‘He is Low-Key Funny as Hell!: Denzel Washington’s ‘Hilarious’ Impression of Jay-Z Resurfaces and Has Fans in a Frenzy
Performances in biographical movies such as “Malcolm X,” The Hurricane,” and “Antwone Fisher” made Denzel Washington a Hollywood legend. The Oscar winner can even channel hip-hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter on demand.
Washington, 70, was a guest on the revamped “The Queen Latifah Show” daytime talk program in 2014. Latifah, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, hinted that Denzel also had secret freestyling abilities.
“You’ve got a little rapper in you,” Latifah said to Washington. “You’ve been good with the freestyles. You’ve always been good.” Washington responded, “Don’t put me on the spot, now. I can’t do it.”
After turning down the chance to rhyme for Latifah’s viewers, Washington joked, “I did give Jigga a few lines. I gave him a couple of things,” referring to one of Jay-Z’s well-known nicknames.
Washington then recalled being in the studio with Jay-Z and rock star Lenny Kravitz. As he talked about the experience, the “Gladiator II” actor mimicked Jigga’s famous laugh before imitating his voice, and the live audience broke out in laughter.
“I’m gonna play this song for you, man. Tell me what you think,” Washington stated while emulating the Roc Nation founder. In his own voice, Denzel revealed, “It was ‘Change Clothes.” That Jay-Z record went on to be a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2003.
A clip of Washington’s imitation of Jay-Z, 55, recently resurfaced on Instagram. Unsurprisingly, many people were fixated on the film icon’s impression of his fellow New York native.
“He was spot on,” one person wrote in the Instagram comment section about Washington impersonating Jay. A second fan added, “He nailed the voice, though.” A third called Washington “Den Z.”
Additionally, an Instagram user praised Denzel by writing, “That laugh. Well done, sir.” Yet, another commenter expressed, “I never noticed how their voices have a similar tone. Wild!”
“Denzel needs to add a comedy to his repertoire of films because he is low-key funny as hell!” a fan exclaimed. Likewise, someone commented, “Denzel doing a Jay-Z impression is hilarious, now I’m ready to hear Jay Pharoah.”
Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Jay Pharoah is one of the most famous Jay-Z impressionists. For instance, Pharoah took comedic shots at professional athletes while imitating the Brooklyn-bred emcee during his standup set at the 2013 ESPY Awards.
Other comedians like Aries Spears are known to mock “The Black Album” creator as well. Even retired tennis player Andy Roddick and retired professional baseball player Kevin Kiermaier have attempted to do impressions of Jay-Z to mixed reactions.
It is not clear if Pharoah, Spears, Roddick, and Kiermaier have the same type of personal relationship with Jay-Z that Washington has. Jay’s 2007 album “American Gangster” was the musical companion to Washington’s 2007 biographical crime film of the same name.
“When I saw the movie, the way Denzel portrayed the character, you know, we never seen a Black guy ascend this high in a movie before, to being over the mob. So immediately that struck with me,” Jay stated in a 2007 interview with XXL.
Washington portrayed Harlem-based drug lord Frank Lucas in the “American Gangster” motion picture. The Ridley Scott-directed drama also starred Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding Jr., Idris Elba, T.I., and Common.
Jay also said, “One of the most important scenes [in the movie] to me was when Denzel and the T.I. character sat down, and they had that talk. T.I. was a pitching prospect. Denzel’s character got him that tryout with the Yankees, and he blew it off, and Denzel was like, ‘Why did you blow it off?’ And he’s like, ‘I want to be like you.’”
Denzel and Jay-Z’s friendship was on display in February 2023 when both entertainment icons were spotted together at courtside in Crypto.com Arena as the Los Angeles Lakers played the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their attendance at the NBA game went viral.
At one point, it appeared Washington got into a heated confrontation with another man on the basketball court. Jay-Z was seen trying to pull Denzel away, but the Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient continued to address the unknown agitator. The ordeal ended with a smiling Jay and Denzel embracing.
Washington was involved in another intense encounter two years later, in May 2025. The star of the “Othello” play on Broadway was caught shouting at a photographer during the premiere of “Highest 2 Lowest” at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival in France.
“Stop it!” Washington yelled while pointing his finger directly at the cameraman who had grabbed his arm. “Highest 2 Lowest” director Spike Lee was with him at the time. Denzel’s co-star, rapper/actor A$AP Rocky, was walking the red carpet too.
Washington not only has artistic connections with hip-hop recording artists A$AP Rocky and Jay-Z. Beyond his classic television sitdown with Queen Latifah from 2014, the Mount Vernon native and the “U.N.I.T.Y.” rapstress have ties to “The Equalizer” franchise.
Director Antoine Fuqua tapped Washington for the action-thriller “The Equalizer,” which hit theaters in 2014. Two movie sequels were released in 2018 and 2023, respectively. Latifah led the rebooted TV version of “The Equalizer” from 2021 to 2025.