Jay-Z on the Cost of Doing Features With Him: ‘I Never Charge’

During his interview with Kevin Hart for Season 2 of the comedian’s Peacock series Hart to Heart, Jay-Z opened up about the cost of collaborating with him.

Despite his unmatched status in the rap game, Hov revealed he doesn’t charge artists for his feature verses. Asked if he chooses his collaborations based on relationships, Jay said, “Yeah. Mostly relationships…It’s actually always been mostly relationships. Sometimes it’s talent.”

Hov added, “Pretty much every song that I’m on, I’m asked to be on. I don’t ask people to be on their songs,” before revealing that he doesn’t take money for verses. “I never charge,” he shared.

As for the features he turns down, Jay-Z admitted there’s “way more no’s than yes’s.”

“I try to be straight up,” he explained. “Sometimes it slips through the cracks. Sometimes I want to do it, and my life is in a certain place, and I’m moving and I can’t do it. But I typically try to be straight up with people.”

Elsewhere in his conversation with Hart, Jay-Z discussed whether he’s retired.

“I don’t know what happens next,” he said. “I’m not actively making music or making an album or have plans to make an album, but I never want to say that I’m retired. It’s a gift, so who am I to shut it off? And it may have a different form or interpretation. Maybe it’s not an album, maybe it is. I have no idea, but I’m just going to leave it open.”