In honor of Hov’s 44th birthday today, we’ve amassed five quick facts about Jay Z that you may not have been aware of.
5. Stole the “Feelin’ It” beat – Maybe ‘”stole” is a bit harsh, but the fact remains that the beat that became “Feelin’ It” from his classic debut album Reasonable Doubt was never meant for him. Camp-Lo had the beat on reserve. Jay somehow heard it and let’s just say he was really persuasive to producer Ski as to why he should have the beat. Hov also had his eyes andears on the beat now known as “Luchini (This Is It)” but decided taking one beat was enough and let them keep it.
4. Shot his brother – As a teenager, Jay got into an argument with his older brother over some jewelry that turned into an altercation that resulted in him shooting his brother. Check out the song “You Must Love Me” for full details.
3. Lied to use Annie sample – Jay’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” was his first top 15 pop hit and helped propel his Vol 2 … Hard Knock Life album to over five million in sales, and none of it would have been possible if not for a small lie. In order to gain sample clearance, Hov schmoozed Annie composer Charles Strouse by telling him that the song was special to him because he had won an essay-writing contest and saw Annie on Broadway as a kid. Neither of which actually happened.
2. “Empire State of Mind” was his first single to top the Billboard Hot 100 – Despite guesting on Hot 100 No. 1 hits for Mariah Carey (“Heartbreaker”), Beyonce (“Crazy In Love”), and Rihanna (“Umbrella”), it wasn’t until his Blueprint 3 album smash “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys in 2009 that Jay was able to top the Hot 100 as the main artist. We’re betting that milestone made him glad he came out of retirement.
1. Pays Sean Bell’s kids’ tuition – Sean Bell of course, was the unarmed Queens, N.Y., man killed by NYPD officers the night before his wedding. The incident, in which cops shot at Bell’s car 51 times without being fired upon, sparked a number of protests and tributes from the hip-hop community. Quiet as kept, Jay Z was so moved by the story, he reached out to the family shortly thereafter, and has been paying the school tuition of Bell’s two children ever since.
–tj armour/@tjarmour
