Just Blaze On First Time Working with Jay Z, Going from Intern to Owning Studio

http://www.hardknock.tv With SXSW Music Festival right around the corner Hard Knock TV decided to revisit one of the most talked about panels from last year: Behind the Hit: Inside the Mind of a Producer. The panel featured Just Blaze, Drumma Boy, Salaam Remi, Dan Nakamura aka Dan The Automator and was moderated by Hard Knock TV’s own Nick Huff Barili. This video clip starts of with Just Blaze giving insight into the making of one of his hit songs “Oh Boy” which Jay Z passed on before Cam’Ron recorded to it. Just Blaze details how he started working with Roc-A-Fella records and what it took to get Jay Z’s attention. “Jay was not f&%king with me at all. Back then I didn’t know him personally, so I always had to get messages through people. Like ‘yeah Jay said he like the drums but the sample sucks’…Finally what had happened was there I was working with this artist by the name of Billy Bathgate and Jay had an artists by the name of Amil back then, she was supposed to be the first lady of Roc-A-Fella. She featured on this Bathgate record, Jay heard it, and he pulled a “Can I Get A”. “Can I Get A” was originally a Ja Rule record that he took from Ja Rule because he was Jay Z and he did the same thing, he’s like “yo give me that record”…the record was called “That’s Right”. [He]Took it for Amil’s album. He jumped on it and he was like who made this beat? And they are like that kid Just.” Just Blaze details how at that moment Jay wanted him to go to the studio with him but because of scheduling conflicts there were not able to. Fast forward to a studio session where Just was working with Memphis Bleek. “I do my first session with Memphis Bleek and I make this beat and Memphis Bleek says ‘That sounds like some soap opera shit turn that off’ and I’m like ‘ok’. The next day I have my first meeting with Jay where he personally invited me to the studio. While Jay is in the booth working on “Parking Lot Pimpin” with Rick Rock for the Dynasty album I bring up the soap opera beat and Jay walks out and hears it and he’s like ‘yo this is amazing, what is this?’ And I’m like oh just something I was making last night for Bleek, he said it sucks. He’s like ‘yeah that what Bleek does’…He is working on the song in the booth and I’m just floored that Jay Z is rapping to a beat of mine. While that is happening I get to the MPC, throw on the head phones and make another beat. And he comes out and he’s like ‘what else you got?’ I’m like “this right here”. And hes like “when did you make this?” and I’m like “just now while you were in the booth.” and he’s like “I was only in the booth for 5 minutes.” And I’m like “yeah and I made it in 5 minutes”. He’s like “WORD. Alright stick around I’ma make you a star. He’s like that room over there that’s yours.” Just explains that 3 years later he bought the studio from Jay. Stay tuned for more videos from this panel.

Behind the Hit: Inside the Mind of a Producer
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_MP991001
Take an inside look into the making of some of your favorite records. This group of producers will share keys to success, stories behind the scenes, lessons learned and will give insight into the advancement of recording technology, evolving from beat maker to producer, sampling and much more.

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