Jay-Z fiercely defends ‘nepo baby’ daughter Blue Ivy: 'She fought for it'

Jay-Z just shut down all claims of his daughter, Blue Ivy, being a “nepo baby”.

The proud father defended Blue’s fame by saying she achieved what she has today through sheer hard work and determination.

In a candid conversation with GQ, the rapper opened up about watching his eldest child evolve from being a tentative performer to a confident stage presence during Beyoncé’s blockbuster tour.

"On the first tour there was a lot of conversation around her first performance, and she worked really hard to get to that point, but she still wasn’t going for it. She still was going through the motions," Jay-Z said of his daughter.

He then noticed a determined shift in his daughter that he would never forget.

"And then she just started fighting back. I saw her fight maybe for the first time in her life – like, not everything is just given to her and everything is easy. She fought for it,” the Umbrella hitmaker recalled.

"She's almost on every number. I had to take her off some, like, ‘Man, you can’t be on that stage when [Beyoncé's] singing Six-inch heels…; are you crazy?’" he joked.

However, Blue’s enthusiasm only grew stronger with time. "I don’t think we’re going to be able to get her off that stage now."

Even though it is her dance skills that captured the world’s attention, there is a side to her not many have seen and Jay-Z revealed it.

Describing her as "a crazy pianist," he revealed she has an instinctive ability that can’t be taught. "But she has perfect pitch. If she hears a song, she’ll be like, ‘Play it again,’ and then she’ll teach herself. That’s just talent, she doesn’t work at that," he said.

Addressing the ongoing “nepo baby” narrative, Jay-Z made it clear that while Blue Ivy may have grown up in an extraordinary environment, her achievements are far from handed to her.

"She worked at this, and it makes me proud that she fought for something that she really wanted to do,” he concluded.