Hypothetical is easy. We judge by guessing what we “would do,” knowing we would never face the same situation. Morality fluctuates with new knowledge and hindsight. It lives on a spectrum when facing unimaginable circumstances. Jay-Z’s conversation with Rick Rubin in HBO’s latest documentary series Jaÿ-Z in 8 tells you why the rapper and entrepreneur exists on the S-tier of influence of your favorite artists’ favorite artists.

Whenever the “Top 5,” debate begins regarding rappers, musicians, or modern creatives and Jay-Z is missing, I immediately file the opinion as inaccurate and unrefined. Subjective or not, some feelings are your personal facts, and Hov being the greatest living rapper is mine. His wordplay, entendres – doubles and triples – metaphors, and mastery of the English language are unmatched.

In an 8-part sitdown with writer/producer/creative and collaborator Rick Rubin, Shawn Carter is seated, explaining the lore and truth of Jay-Z. We see him at his most vulnerable, honest, and reflective. Confirming and debunking various stories whispered throughout the decades regarding his role in music’s history, including the tragic East Coast versus West Coast rivalry of the 1990s. Jay says a lack of understanding, poor journalism, and sensationalism added to an already delicate situation that ultimately led to the deaths of two hip-hop juggernauts.

Anyone familiar with Rick Rubin via his book The Creative Act: A Way of Being can predict the pacing, but within the black-and-white stillness is so much information. Lyrics show up on-screen as snippets of songs play, and the two discuss what’s really being said in each verse. It’s a fascinating look into a private artist with a scary, off-color, and often-judged past. The intimacy only grows as each chapter unfolds.

Viewers seeking insight into ‘Ye, entitlement, Nas, and betrayal will have to stick around until the latter half of the series.

As the daughter of a man from “The Projects” of Chicago, I immediately recognized the immense, emotional hurdle these two men had to cross for this conversation to happen as authentically as it does. Jay-Z even mentions that for some of the songs selected, it’s the first time he’s confronting specific lyrics since their release years ago. Watching a person who seems untouchable tell humiliating and unflattering stories makes him seem even more human – and the viewer leaves feeling as if maybe anything really is possible.

Thirty years after the release of his debut album Reasonable Doubt, the icon and philanthropist unpacks a portrait of a human being, not a celebrity. In Chapter 2, Carter reminds us that we need to remember that everyone’s seeing through a different lens as they go through life. To get the point home, he tells an incredibly personal story of disappointment, shame, and misunderstanding surrounding his relationship with his own father. A man who left when Jay-Z was a child. Urged by his mother, the two briefly reconnect before his dad’s death in 2003, allowing the artist to see from his father’s perspective for the first time.

As someone who heartbrokenly stood in line at Best Buy on the day The Black Album came out, assuming it’d be his last, and camped outside giddily three years later when Kingdom Come dropped, I knew this latest break in music was temporary. A man who creates hit-after-hit without a pen, just “free play,” or simply off-the-top, is otherworldly. The uncanny gift of a genuine, modern-day prophet.

If you’ve ever pondered the party question: “Would you take cash or a sitdown with Jay-Z?” Rubin’s debut documentary feels like Hov saying “Take the money. Here’s the conversation.” He’s giving us the answers, his lyrics always have. The question now is are we really listening or still distracted by the melody of the music of the background noise of our own “reasonable” doubts.

Chapters 1 and 2 of the 8-part series debut September 18 on HBO at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), with Jaÿ-Z in 8 episodes streaming on HBO Max beginning the evening of their release. Each week after that, two new episodes premiere, with the final chapters coming out Friday, October 9.