Jay-Z on Rihanna: 'She's Going Through a Tough Time'

Jay-Z was interviewed about his “Umbrella” collaborator Rihanna at his third annual Two Kings dinner with LeBron James during NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday in Phoenix, Ariz.

“I just think we should all support her,” said the former Island Def Jam president and CEO, who signed the 20-year-old singer to his label in 2004. “She’s going through a tough time. You have to realize she’s a young girl, as well. She’s very young.”

Hov is not taking Chris Brown’s alleged assault on his protégé lightly. “You have to have compassion for others. Just imagine it being your sister or mom and then think about how we should talk about that.”

When asked if he’s seen the Barbados beauty since the altercation, Jay-Z said, “I don’t want to go into it.”

Someone in the music mogul’s camp had previously spoken about Rihanna’s fight with Chris Brown saying, “Chris is a walking dead man. He messed with the wrong crew.”