Jay-Z paid a heartfelt tribute to his late friend Chester Bennington of Linkin Park during a performance and interview for BBC Live Lounge on Friday. Sitting down with BBC Radio 1’s Clara Amfo, the rapper discussed the importance of mental health awareness, especially for those in the public eye. Bennington, who tragically passed away on July 20, had worked with Jay-Z on the 2004 Collision Course album, which featured six mashup tracks, including the iconic “Numb/Encore.”
To open his appearance, Jay-Z performed the Grammy-winning mashup “Numb/Encore,” combining Linkin Park’s iconic hit with Jay-Z’s own reflections on his career and speculation about his possible retirement at the time. Before starting, Jay-Z dedicated the song to Chester, appearing emotional as he stood on the stripped-down stage. In his conversation with Clara Amfo, Jay-Z spoke candidly about how Bennington’s death affected him, emphasizing the need for mental health conversations and the importance of people—especially men—being open about taking care of their mental well-being.
Jay-Z shared, “Mental health is a real thing. You never know what people are going through, and you think that because they’re performers, and he’s sold millions of records… that doesn’t equate to happiness.” He explained how performers often neglect their mental health by pushing through without addressing their emotions. “A lot of people, we don’t deal with what’s happening to us, we just keep going,” Jay-Z continued. “Especially for a performer like that, you just start numbing yourself. You become numb.” Jay-Z expressed his hope that Bennington’s death would serve as a wake-up call, encouraging people to care for themselves physically and spiritually.
This wasn’t the first time Jay-Z honored Bennington. In August, he performed “Numb/Encore” again at the Virgin V Festival in the UK, a moment that deeply moved Bennington’s wife, Talinda. She tweeted, “As the painful days go by, I am humbled by the endless love that we have received & beyond moved by the endless global heartfelt tributes.”
Want to watch Jay-Z’s emotional performance and hear more about his tribute to Chester Bennington? Click the link to check out the full interview and performance!
