Jay-Z has dispelled the longstanding rumors that he was supposed to play DMX's character in the 1998 film Belly, directed by Hype Williams. During a conversation with Complex honoring Williams' work as a music video director, Jay-Z clarified that the rumors were false. He stated that he never considered the role because he disliked acting and felt he would hinder his own performance.
"That's a rumor. Again, because of how guarded I was, I hated acting," Jay-Z said. "This is why I don't act, because I would get in my way. I would be thinking, 'No, I don't wanna do something that I ain't gonna look cool.' But you know, I was young and immature. Or I was young mentally."
He added, "You know, if you see our own movies, I was in for like 30 seconds and I wasn't even speaking. I had no idea how Nas did that because I felt like he was in the same place as me. But he did it, and he made it work. But I never was meant to be in Belly. I don't even know where that came from."
Jay-Z explained that he felt he wouldn't look cool on screen and was mentally immature at that time. He mentioned that he had minimal and non-speaking roles in movies, such as his brief appearances in State Property (2002) and Paper Soldiers (2002). Jay-Z emphasized that he was never meant to be in Belly and was unsure where the rumor originated.
