Former music executive Lance ‘Un’ Rivera sat down with Vlad TV this week for a bombshell interview and declared that Jay-Z did not stab him in 1999.
Known for his close association with the rapper Biggie Smalls, Rivera was stabbed at the now-closed Kit Kat Club in Times Square, which resulted in a media firestorm that eventually prosecuted Jay-Z for the crime.
The iconic mogul – who just bought a beach house for $200 million – initially maintained his innocence before pleading guilty to felony assault charges after a lengthy two-year legal battle, resulting in three years of probation and his early career being tarnished.
But 24 years after the incident, Rivera is saying that Jay-Z isn’t the one who plunged a knife into his back during an album release party.
‘No,’ said Rivera. ‘Jay-Z was not the guy who actually stabbed me that night.’
New revelations: Former music executive Lance ‘Un’ Rivera sat down with Vlad TV this week for a bombshell interview and declared that Jay-Z did not stab him in 1999
Innocent: The iconic mogul, 53, initially maintained his innocence before pleading guilty to felony assault charges after a lengthy two-year legal battle, resulting in three years of probation and his early career being tarnished; pictured at the Grammys in 2023
Jay-Z was reportedly identified as the stabber by witnesses at the Kit Kat Club, but Rivera remains baffled as to why they thought the Empire State of Mind hitmaker was his assailant: ‘I don’t know where people got Jay-Z stabbed me from…’
At the the time of the stabbing, members of the rap community were accusing Rivera of leaking Jay-Z’s fourth studio album, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter – a charge which he vehemently denies.
But Rivera said that Jay-Z believed the rumors and was ‘heartbroken’ over Rivera’s alleged betrayal, which led to his album being bootlegged.
Rivera recalled their long relationship to Vlad TV, telling the outlet that he and Jay-Z knew each other ‘from the streets.’
He eventually detailed the nightclub stabbing: ‘I ended up getting surrounded by a bunch of people, there was probably ten knives that I knew of, and I ended up gettin’ stabbed at the Kit Kat club.’
Prior to the stabbing, Rivera spoke about Jay-Z confronting him about his alleged role in the album leaking.
‘Me and Jay-Z had a conversation right before I got hit in the head with a champagne bottle,’ explained Rivera. ‘It was brief conversation and I was lookin’ at him like, “What are you talkin’ about?”
He added: ‘He just kept sayin’, “You broke my heart, you broke my heart,” and I’m like, “What are you talkin’ about?”‘
Telling his truth: 24 years after the incident, Rivera is saying that Jay-Z isn’t the one who plunged a knife into his back during an album release party. ‘No,’ Rivera told Vlad TV. ‘Jay-Z was not the guy who actually stabbed me that night’
Jay-Z was reportedly identified as the stabber by witnesses at the Kit Kat Club, but Rivera remains baffled as to why they thought the Empire State of Mind hitmaker was his assailant, telling Vlad TV, ‘I don’t know where people got Jay-Z stabbed me from…’; Jay-Z pictured in 1999
Rivera recalled their long relationship to Vlad TV, telling the outlet that he and Jay-Z knew each other ‘from the streets’; Jay-Z pictured in the ’90s
Rivera went on to praise Jay-Z as a ‘nice guy’ who would never resort to violence, saying, ‘…If anybody knows Jay-Z, he’s a nice guy, right? He’s an artist. He’s a poet. He’s gifted. It’s never been his history’; pictured in 2023
Rivera went on to praise Jay-Z as a ‘nice guy’ who would never resort to violence: ‘…If anybody knows Jay-Z, he’s a nice guy, right? He’s an artist. He’s a poet. He’s gifted. It’s never been his history.’
He also inferred that if Jay-Z had actually stabbed him, the legendary artist might not be here today: ‘If Jay-Z had stabbed me, y’all wouldn’t’ve got the Black album. You know, through my whole history, I’m an eye-for-an-eye type of guy.’
Rivera mentioned that Jay-Z was ‘caught up in a power struggle’ and spoke about how fellow rapper Nas has also spoken out about the incident.
In his 2001 diss track Ether, Nas alluded to Jay-Z taking the fall for a friend.