IN THE MOST recent episode of David Letterman’s new Netflix show ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction…”, Letterman spoke to 48-year-old rapper and husband of Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z.

One of the topics that the two men touched on was Jay-Z’s mother’s sexuality. Last year, Jay-Z’s mother Gloria Carter finally came out to her son, and he addressed it in the song ‘Smile’ on his new album ’4:44′.

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At the end of the song, Gloria Carter reads out a powerful poem:

Living in the shadow. Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live? In the shadows, people see you as happy and free, because that’s what you want them to see. Living two lives, happy but not free.

You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family, or the person you love. The world is changing and it’s time to be free.

 Jay-Z spoke about this experience in a little more depth with David Letterman.

Jay-Z told Letterman that he was so happy when his mother came out, because he believed she was finally free to be herself.

Imagine having to live your life as someone else, and you think you’re protecting your kids. For my mother, to have to live as someone that she wasn’t, and hide and protect her kids, for all this time. For her to sit in front of me and tell me “I think I love someone”, I really cried.

Jay-Z said that it was the first time that he had heard his mother say that she loved someone.

She said “I feel like I love…” She said “I feel”, she held back that little bit, she didn’t say “I love, I’m in love”, she said “I feel like I love someone” and I cried.

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