Fact Check: Jay-Z, Kanye West Did NOT Predict Pandemic, COVID-19 In 2011 Song

Fact Check

  • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
Fact Check: Jay-Z, Kanye West Did NOT Predict Pandemic, COVID-19 In 2011 Song Fake Lyrics

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:

image (98).png

Facebook screenshot

(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:

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Lead Stories is working with the CoronaVirusFacts/DatosCoronaVirus Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 fact-checkers who are fighting misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the alliance here.


  Alexis Tereszcuk

Alexis Tereszcuk is a writer and fact checker at Lead Stories and an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade breaking hard news and celebrity scoop with RadarOnline and Us Weekly.

As the Entertainment Editor, she investigated Hollywood stories and conducted interviews with A-list celebrities and reality stars.  

Alexis’ crime reporting earned her spots as a contributor on the Nancy Grace show, CNN, Fox News and Entertainment Tonight, among others.

Read more about or contact Alexis Tereszcuk

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