"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (often referred to as "H to the Izzo") is the first single released by
Jay-Z from his sixth album ''
The Blueprint
''The Blueprint'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. ...
''. It is among his most popular singles. This was the second song released off ''The Blueprint'', after the
diss track
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...
"
Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...
", but the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from it. The song reached number eight on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US. It was Jay-Z's first top 10 single as a lead artist.
The song, produced by
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, prominently features a sample of "
I Want You Back
"I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...
" by
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
, the second major hit in 2001 to sample that song (after "
My Baby" by
Lil' Romeo
Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...
).
Jay-Z premiered the song live, at the inaugural
BET Awards
The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...
on June 19, 2001.
The song was later mashed up with
Linkin Park's "
In the End
"In the End" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the eighth track on their debut album, ''Hybrid Theory'' (2000), and was released as the album's fourth and final single.
"In the End" received positive reviews by music critics, ...
" for their collaborative EP, ''
Collision Course
{{wiktionary
A collision course, also known as a ''kamikaze run'', is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in Sci-Fi a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages ...
''.
Lawsuit
On October 31, 2001, a copyright lawsuit was filed against Jay-Z by Demme Ulloa, who claimed that she was wasn't paid for her contribution to "Izzo". Ulloa asserted that it was her singing "H to the izzo/V to the izzay", though she didn't receive any money for her contribution and was not credited in the liner notes of ''The Blueprint''. The case was dismissed in 2004 for joint authorship but continued to proceed for a copyright infringement claim.
Credits and personnel
The credits for "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" are adapted from the liner notes of ''The Blueprint''.
;Studio locations
* Mastered at Masterdisk,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
,
New York.
* Mixed at
Right Track Studios
Sound on Sound Studios, formerly known as MSR Studios (Manhattan Sound Recordings) is a photography and movie producing company recording facility in Montclair, New Jersey. Its forebear, MSR Studios, was located in Manhattan, just outside Times Sq ...
, New York City, New York.
* Recorded at Baseline Studios, New York City, New York.
;Personnel
*
Jay-Z –
songwriting
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
,
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
*
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
–
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
, songwriting
*
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...
– songwriting
*
Alphonso Mizell – songwriting
*
Freddie Perren
Frederick James Perren (May 15, 1943 – December 16, 2004) was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor. He co-wrote and co-produced songs including "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gay ...
– songwriting
*
– songwriting
*
Young Guru
Gimel Androus Keaton (born February 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Young Guru, is an American audio engineer, record producer, disc jockey, and record executive from Wilmington, Delaware. In 2019, Young Guru won a Grammy Award for Bes ...
– recording
* Kamel Adbo – recording
*
Ken "Duro" Ifill –
mixing
* Tony Dawsey –
mastering
;Samples
* "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" contains elements of "
I Want You Back
"I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...
", as performed by
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
and written by
The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Alphonso Mizell, Freddie Perren and Deke Richards).
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
2001 songs
2001 singles
Jay-Z songs
Songs written by Jay-Z
Song recordings produced by Kanye West
Songs written by Kanye West
Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director)
Songs written by Deke Richards
Songs written by Berry Gordy
Songs written by Freddie Perren
Roc-A-Fella Records singles
Def Jam Recordings singles
{{2000s-hiphop-single-stub