Before he became Brooklyn’s finest, Jay-Z lived a hard-knock life in Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Marcy Projects. Per People, he was raised by his mom, Gloria Carter, after his dad, Adnis “AJ” Reeves, walked out on Jay-Z and his siblings, Eric, Michelle, and Andrea Carter. Reeves’ abandonment profoundly affected the 11-year-old Jay-Z and continued to impact him into his adulthood.
“I changed a lot. I became more guarded,” he told Rolling Stone. “I never wanted to be attached to something and get that taken away again. I never wanted to feel that feeling again [of being left]. I never wanted to be too happy or gung-ho about something or too mad about something.” Jay-Z admitted that the experience also affected his love life, as he avoided getting close to women because of the pain of breaking up.
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A year after his dad left, Jay-Z shot his brother Eric Carter in the shoulder. The musician told The Guardian that he’d fired on him because Eric had stolen his ring to fund his crack habit. As for how a 12-year-old got his hands on a gun in the first place, Jay-Z explained, “I went to someone’s crib, someone’s house, and got it. Guns were everywhere. You didn’t have to go far to get one. Just everywhere.” Jay-Z admitted he was terrified of being sent to jail “forever.” However, Eric didn’t snitch. In fact, he ended up apologizing to his little brother for what his addiction had made him become.
