It seems Jay-Z like people around him to be honest even when they think his work is a crap.
“The reason I’ve been grounded, though, and able to make albums, is because I’ve allowed my friends to come with me and voice an opinion,” he told Interview magazine."
“That’s who keeps you grounded — the people who have known you longest. People who don’t know you, you don’t know their motives. They smile at you all day, ‘Oh, that’s great. You’ve done it again! You’re the greatest!’ And that’s not good for an artist.
“You’ve gotta keep the people that have been around you, who saw you when you didn’t have anything, so they have the confidence to say, ‘Get out of here. That shit is bulls**t!’I welcome that.”
