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.
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?’”
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.
