"Jockin' Jay-Z" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z, produced by Kanye West. Originally intended for inclusion on his eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3, the song didn't make the final track listing and remained a digital-only single until it was included as a b-side on various releases of the "Empire State of Mind" single. It samples "Dumb Girl" by Run-D.M.C. and first leaked on the internet in July 2008 – but with low quality sound. The mastered version was released in August 2008.
| "Jockin' Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jay-Z | ||||
| Released | September 16, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, rap rock | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Kanye West | |||
| Jay-Z singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background edit
Jay-Z debuted the song at a Kanye West show at Madison Square Garden in August 2008.[1] West told the audience that he wanted to play a beat he'd been working on, and once it started, Jay-Z came out and rapped over it. Once the abridged version of song concluded, Jay-Z and West simultaneously struck b-boy stances. The track contains a vocal sample of "Dumb Girl" by Run-DMC. West came up with the idea of revamping Run's line, "I seen you jockin' J.C."[2]
Oasis lyric war edit
The song's earliest form as previewed at Kanye West's Madison Square Garden show in August 2008 included the line "That bloke from Oasis said I couldn't play guitar, somebody should have told him I'm a fucking rock star" followed by the opening line to the Oasis song "Wonderwall".[3][4][5] This was a response to a comment made by Oasis guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher in April 2008 when he suggested that a hip-hop headline act was wrong for the Glastonbury Festival.[6][7] This set off a media-fueled storm of controversy. At Glastonbury Jay-Z performed an ironic version of Oasis's "Wonderwall". Jay-Z's reactions were reportedly described by an Oasis band member as like that of an eight-year-old girl.[8] When Oasis later split due to a personality clash between Noel and Liam Gallagher,[9] Jay-Z scored a point back by suggesting he would like to work with Liam.[9]
Charts edit
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] | 51 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[11] | 18 |
| US Rhythmic (Billboard)[12] | 35 |
Release history edit
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | September 16, 2008[13] | Rhythmic contemporary radio | Roc-A-Fella, The Island Def Jam Music Group |
References edit
- ^ "Jockin' Jay-Z" (Live at Madison Square Garden) Archived December 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kanye West Explains 'Jockin' Jay-Z' Sample, Drops Exclusive Freestyle, More In Mixtape Monday". MTV Networks. February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ^ Daniel Kreps (August 7, 2008). "Rolling Stone article". Rolling Stone article. Archived from the original on August 11, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ "PrefixMag". PrefixMag. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ "Who Sampled Who site". Whosampled.com. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ Paterson, Colin (April 14, 2008). "BBC report the Gallagher comments". BBC News. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ "NME report". NME. UK. April 14, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ Gregory, Jason. "Gem Archer interview". Gigwise.com. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ a b "Clash Music". Clash Music. October 6, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
- ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
- ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
- ^ "CHR – Available for Airplay Archive". FMQB. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2013.