Jay-Z’s Alleged Son Rymir Satterthwaite Drops Federal Lawsuit

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Jay-Z‘s legal battle with a man claiming to be his biological son is over—for now.

Rymir Satterthwaite has chosen to drop his court case involving Jay-Z, the “99 Problems” musician, whom he accused of fathering his mother Wanda Satterthwaite during the 1990s.

In a July 27 Instagram video, Rymir made it clear that he had indeed decided to discontinue his case. He clarified this by stating that he chose to drop the lawsuit due to a multitude of complex matters happening out of public view.

The determined musician went on, affirming that he hadn’t given up his struggle. He explained, “Sometimes it’s necessary to think strategically, like in a game of chess, rather than just moving pieces around, as you would in checkers.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve attempted to reach out to Jay-Z’s representative regarding the recent withdrawal of Rymir, but have yet to receive a response. However, in a court filing obtained by TopMob News on June 16th, attorneys for Shawn Carter, the renowned Grammy winner, strongly contested the paternity claims made by Rymir.

The false accusations and statements have been tackled and dismissed in various courts before this, as stated in the records. To put it simply, this federal lawsuit is just another instance in a series that spans decades, which Jay-Z’s legal team characterized as persistent harassment.

Additionally, Jay-Z’s legal team contended that Rymir’s federal case was improperly served, implying that Jay-Z, a father to 13-year-old Blue Ivy, as well as 8-year-old twins Rumi and Sir with his wife Beyoncé, was not made aware of the lawsuit until a month after it was filed in May.

As a committed supporter, I found myself in the position where I had to await Jay-Z’s legal team’s response to Rymir’s lawsuit. They requested the court to grant them more time to carefully review the complaint and strategize their appropriate reaction, be it a formal response or another pleading.

In his lawsuit, Rymir asserted that he was seeking compensation for emotional distress and damage to his reputation. He claimed that Jay-Z had deceived various courts, provided false information, obstructed due process, and manipulated legal systems across multiple jurisdictions to prevent Rymir from proving his paternity claim.

To learn more about Jay-Z’s life, keep reading.

1. Shawn Corey Carter, originally from Brooklyn’s New York City, spent his childhood in the well-known Marcy housing projects, situated in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

2. During a 2010 interview on NPR’s Fresh Air, he described his upbringing as “an extremely intense and stressful situation.” He recalled moments of innocent play, like playing near fire hydrants and enjoying ice cream trucks, which would abruptly turn violent with shootings happening at any time during the day. The emotions were a strange mix, with one day bringing the joy of a friend getting a new bike, and the next day mourning the loss of the same friend.

3. He fondly recalls his early inspirations, sharing that his parents had an extensive record collection filled with the sounds of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Motown.

4. In 2005, he shared with British GQ that he began experimenting with music at the age of 9. He was drawn to hip-hop, and there was a local freestyler who inspired him by rapping about everyday things like “My clothes are damp / And I like that lamp / And I am the champ.” This sparked his interest, and he started trying it himself, realizing he had a natural gift for it. In the beginning, he took this talent for granted as it came so easily to him.

1. Adnis Reeves and Gloria Carter parted ways when Jay was about 10 years old, leaving her to raise him along with his siblings Eric, Andrea, and Michelle.

2. In a 2018 interview on David Letterman’s Netflix series, ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction’, he confessed that for many years, he harbored anger towards the person in question. They eventually reconciled due to Gloria’s persuasion.

3. The initial meeting she arranged, he failed to attend. “I had given up, but Mom persisted for another chance because she’s just an amazing soul,” he shared with Oprah Winfrey in 2009. At the second meeting, “He attended and I gave him a heart-to-heart talk. I told him exactly how I felt when he left. He said things like ‘You knew where I was.’ I responded, ‘I was just a kid! Don’t you understand how wrong you were? It was your duty to check up on me.’ Eventually, he acknowledged his mistake.”

