The true Queen of All Media Oprah Winfrey debuted her Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN. One of the first features of the network will be a series of exclusive interviews called “Master Class.” Her first guest will be Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.

During the interview he revisits some topics he’s discussed before, like growing up without a father, but he also shares his thoughts on excellence and how evolved from his double-time flow to how he raps now.

In one telling moment he confesses that his second album In My Lifetime Vol.1 didn’t come out right because he was chasing the commercial success he didn’t achieve with his debut, Reasonable Doubt.

“Reasonable Doubt didn’t sell massive numbers worldwide,” he says. “It was still very niche. On my second album…I tried to make these records that were bigger, so it would be more popular. Which was a failure. Going for that success really messed up that project and set a bad tone. It was a huge learning lesson for me.”

The interview airs tonight on the Oprah Winfrey Network but you can get a sneak peek here.

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