super: Beerus’ Hits Crunchyroll and Hulu Sunday, Netflix Oct. 17
The format is simple and very Rubin. Each episode centers on a handful of songs Rubin selected, drawn from eight projects, per Billboard: Reasonable Doubt, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, The Blueprint, The Black Album, American Gangster, Watch the Throne and 4:44. Episode one covers “Intro,” “Meet the Parents,” “Can’t Knock the Hustle” and “What More Can I Say.” Later episodes take on “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “4:44,” “99 Problems,” “Dead Presidents II,” “The Story of O.J.” and “No Church in the Wild.”
Rubin, a co-founder of Def Jam, is both interviewer and executive producer, and this is his first time directing a documentary. Jay-Z and Daniel Kaluuya are also executive producers, Complex reports, and the structure echoes Rubin’s 2021 Paul McCartney series, McCartney 3, 2, 1. HBO’s official description calls it:
an intimate reflection on his storied career, revisiting the music together and unpacking his work and life through a shared listening and illuminating conversation.
HBO, series description, Billboard
Watch the trailer below.
The series is part of a year-long celebration of the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, which Rolling Stone says has included shows in New York, upcoming gigs in Los Angeles, Paris and London, pop-up events, and commemorative Brooklyn Public Library cards. We covered the biggest of those nights when Jay-Z closed Yankee Stadium with Rihanna, Beyoncé and Usher.
Two episodes land each Friday from Sept. 18, with episodes seven and eight arriving Oct. 9.
- Premiere
- Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, 8 p.m. on HBO Max (two episodes weekly)
- Finale
- Episodes seven and eight, Oct. 9, 2026
- Director
- Rick Rubin (first documentary)
- Executive producers
- Jay-Z, Rick Rubin and Daniel Kaluuya
Sources
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