1. Looking back at the incident, it gave him some insight. “His brother had been murdered in the housing projects,” he shared with Letterman. “People would call him saying they’d seen the man who killed his brother. He’d get up from his bed with his children, grab his gun and leave the house. At one point, my mother said something like ‘you have a family here.’ But she didn’t have the words to express ‘we love you, we don’t want to lose you too.’ So her fear came out as an ultimatum to him….This strained their relationship. From there he was consumed by pain, turned to heroin and other vices.”

2. After they reconnected, Jay bought him an apartment and furniture, but he passed away just a few months later.

3. At the age of 12, he shot Eric in the shoulder after an argument, an event they were eventually able to overcome. “We managed to move on from it,” he told GQ. “He overcame his addiction and I grew past my recklessness. Now we’re a family.”

1. The drug trade was rampant in his neighborhood that he was asked by a convenience store owner to sell drugs in Trenton, New Jersey, approximately 70 miles away. He stated to Letterman, “Nobody survives that situation; you were either going to prison or getting killed.”

2. Fortunately, he managed to avoid the first option due to a recording trip with his former mentor, Jaz-O, in London. “During this period,” he added, “there was a secret indictment and they arrested 30 of my friends all at once.” One of his closest friends was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

3. In essence, he managed to cheat death as well. In an interview with GQ, he admitted that he carried a gun like everyone else. However, he never used it and never had to. He was, however, shot at point-blank range once: “A friend of mine and I had a disagreement. At the time, every disagreement ended with someone getting shot. Fortunately, I am still alive.”

14. He expressed on NPR that at the time, he was entirely focused on survival. “At 14, 15 years old, you’re more concerned about sneakers or finding relief from the pain,” he said. “You’re worrying about buying food for the house. You’re thinking about paying additional utility bills. So at that young age, you’re not contemplating the damage you’re inflicting on your community.”

15. Nevertheless, he was dreaming of a future, jotting down rhymes in a green notebook or whatever was available. “I would dash into the local store and grab a bag from the counter or buy juice—anything to get a bag,” he added. “I’d write the words on the bag and store these ideas in my pocket until I returned. Then I would move them into the notebook.”

16. This method had an unexpected advantage: “As I moved farther away from home and my notebook, I needed to memorize these rhymes—longer and longer and longer…By the time I recorded my first album at 26, I no longer required pen or paper—my memory had been honed to simply listen to a song, think of the words, and record them onto tape.

17. To this very moment, he doesn’t jot down any of his lyrics; instead, he memorizes them.

18. Even now, he wouldn’t advise his approach for everyone. “I’ve lost several albums’ worth of terrific songs,” he confessed. “Imagine forgetting a single word and it drives you mad. So consider forgetting an entire verse!”

19. His stage name originated from multiple inspirations: Jaz-O, who collaborated with him on the 1990 track “The Originators”, his childhood nickname of Jazzy, and the J/Z subway line near where he grew up.

20. The placement of the hyphen has been changed as well. Around 2010, he abandoned it, as he shared on L.A.’s radio show Big Boy’s Neighborhood, stating, “It’s no longer necessary. I used to have umlauts over one of the letters; I removed those too.” However, with the 2017 release of 4:44, he reintroduced it, and his representative confirmed that he would be known as JAY-Z once more.

21. At his George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, there were also some famous figures like Busta Rhymes and The Notorious B.I.G.

22. As a matter of fact, Jay Z had a rap battle with Busta Rhymes in the school cafeteria, as he shared with Jimmy Kimmel in 2016. And if you ask “Break Ya Neck” himself, he might be up for another round.

“I knew Jay Z was rhyming because me and Jay Z had a speed rapping battle at school,” Busta said on Fuse’s Skee TV the same year. “He had mastered the art of speed rapping exceptionally well at that time, and I was still learning. But losing that battle to Jay in speed rapping made me one of the quickest speed rappers around today…Jay knows he wouldn’t stand a chance against me in a speed rapping contest these days.”

