Jay-Z performed an emotionally charged rendition of songs ‘Numb‘/’Encore‘ for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge and dedicated it to Chester Bennington.
Before delivering his rendition of the songs, the rapper, who collaborated with Linkin Park on the track, dedicated it to Bennington in hope that the singer’s death will spark a wider discourse on male mental health.
Speaking to the host, Clara Amfo, the ‘4:44‘ artist said: “I really think that hopefully, his death serves as a wake-up call that mental health is a real thing. You never know that people are going through. You think that because they’re performers and he’s sold millions of records… that doesn’t equate to happiness. Money or fame, that doesn’t mean anything if you’re not happy inside.”
Watch Jay-Z’s moving performance below.
“A lot of people, we don’t deal with what’s happening to us, we just keep going. Especially for a performer like that, you just start numbing yourself. You become numb. He’s singing it, he’s telling you become numb”, he added.
“You get bigger audiences, you move further away from yourself and it’s tragic. I knew him well, a really nice person with like five kids and it’s just really tragic. Hopefully, his death wakes a lot of people up and a lot of people start taking care of themselves. Men, we have this bravado, we have to armour up. Nah man, you have to take care of yourself – physically and spiritually.”
During the live session, the Brooklyn-native also delivered a cover of ‘Family Feud‘ which was backed by a choir. Watch above.
