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Jay-Z Turned Down The Beat For Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player,” Hip Hop Says

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Jay-Z once turned down the beat for Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player,” according to Joshua “Hip Hop” Kyambo.

The former Roc-A-Fella A&R recently appeared on the R.O.A.D podcast where he delved into his history with the legendary label, working with Jay-Z, and defining the label’s distinct production style. Hip Hop deserves the credit for some of the biggest records in Jay’s catalog since the signature sound of the label heavily depended on his ear for production.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 25: (L-R) Kareem Biggs Burke, Jay Z, and Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua at Fourth of November presents 20th Anniversary of Reasonable Doubt on June 25, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Bezjian/WireImage)

While he shared some tales of Jay’s studio sessions, he also dived into a few songs that he turned down. Some of them included massive records that have withstood the test of time.

Hip-Hop presented the beat for “Still Not A Player” before it ultimately landed in Big Pun’s lap. He also tried to get Jay-Z on “Whoa!” which wound up becoming Black Rob’s biggest hit. Finally, he revealed that he tried to get Jay-Z to rap on the beat for Mr. Cheeks’ “Lights, Camera, Action.”

“He said it was too slow,” Hip-Hop recalled of Jay’s reaction to “Lights, Camera, Action.” “I was like ‘Whatchu mean it’s too slow?’”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 01: Jay-Z is seen out and about in Manhattan on August 01, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images)

The hosts then asked how he felt about the success of the song. He explained that he didn’t feel any way about Jay turning the beat down.

“Nah, it’s like whatever is best for the record,” he said. And I know that a record just got to motivate [Jay-Z].”

Check out the clip below and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Tony Yayo Says 50 Cent Has Done More For Uncle Murda Than Jay-Z

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Tony Yayo argued that 50 Cent has done more to help Uncle Murda’s career than Jay-Z. Yayo explained his position while speaking with Murda on Thisis50. Murda signed with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella in 2007 but later moved over to G-Unit with 50 Cent in 2016.

“That’s why I respect him because we have more of an assist,” Yayo said. “We have 50 Cent so I knew I was okay. He sold 11 million records I’m gonna get a percentage of his fans. I’m good. [Uncle Murda] had to kind of more do it on his own. He had deals with Jay-Z and them but Jay-Z ain’t gonna never… I always tell them all the time Jay-Z ain’t treating you like this n***a.”

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 30: Tony Yayo attends the XXL Freshmen Live 2015 concert at Best Buy on June 30, 2015, in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

From there, Murda reflected on Jay-Z giving him his first six-figure check and thanked him for the support. He also joked about Yayo being quick to call out Jay-Z by recalling his response to a party they recently attended. Several high-profile celebrities, including the Kardashians and Serena Williams, were in attendance.

“We just finished performing, great time, right,” Murda said. “First thing my man wanna say, ‘Yeah shit lit, Jay-Z will never take you to a party like this.”

Yayo then continued: “I’m just telling you how we get treated. I’m quite sure Hov and a lot of artists they treat some of their artists maybe good, maybe not. I’m just telling you how we get treated. I don’t know [if] Jay-Z ever had him in the Armani Hotel.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the two discuss Tory Lanez’s recent trial regarding the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, “Rap-Up 2022,” and more.

Check out Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda’s conversation on Thisis50 below.

[Via]