23. Indeed, he has a knack for language. As Renee Rosenblum-Lowden, his sixth-grade teacher, expressed to The Washington Post, “What stands out about Shawn is that he took a reading test in the sixth grade and scored at a twelfth-grade level.”

24. The fondness was reciprocal. In an interview with Letterman, the musician shared, “I had a teacher in the sixth grade. Her name was Miss Lowden, and I adored her class so much. Reading the dictionary, my love for words—I felt a connection with her. She even took us on a field trip to her house. In her fridge, she had ice when no one else did. That moment, I thought, ‘Wow. Maybe I’ll become an English teacher.’

In terms of my reading preferences, I veer away from the ordinary and delve into captivating works such as Homer’s timeless epic, “The Odyssey”, Malcolm Gladwell’s insightful exploration in “Outliers”, Seth Godin’s thought-provoking “Purple Cow”, and Gary Zukav’s transformative guide, “The Seat of the Soul”. These are two books that I wholeheartedly embrace as a compass for my life.

When it comes to movies, I find myself drawn to classics like “True Romance” and the iconic “The Godfather Part II”. In 2013, I expressed my admiration for these films by tweeting, “Cliché perhaps, but truly great.”

My artistic sensibilities extend beyond books and movies, as my collection boasts an exquisite piece by Basquiat titled “Mecca”, a treasure often spotted in the corner of my kitchen, as referenced in the 2013 documentary “Picasso Baby”.

28. That first album of his, Reasonable Doubt, is my absolute favorite because it encapsulates every emotion and experience from my 26 years into one masterpiece – a record I’ve been waiting 26 years to create.

29. Landing his first big hit, “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” in 1998, required some cleverness on my part. When my request to sample the classic Annie track was denied, I concocted this tale about how when I was a seventh grader in Bed-Stuy, our teacher held an essay contest and the winners got to visit the city to see Annie. In reality, it was all a fabrication – kids from Brooklyn rarely ventured into the city. But I managed to sell the story, they cleared it for use, and one of my biggest hits was born.

30. And there’s truth behind the story. When that televised version of Annie came out, I was captivated by it. It was the story of a struggling kid in a tough environment and how his life transformed – it instantly resonated with me.

31. He deceived his mother into providing her voice for the song “December 4th” on the 2003 album The Black Album. As he wrote in Decoded, he told her they were going to meet for lunch, but instead led her to the studio. When she arrived, he played the track and asked her to talk on it without revealing it was for a song. Since he knew she’d get nervous if he told her upfront, he simply asked her what she wanted to say, and that marked the beginning of the recording.

32. He announced his (short-term) retirement with a 2003 concert at Madison Square Garden, where he performed alongside The Roots, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, and Pharrell Williams. All earnings from the event were donated to charity.

33. His subsequent career move started with the sale of Roc-A-Fella Records and his appointment as president of Def Jam Records.

34. His expansive business ventures encompass fashion (Rocawear retail chain), alcohol brands (Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Ussé cognac), a share in the Brooklyn Nets, streaming service Tidal, and Roc Nation, which manages high-profile figures in entertainment (such as Rihanna) and sports (Kevin Durant, Todd Gurley).

35. The artist has also secured profitable endorsement deals with Reebok, Budweiser, and watchmaker Audemars-Piguet.

36. Besides Roc Nation securing a contract to deliver entertainment for Super Bowl intermissions and support their Inspire Change program

37. Since 2010, the renowned investor Warren Buffett has been advocating for him, stating in an interview with Forbes, “Jay is educating a larger audience than I ever will. For a young person looking up to someone, he’s the one to learn from.”

38. Becoming a billionaire hasn’t altered his fundamental values. In his 2017 interview with journalist Dean Baquet for the New York Times, he said, “I don’t have this notion that I need to vote Republican to save more money.” He added, “That’s not the objective. It’s not about who has more money and more houses. Yes, you can enjoy your success by buying what you desire, but remember what truly matters. Without people, wealth would be quite dull.

