"A WORD FROM HOV"
Jay Z is no doubt an absolute superpower in modern music. With 12 solo albums and five collaboration albums over the span of 18 years, his influence in Hip Hop is unrivaled.
Though he sometimes makes references to Christian texts, he has never claimed to be a Christian himself. However, there is much speculation of Jay Z belonging to the Illuminati, the Occult, and the Five Percent Nation group. The Five Percent Nations views are described by Winters (2011):
"Knowledge of Self is the result of a process of self-discovery, but few of us know where to begin when we’re ready to start looking deeper. Although self-actualization is the highest of all human needs, it is said that only 5 percent of people ever attain this goal. In the culture of the Nation of Gods and Earths, commonly known as the Five Percent, students are instructed that they must first learn themselves, then their worlds, and then what they must do in order to transform their world for the better. This often intense process has produced thousands of revolutionary thinkers in otherwise desperate environments, where poverty and hopelessness dominate."
While Jay Z is not a Five Percenter himself, he has often been seen wearing symbols of the group, such as the Universal Flag (of the Nation of Gods and Earths, also known as the Five Percenters), which is what sparked controversy. However, actual followers of the group claim that while Jay Z is no a member, he could very well be a sympathizer, using his influence to bring some of the Five Percent Nation's values to the mainstream in order to better the world.
Of these allegations, he says:
“I don’t know where it started. I don’t know where it came from. I really think it’s really silly. For the record, I of course believe in God, but I believe in one God. If people must know my religious beliefs, I believe in one God. I don’t believe in religion. I don’t believe in Christians or Muslims. I think all that separates people. I think it’s one God. I think it’s all the same God, and I don’t believe in Hell. But as far as God, of course I believe in God. Am I a part of some sect or cult? That sounds stupid to me. It’s like ignorant to even say, and umm… I guess that’ll be the last time I address that. It’s ignorant to me”
These views have no doubt influenced Kanye West during their collaborations from 2007 to 2011, when they released Watch the Throne. Jay Z's experience and confidence, West admits, were an inspiration to him during this time, and claims that Jay Z has the best social skills of anyone he knows. While Jay Z has never read the bible, he believes in a God, but it does not guide his daily life as it does for West, since he believes religion to be a wedge dividing society. These views are reflected in West's statments at the time, when he briefly loses his faith partially due to this influence.
In this radio interview, Kanye West admits the large influence working with Jay Z has had on him: