Daddy-daughter dates, embarrassing photo shoots, and a musical collaborator since birth. Blue
Ivy's relationship with her dad Jay-Z is even closer than you might have thought.
Jay-Z made it pretty clear that he was smitten with Blue Ivy from the
moment she came into this world. Just two days after his daughter's birth in 2012,
the iconic rapper released his song, "Glory." In a way, the track announced Blue Ivy's birth,
since it was released before Jay-Z and Beyoncé delivered an official
statement about the arrival of their new baby. Jay-Z later posted on his website,
"Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful,
we are in heaven… it was the best experience of both of our lives."
The proud father also used "Glory" to gush
about his daughter and the joys of parenthood, rapping on the track,
"The most amazing feeling I feel, words can't describe what I'm feeling for real / Baby, I paint
the sky blue. My greatest creation was you… You're my child with the child from Destiny's Child."
Jay-Z even got super personal by suggesting that Blue Ivy was a rainbow baby, revealing
that Beyoncé had previously experienced a miscarriage. In the lyrics, he explained,
"Last time the miscarriage was tragic / We was afraid you'd disappear,
but nah baby you're magic."
Basically, "Glory" is proof that Jay-Z has had a special connection
with his miracle baby from the very beginning.
"For us, we chose to fight for our love, for our family, to give our kids a different outcome."
Blue Ivy doesn't just inspire her dad to write music. As it turns out, she also inspired the
"99 Problems" rapper to learn an important life skill as well. Jay-Z admitted on the
HBO Max show, "The Shop: Uninterrupted" that he realized he needed to learn how to swim
once his daughter was born. He shared that tidbit when discussing fatherhood, saying,
"It's amazing. It's a very grounding thing… I didn't learn how to swim until Blue was born."
Jay-Z went on to explain why it was Blue Ivy specifically who made him
want to learn to swim at the age of 42, saying,
"This is a metaphor for our relationship. If she ever fell in the water and I couldn't get her,
I couldn't even fathom that thought."
Like most fathers, Jay-Z wanted to make sure that he would be able to always protect his
daughter. It seems Jay-Z had put his new swimming skills to the test a year after Blue Ivy was born,
when the family was on vacation on a luxury yacht in 2013. At the time,
the new dad was caught by paparazzi diving into a pool with his wife,
Beyoncé. Unfortunately though, fans roasted Jay-Z online for his awkward plunge afterward,
presumably not knowing that swimming was a new thing for the rapper.
It seems as though Blue Ivy is encouraged to speak her mind by her dad. In fact,
Jay-Z once praised his eldest daughter for letting her feelings be known, detailing
one particular incident during an interview with David Letterman on the Netflix show,
"My Next Guest Needs No Introduction." Jay-Z revealed that Blue Ivy had been asking him a
lot of questions as he hurried to get her in the car. As they were making their way to school,
he heard his daughter's voice, and when he turned, she said,
"'I didn't like when you told me to get in the car
the way you told me.' She's six. 'It hurt my feelings.'"
If you think Jay-Z got mad at Blue Ivy for that,
think again. In fact, Jay-Z was blown away by his daughter's maturity, telling Letterman,
"That's the most beautiful thing you've ever said to me."
The "Hard Knock Life" rapper was pleased that his daughter was
comfortable enough to speak out and share her feelings with him.
No matter what Blue Ivy wants to do in life, she has the support of her father. In fact,
Jay-Z won't mind if his daughter doesn't follow in his footsteps by
pursuing fame or taking over one of the family businesses. He explained to The Sunday Times,
"Feeling loved is the most important thing a child needs. Not 'here's this business that I'm going to
hand over to you, that I'm creating for you.'... What if my child doesn't want to be in music or
sports?... As long as your child feels supported, and feels loved, I think anything is possible."
Considering Blue Ivy's amazing accomplishments to date,
it appears as though she will be entering the entertainment industry, just like her
parents. A source told Hollywood Life that she already has a knack for dancing, saying,
"Blue Ivy is a natural performer and,
unsurprisingly, she's also very talented… Beyoncé and Jay-Z really nurture her
talent… She's always been included in everything her mom and dad are doing."
However, just because Jay-Z nurtures Blue Ivy's talent,
that doesn't mean he'll push her into anything. He asserted to The Sunday Times,
"It's easy for us, as human beings, to want our children to do certain things,
but we have no idea. We're just guides."
"I don't know what happens next, you know?"
Just as Jay-Z supports his daughter, Blue Ivy champions her dad in return,
and is apparently a big fan of his music. In fact, the "BROWN SKIN GIRL" singer has been into her
dad's music ever since she was a baby, after first hearing him rap when she was just 18-months-old.
Revealing that he didn't usually play his songs around the house, Jay-Z told Vanity Fair in 2013,
"This album was new, so we played it. And she loves all the songs.
She plays a song and she goes, 'More, Daddy, more… Daddy song.'"
Blue Ivy's praise was seemingly all that Jay-Z needed to hear, as he revealed to Vanity Fair,
"She's my biggest fan. If no one bought the 'Magna Carta' [record],
the fact that she loves it so much, it gives me the greatest joy."
Blue Ivy has continued to support her dad's music as she has gotten older too, and in 2018,
she was in the audience for Jay-Z and Beyoncé's "On the Run II" tour. Blue
Ivy was said to be extra enthusiastic for her dad's songs, even throwing up
the Roc-A-Fella hand gesture, which is a nod to the record company Jay-Z founded.
