no-id

Beyoncé’s ‘Church Girl’ Beat Was Originally Made For This Rapper

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Beyoncé’s recording-breaking album Renaissance was a glowing tribute to the “Cuff It” singer’s late Uncle Jonny, the LGTBQ community, and the Black musical pioneers. Across the body of work, Beyoncé sampled a wide range of musicians, including Donna Summer, Robin S, Teena Marie, and Kelis. One of the most-discussed uses of a classic song came from her track “Church Girl,” which pulled from The Clark Sisters’ 1981 record “Center Of Thy Will.”

However, Beyoncé’s “Church Girl” beat was originally made for someone else. So, who was the instrumental initially intended for? According to the song’s co-producer, No ID, he crafted the beat for his longtime collaborator, Jay-Z. During an interview with Al Shipley for Stereogum, the musician confessed that Beyoncé playfully jacked the beat from her husband.

“I was at [Jay-Z’s] house one day, and I had some equipment with me, and I just started making a beat. And he was rapping to it. It was for him. And he just put it on the computer. I never thought about it again. I literally forgot about it. And then, one day, I just got a call. When you get two to three calls from people in a row, you know it’s something,” said No ID.

He added, “‘Hey, do you have this idea? Beyonce got somethin’ to it. And Jay jokingly tells me, ‘Man, she stole my beat.’ She was like, ‘Remember that idea in the computer that you didn’t finish?”’ And I went to see [Beyoncé], talked about the record, and listened to her album.”

Renaissance is out now via Columbia Records. Find more information here.

Saba And No ID Embrace ‘Hue_Man Nature’ In Their First Video From Their Upcoming Joint Mixtape

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Chicago rapper Saba and prolific producer No ID have a promising project underway. This summer, the two will release a joint mixtape called From The Private Collection Of Saba & No ID via Artium Recordings. Ahead of the mixtape, the two have released a new song called “Hue_man Nature.”

On the track, Saba delivers smooth bars over a soft, silky guitar loop, while highlighting the faults of the human condition.

“Damn/I was going through it, didn’t say sh*t / Damn / You was busy asking me for favors,” he says on the song’s chorus.

In the song’s accompanying video, Saba is seen embracing the vibe of a desert as the sunset creates a warm, calming ambiance.

On the upcoming mixtape, fans can expect both of the Chicago heavyweights to share personal stories, while honoring the hip-hop veterans and their legacies. They also hope to pave the way for future generations.

“To be able to have a real career, you have to reinvent your thought process, reinvent your perspective,” said No ID “And you can’t do it sitting on the mountaintop, yelling about what you did. You think you know — and then everything changes.”

You can see the video for “Hue_Man Nature” above.

The Best New Music This Week: Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj, Pi’erre Bourne, NLE Choppa, and More

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Image via Complex Original

  • Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj, “Princess Diana (Remix)”


  • Pi’erre Bourne, “Tabloid”


  • NLE Choppa f/ Lola Brooke & Modesty, “Automobooty” 


  • SZA f/ Doja Cat, “Kill Bill (Remix)” 


  • YoungBoy Never Broke Again f/ Mariah The Scientist, “Rear View” 


  • Saba & No I.D., “Back In Office” 


  • Jorja Smith, “Try Me” 

Saba Teams Up With No ID For The Slick New Song ‘Back In Office’

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Last year, Saba unveiled his new album Few Good Things. It had a ton of features, such as 6lack and Amino for “Still,” Krayzie Bone for “Come My Way,” G Herbo for “Survivor’s Guilt,” and more. He’s back today (April 12) with another collaboration, this time with No ID for “Back In Office.”

It immediately starts off with a slick flow and only gets better throughout. “This is for the amateurs, this is what a master raps / Some of them not amateurs, but next to me they sound like that,” Saba flexes.

In our 2022 interview with Saba, he discussed his interest in visual mediums since he shot a short film called Few Good Things to go with his album.

“I think the cool part of being able to play music, but music specifically that is lyric-based, is that we’re able to use our language to set scenes,” he told Uproxx. “We can make our language really visual, and I think that’s one of the elements that make telling personal stories, firsthand, telling things that are valuable to me, I think that’s one of the things that makes it unique. It makes people connect to it, but I think it’s always been — with our writing style — it’s always been really visual.”

Listen to “Back In Office” above.