Jay-Z Reveals How Blue Ivy Inspired Him to Learn How to Swim

When it came to fatherhood, Jay-Z was happy to dive right into the deep end—literally, that is. 

The “Empire State of Mind” rapper shared on HBO Max’s series The Shop: Uninterrupted that he made the choice to learn a new skill after his wife Beyoncé gave birth to their first child Blue Ivy Carter in 2012. 

“It’s amazing. It’s a very grounding thing,” he said of becoming a dad. “I didn’t learn how to swim until Blue was born. There goes everything you need to know. This is a metaphor for our relationship. If she ever fell in the water and I couldn’t get her, I couldn’t even fathom that thought. I gotta learn how to swim. That’s it. That was the beginning of our relationship.”

Jay-Z and Beyoncé are now also parents to twins Rumi and Sir, who were born in June 2017.

The music producer previously opened up about his insecurities around parenting in a 2013 ad for his album Magna Carta Holy Grail.