Fact Check: Jay-Z, Kanye West Did NOT Predict Pandemic, COVID-19 In 2011 Song
Did Jay-Z and Kanye West predict the pandemic and COVID-19 in a 2011 song? No, that’s not true: The lyrics in the video are fake and based on their 2011 song “N***as in Paris,” which doesn’t mention the words pandemic or COVID-19.
The claim appeared in a video on Facebook on September 23, 2022. It opened:
Jay-Z and Kanye West predicted WHAT?!?!
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Thu Oct 6 18:19:29 2022 UTC)
The images in the video appear to be from the “N***as in Paris” video. The Facebook post’s fake lyrics read:
Jay-Z: In 2020 there will be a global pandemic called COVID-19
Kanye West: Yeah, COVID-19, that’s what he said.
Kanye West: So all yall *** better wash your hands
While it cannot be determined who is singing the fake lyrics in the video, it is not Jay-Z and Kanye West and the lyrics are not from their 2011 song. It was released was nine years before the 2020 COVID outbreak, and doesn’t include the words COVID-19 or pandemic or “wash your hands.” The original video making this claim was posted on TikTok.
Here is the genuine 2011 video from YouTube:
This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Lead Stories can be found here.
