(OPRAH.com)  -- At 13 he was selling crack. By 30 he was a hip-hop legend -- having gone, in his words, "from grams to Grammys."



Jay-Z tells Oprah Winfrey a conversation with his father freed him "one hundred percent."



Now Jay-Z charts his escape from the hard-knock life, describes the reunion that healed the wounds of his childhood -- and even reveals his personal creed.



The rapper, now 39, was born Shawn Carter in Brooklyn, New York. His albums include "Reasonable Doubt," "The Black Album" and the just-released "The Blueprint 3." Jay-Z also owns a portion of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and founded, with Damon Dash, the clothing line Rocawear.



Jay-Z spoke with Oprah Winfrey about his father, his anger and his old life. The following is an edited version of the interview.



Oprah Winfrey: When you were 5, your family moved to the Marcy projects -- and then your father left when you were 11. When you look back at that, what did your 11-year-old self feel?



Jay-Z: Anger. At the whole situation. Because when you're growing up, your dad is your superhero. Once you've let yourself fall that in love with someone, once you put him on such a high pedestal and he lets you down, you never want to experience that pain again.



So I remember just being really quiet and really cold. Never wanting to let myself get close to someone like that again. I carried that feeling throughout my life, until my father and I met up before he died.



Oprah: Wow. I've never heard a man phrase it that way. You know, I've done many shows about divorce, and the real crime is when the kids aren't told. They just wake up one day and their dad is gone. Did that happen to you?



Jay-Z: We were told our parents would separate, but the reasons weren't explained. My mom prepared us more than he did. I don't think he was ready for that level of discussion and emotion. He was a guy who was pretty detached from his feelings.



Oprah: Did you wonder why he left?



Jay-Z: I summed it up that they weren't getting along. There was a lot of arguing.



Oprah: And did you know you were angry?



Jay-Z: Yeah. I also felt protective of my mom. I remember telling her, "Don't worry, when I get big, I'm going to take care of this." I felt like I had to step up. I was 11 years old, right? But I felt I had to make the situation better.



Oprah: How did that change you?



Jay-Z: It made me not express my feelings as much. I was already a shy kid, and it made me a little reclusive. But it also made me independent. And stronger. It was a weird juxtaposition.



Oprah: I've read that when you were 12, you shot your brother in the shoulder. Did your father's leaving have anything to do with that? Did it turn you into the kind of angry kid who would end up shooting his brother?



Jay-Z: Yes -- and my brother was dealing with a lot of demons.



Oprah: How old was he?



Jay-Z: About 16. He was doing a lot of drugs. He was taking stuff from our family. I was the youngest, but I felt like I needed to protect everybody.



Oprah: So how did you get back in touch with your father?



Jay-Z: My mom set up a meeting. And now I realize why -- it makes all the sense in the world. I remember very distinctly that I had a conversation with her in my kitchen. I was saying, "You know, Ma, I've really been trying
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