Lizzo Speaks Out After Grammy-Winning Rapper Is Mentioned in the Epstein Files — Video

Newly released federal records containing a familiar name in the music industry quickly drew online attention, fueling widespread interpretation across social media.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has published thousands of pages from its Jeffrey Epstein records archive, including documents that reference a Grammy-winning rapper in more than one context.

As excerpts from the records circulated, distinctions between those references were often blurred, prompting pop singer Lizzo to publicly address the discussion.

One DOJ document shows a redacted email sent to Epstein with the subject line "Lessons From the Jay-Z Business Model -- Vulture," dated July 15, 2013. The message includes a brief introductory phrase, "Extremely clever."

A separate document in the DOJ archive is an FBI intake report summarizing allegations made by an individual who contacted authorities on July 10, 2019. In that report, the caller recounts alleged experiences involving Epstein and names several public figures — including Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) — as part of the narrative.

In a now-deleted TikTok video shared on X, Lizzo addressed the reaction to the files, comparing the situation to an apple thief at a Walmart to argue that appearing in records does not equal guilt, and saying Jay-Z did not commit a crime.

Lizzo later pointed to the email reference specifically, "He referenced Jay-Z once. He was like, 'oh, we could learn from Jay-Z's business model.' Why are y’all… Where's the crime? Focus."

The DOJ records remain published documents, while Lizzo's comments reflect her response to online discussion surrounding them.