Jay-Z and Blue Ivy's adorable relationship apparently includes regular daddy-daughter
dates. The two have been spotted on multiple outings alone together
without Beyoncé or Blue's younger siblings, Rumi and Sir. In March 2022,
Jay-Z and Blue Ivy were spotted at Disneyland, where they were accompanied
by fellow celebrities Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin, and the Coldplay singer's children.
Blue Ivy also seems to share a passion for sports with her dad,
and they've been seen sitting court side together at several basketball games. But
it's not just basketball that Blue Ivy and Jay-Z enjoy, as they've also been spotted
watching some football games. Plus, Jay-Z has taken Blue Ivy to at least two Super Bowls,
and they were photographed together on the sidelines in both 2020 and 2023.
Like most kids, Blue Ivy is occasionally embarrassed by her parents, even if they
are world famous stars. In 2018, a fan caught Blue Ivy grossed out by a video interlude that
was shown during Jay-Z and Beyoncé's "On The Run II" tour. When the video clip showed her parents
in bed together, the then six-year-old was spotted covering her eyes and using a barrier as a shield.
That wasn't the first time that Blue Ivy was seemingly embarrassed by Jay-Z and Beyoncé
either. In fact, she apparently felt that they acted too enthusiastically at the Grammy Awards
in 2018 after Camila Cabello's speech. Blue Ivy was caught on camera gesturing to both
her parents to calm down, suggesting that she wasn't a fan of their clapping. Of course,
Blue Ivy's actions later became an internet meme, with one person tweeting,
"Blue Ivy really just hushed her parents, I'm done."
In 2022, Blue Ivy made it clear that she was mortified by her dad in particular, when they were
given a shoutout at an NBA Finals game. Jay-Z put his arm around his daughter and kissed her cheek,
which made Blue Ivy cringe. The moment was undoubtedly adorable with a fan tweeting,
"To us: Jay Z, the all time rap legend. To Blue Ivy: embarrassing dad."
Blue Ivy has been involved in dad Jay-Z's work ever since she was born,
and started appearing on his tracks as a newborn. As well as rapping about his
daughter on "Glory," Jay-Z also included Blue Ivy's cries on the track. According to Billboard,
she was also her dad's muse for his songs, "Jay-Z Blue" and "Heaven" on his "Magna Carta
Holy Grail" album, which was released in 2013. On "Jay-Z Blue," he explains,
"[Blue's] something that we both created;
we still marvel her… For me, my idea of heaven is in your daughter's laughter."
In 2017, Jay-Z used Blue Ivy's voice again on the song "Legacy,"
which features on his thirteenth studio album "4:44." On the album's bonus track,
Blue Ivy proves she has inherited her dad's talents by rapping on the song "Blue's
Freestyle." Blue Ivy has also appeared with her mom and dad in a commercial for Tiffany & Co.
Blue Ivy may be famous and have superstar parents, but at the end of the day,
she's still a preteen. Like many girls her age, she probably wants to get a good
photo when she's somewhere cool like the Super Bowl. That could be why Jay-Z was
seen taking multiple photos of his daughter on the sidelines of the big game in 2023. A
video of that moment was posted to Twitter by Fox Sports: NFL, which they captioned,
"​​Jay-Z is in dad mode."
Fans apparently loved to see this normal side of the Carters,
with many joking that Blue Ivy had turned Jay-Z into a typical "Instagram Dad." It
was suggested by many that he may be a better rapper than photographer too,
considering that Blue Ivy didn't seem pleased with the photos he took. In fact, she could be
seen shaking her head when looking at the snaps on her dad's phone, leading a fan to tweet,
"blue ivy needs a new photographer cause i don't think whoever this is, is cutting it."
Blue Ivy's photoshoot also suggests that the young star might have a secret Instagram or
TikTok account for her inner circle, because it certainly looked like she
wanted to capture some premium content. Either way, we can't blame her for wanting
to show off her fashionable outfit at one of the most exciting events of the year.
It's no secret that Blue Ivy must be a little spoiled, even if she is a really good kid. Her
dad seemingly admitted that he spoiled his daughter when she was just a baby,
saying on "Oprah's Master Class: Special Edition,"
"I just know I'll probably have the worst, spoiled little kid ever."
As a result, Blue Ivy has gotten backlash on several occasions for being perceived as a diva,
such as when she turned her 2021 Grammy award into a sippy cup for photos. However,
critics likely don't realize that this was apparently a nod to her dad. In 2014,
Jay-Z said in his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards,
"I want to tell Blue, 'Daddy got a gold sippy cup for you.'"
However, Blue Ivy has continued to make headlines for allegedly being overindulged. For instance,
Beyoncé's daughter attended two different auctions, and some found fault with her
placing five-figure bids on artwork and diamond earrings. Additionally, Blue Ivy's dad dished
that his daughter does have her sassy moments. On "The Shop: Uninterrupted," Jay-Z recalled,
"I was taking Blue to school… She walked away and I was like,
'Yo! I can't get a kiss? I'm in the Hall of Fame!'... She was like, 'bye, dad.'"
Spoiled or not, it's obvious that Blue Ivy has a great relationship with her father,
which is more special than anything fame can bring.