Jay-Z reveals the unexpected origins of Blue Ivy’s name

Jay-Z has shared the reason why he and Beyoncé named their daughter Blue Ivy.

It was previously rumoured that the rapper had named his daughter after his acclaimed ‘Blueprint‘ albums. However, in a new interview with Gayle King, the Brooklyn rapper revealed a very different reason. At around 17 minutes 50 seconds, King asks Jay-Z why he named his daughter Blue Ivy.

In response, Jay-Z said: “Her name was meant to be Brooklyn. That was the name we had in theory, but when we got the sonogram, it was super small and we was calling her blueberry. Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry!’ It was a nickname.

“For nine months, we were like, ‘Look at the little blueberry,’ so it was natural. We just took the ‘berry’ off and called her Blue.”

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Jay-Z has made several media appearances since he returned to Instagram after a two-year hiatus to promote his upcoming film, The Book of Clarence. The film, out for release on January 12, 2024, will reportedly feature LaKeith Stanfield, James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Teyana Taylor, and more.

A synopsis for the film says: “Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, [Clarence] risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, and ultimately discovers that the redemptive power of belief may be his only way out.”

In the same interview with King, Jay-Z also responded to the viral meme asking users whether they’d receive $500,000 in cash or have dinner with the mogul. Surprisingly, the rappers advised King to take the money: “You gotta take the money. You got all that in the music for $10.99 – that’s a bad deal. I wouldn’t tell you to cut a bad deal. Take the $500,000, go buy some albums and listen to the albums. It’s all there.” He also spoke of his battles to own his masters, telling King “it was the fight of my life.”

Recently, Jay-Z recalled his memories of Hype Williams quoting him $1.8million to direct a music video. In a Complex feature celebrating the work of the director, the rapper recounted his reaction: “I was like, ‘Hype, come on, bro.’ Like I got mad at him. Like are you trying to play me? You think I’m dumb?”