Jay-Z shared details from the last conversation he had with Kobe Bryant just weeks before the NBA star and eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas.

While speaking at Columbia University in New York City on Tuesday (February 4), the "99 Problems" hitmaker opened up about his friendship with Bryant, revealing the two spent New Year's Eve together.

"Kobe was a guy that looked up to me, and we've hung out multiple times. He was last at my house on New Year's, and he was just in the greatest space that I've seen him in," Jay-Z recalled. "One of the last things he said to me was, 'You've got to see Gianna play basketball.' And that was one of the most hurtful things, because he was so proud."

"The look on his face was like... I looked at him and said, 'Oh, she's going to be the best female basketball player in the world,'" the rapper continued. "He was just so proud of what he said."

"That's really a tough one and my wife [Beyoncé] and I took that, are taking that, really tough. That's all I'll say on that," he shared. "Just a great human being that was in a great space in his life."

You can check out Jay-Z heartfelt tribute in the video, below:

The news of Bryant's death sent shockwaves around the word as heartbroken fans and celebrities took to social media to pay tribute to the legendary basketball star and the victims of the fatal helicopter crash.

Last week, Beyoncé shared a series of photos to pay tribute to Bryant and Gianna, captioning a shot of them at a basketball game, "I will continue to diligently pray for your Queens. You are deeply missed beloved Kobe."

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