"Jockin' Jay-Z" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z, 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 ...

. Originally intended for inclusion on his eleventh studio album ''

The Blueprint 3 ''The Blueprint 3'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009, on Roc Nation, through distribution from Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. It is the third album in the ''Blueprint'' series, preceded by '' ...

'', the song didn't make the final track listing and remained a digital-only single until it was included as a b-side on various releases of the "

Empire State of Mind "Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's 11th studio album, ''The Blueprint 3'' (2009). It was released on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song feature ...

" single. It samples "Dumb Girl" by

Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

and first leaked on the internet in July 2008 – but with low quality sound. The mastered version was released in August 2008.

Background

Jay-Z debuted the song at a Kanye West show at Madison Square Garden in August 2008. West told the audience that he wanted to play a beat he'd been working on, and once it started, Jay-Z came out and rapped over it. Once the abridged version of song concluded, Jay-Z and West simultaneously struck b-boy stances. The track contains a vocal sample of "Dumb Girl" by Run-DMC. West came up with the idea of revamping Run's line, "I seen you jockin' J.C."

Oasis lyric war

The song's earliest form as previewed at

's Madison Square Garden show in August 2008 included the line "''That bloke from Oasis said I couldn't play guitar, somebody should have told him I'm a fucking rock star''" followed by the opening line to the Oasis song " Wonderwall". This was a response to a comment made by Oasis guitarist and songwriter

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...

in April 2008 when he suggested that a hip-hop headline act was wrong for the Glastonbury Festival. This set off a media-fueled storm of controversy. At Glastonbury Jay-Z performed an ironic version of Oasis's "Wonderwall". Jay-Z's reactions were reportedly described by an Oasis band member as like that of an eight-year-old girl. When Oasis later split due to a personality clash between Noel and

Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009, and later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starti ...

, Jay-Z scored a point back by suggesting he would like to work with Liam.

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2008 singles Jay-Z songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by Joseph Simmons 2008 songs Roc-A-Fella Records singles