Jay-Z's ability to flawlessly flow over any type of production is one of the many reasons why he's the GOAT. Producers have sampled music from across the globe throughout the history of hip-hop. Jay-Z may have been one of the first rappers to properly flip a Bhangra record and turn it into a Billboard charting hit. Jay-Z teamed up with Panjabi MC in the early 2000s to flip, "Beware Of The Boys" which ultimately turned into an international hit.
Panjabi MC's "Mundian To Bach Ke" -- translated to "Beware Of The Boys" in English -- originally appeared on his 1998 album, Legalised before being re-released as a single in 2002. In Jay-Z's book, Decoded, he explained how he ended up on the remix which was released in 2003. Although the first verse opens up on more of a party vibe, Jay-Z does take a political route on the song when he addresses the Iraq war.
"It wasn’t like anything else playing. The bass line was propulsive and familiar, but it took me a second to realize it was from the theme song of Knight Rider. All I knew was it was something totally fresh. It felt like world music in the best sense," he explained in Decoded. "I wanted to make a party song, but the international feeling of the track -- which some people thought was Arabic -- moved me into a different direction. So I dropped a line against the Iraq war."
Quotable Lyrics
It's International Hov, been having a flow
Before Bin Laden got Manhattan to blow
Before Ronald Reagan got Manhattan the blow
Before I was cabbing it there back and forth
Raw we had it all day, Papi in the hallway
Cop one on consignment to give you more yay