39. He mentioned to Letterman that he’s been inspired by numerous remarkable individuals, including “Biggie Smalls,” “Tupac Shakur,” “Rakim,” “Big Daddy Kane,” and “Slick Rick.”

40. When asked by the esteemed TV host if there are successful people who aren’t good, he replied, “Yes, absolutely. It happens quite often – just like anything else.” Pushed for more details, he tactfully said, “Let me put it this way: Who’s currently hosting a late-night show that isn’t even slightly amusing?”

41. In an interview with Oprah, he disclosed that only “very few” people were aware of his 2008 wedding, which took place in New York and had approximately 30 attendees. “Unfortunately, we upset some people,” he admitted, “but those who care about you will understand. Because at the end of the day, it’s your special day.

42. At a young age, he understood his mother was gay, referring to it as his teenage years. He explained in the New York Times, “We never discussed it. It was simply there, evident to everyone.”

43. Overwhelmed with emotion, he wept when his mother eventually confessed her sexuality. Speaking with Letterman, he shared, “Imagine living your life as someone other than who you are, believing you’re protecting your children.”

“For my mother to live a life that wasn’t hers, conceal and safeguard us…for so long, for her to sit before me and say, ‘I think I love someone,’ I broke down…I was ecstatic for her, seeing her free…I knew she was gay, but this was the first time we had the talk, the first time I heard her express her affection. She said, ‘I feel like I love somebody.’ She hesitated to declare it—she didn’t say, ‘I am in love.’ Instead, she left a little part of herself hidden…”

And I just started crying.

44. In an interview with the Times, he expressed that their relationship has significantly improved: “We’ve always been good friends, but now we’re exceptionally close friends. You understand. We chat like old pals.”

45. He attributes Beyoncé for maintaining their marriage following his infidelity, as portrayed in 4:44. “I have a remarkable wife who is patient and realized I’m not the sum of my mistakes. We underwent tough therapy together. We adore each other. We put in the effort, we’re growing and evolving. This music I’m creating now stems from past events. Just like you, I believe we’re in a better place today, but we’re still learning, still communicating, still developing. I take pride in being the husband and father I am today due to all the work I’ve done.

46. Reflecting on my therapeutic journey, I can’t help but express how profoundly it reshaped me. In a conversation with the New York Times, I divulged, “The growth I experienced is undeniable, but what truly stands out is the realization that everything – every feeling, every thought – is interconnected. Understanding this and being mindful of it in daily life gives you such an edge.”

47. When it comes to my precious children, Blue, Sir, and Rumi, the lesson I yearn to instill in them is empathy towards others. Speaking with Baquet, I emphasized, “I want them to feel for others and recognize the shared struggles we all face. They don’t need to know what I knew growing up, like how to be tough. Instead, they should understand that these individuals made sacrifices so we could thrive, and it’s our responsibility to carry this legacy forward.

48. To him, his longtime associate and creative partner, Kanye West, is more like family. He expressed, “He’s my brother. I have affection for Kanye. I truly do,” speaking to Baquet. “Our relationship is complex.”

49. Regarding their brief spat in 2016, it’s largely been put aside. “Perhaps when we’re 89, we’ll look back at this period and laugh about it,” he said. “You know what I mean?

He’s just beginning his journey, but not in a fleeting or temporary sense. Speaking about hip-hop as a source of continuous revelation, he commented in the Times, “That scorching hot scene – people think it’s massive, but it’s quite limited. It’s almost like a fad. Would you prefer to be a fad, or would you rather be Ralph Lauren? You understand what I mean; like, would you rather be a fad, or would you rather be timeless? I’m the one who looked at the Mona Lisa and thought, Man, that’s going to be cool in 40 years. I strive for longevity. My aim is to connect with truth, not to be the youngest, hottest, new, trendy thing.

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2025-07-29 03:18