It could be tough when trying to figure out what to gift the matriarch of your family, cause they usually have it all. When it comes to finding the perfect gift for his 93-year-old grandmother Hattie White, Jay-Z found that gift in the form a monument that will stand the test of time.
Hov, Beyoncé, their three children, his mother Gloria Carter and her mom were in Prospect Park on Christmas Eve to see and take photographs with the engraved bench the rapper gifted to his grandmother. As reported by the Jay-Z Instagram fan account @aintnojigga in a now deleted post the engraving states:
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. With love and admiration to our root, Hattie White.”
It’s no secret how influential Hattie has been on their lives and in the couple’s music. Jay-Z references his grandmother in his exceptional verse on Meek Mill’s track “What’s Free,” and Beyoncé’s album Lemonade was reportedly inspired by Hattie’s speech from her 90th birthday celebration in 2015 when she stated:
“I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.”
If that sounds familiar to you, it was also featured at the end of the song “Freedom” which is narrated by White herself. This was definitely a fantastic tribute from Hov and Bey indeed to the Brooklyn native.
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Photo: Kevin Mazur / Getty