The rapper opened up during a Q&A session at New York City’s Columbia University on Tuesday.

After his tragic helicopter crash a fortnight ago, many people are still reeling from Kobe Bryant’s death, including rapper/mogul Jay Z. The two last spoke when Bryant attended a New Year’s party at Jay Z and Beyoncé’s house, with Bryant saying, “You’ve gotta see Gianna play basketball.” A sentence made all the more upsetting by the fact Bryant’s daughter Gianna also was lost in the crash.

Jay Z also said at the Q&A the following: So Kobe was a guy that looked up to me and we’ve hung out multiple times,” Jay-Z responded. “He was last in my house on New Year’s and he was just in the greatest space I’ve seen him in and one of the last things he said to me was, ‘You’ve gotta see Gianna play basketball,'” Jay-Z said.

“That was one of the most hurtful things because he was so proud. The look on his face…I looked at him and said, ‘Oh she’s going to be the best female basketball player in the world.’ He was just so proud of what he said. That was a tough one. My wife and I are taking that really tough.”