From Black Voices

For all the swagger that pours from his lyrics, Jay-Z sure comes across as a nice guy when he rides the subway.

In a brief segment excerpted from “Life + Times,” a 24-minute documentary about the artist’s involvement in building the Barclays Center, Jay-Z rides the subway to his eighth and final show at the arena.

The fact that Jay-Z opted for the R train over his Maybach may be shocking in itself, but it gets better: While on the train, he meets “Ellen,” a charming older woman who chats with the superstar for a bit. During the encounter, he explains what he does for a living. “I make music,” he says. Apparently surprised by Jay’s choice of transportation, Ellen soon lets loose those four words we all secretly crave from a parental figure: “I’m proud of you.”

Watch the video and read more at Black Voices