The 65th annual Grammy Awards was certainly one to remember. From Beyoncé’s appearance, to the iconic hip hop tribute, to the memorable “GOD DID” closing performance, viewers and lovers of rap were left satisfied. The Lil Wayne and Rick Ross-assisted record spoke volumes and was the perfect way to end the ceremony on a powerful note. In an interview with TIDAL today (Feb. 6), JAY-Z spoke with Elliott Wilson and shared that he performed the song out of respect for hip hop culture. During the conversation, Hov said he was debating whether the Grammys audience could stomach all four minutes of his guest verse, but decided to go for it because of the song’s monumental impact.

“I thought about it, I was in my head and I just broke down and said, ‘You know, it’s a four-minute verse.’ Again, for the culture, for hip hop, we got to do that,” he said. “This ain’t your traditional song. It’s not your traditional structure of what you think a song that would be nominated for Song of the Year would sound like. It’s not what you expect. And for the culture and for hip hop, we got to do that.” Hov continued: “We owe that. This thing that changed our lives. We got to do that. A four-minute verse performed at the Grammys. We owe it to the culture, and it ain’t even a burden. It’s a blessing. It’s easy and fun.”

Seated next to loyal associates “OG Juan” Perez and Emory Jones behind a lavish dinner table, the rap legend recreated Leonardo DaVinci’s “The Last Supper” while reciting his show-stealing verse. “GOD DID” was nominated for three awards — Song of the Year, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance — but went home empty-handed. Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” won two of those rap categories while Song of the Year went to Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That.”