DATELINE’s Lester Holt on Meek Mill’s Post-Release Interview

Credit: NBC

On Sunday’s episode of DATELINE, NBC News’ Lester Holt speaks with rapper Meek Mill, a day after the latter’s release from prison. (Mill was incarcerated due to a probation violation.)

But Holt’s inspiration for the hour of DATELINE came from an unlikely place: Jay-Z. “I didn’t know a lot about Meek Mill’s story…but when Jay-Z penned an op-ed in the New York Times last fall, that’s was when I first realized the depth of his story and what he represented,” Holt told reporters in the video below.

Holt spoke to Mill in prison, via telephone, and the veteran reporter was impressed. NBC News’ cameras were there when Mill was released, and captured  “magical moment,” Holt previewed. And when it came time for the actual sit-down interview, “I found him to be a very thoughtful guy…he understands the weight of responsibility [he can have].”

Check out the video for more from Holt on his experience with Mill. Read more