Five songs you didn’t know Jay-Z wrote for other artists
Jay-Z’s status as a rap artist is long since cemented. From Reasonable Doubt to The Blueprint and beyond, Hov has built a catalogue that places him firmly in the upper echelons of hip-hop history. His lyrical precision, business acumen and cultural influence have made him one of the most formidable figures the genre has ever produced.
What is less widely known, however, is just how far his pen has travelled beyond his own discography. Behind the scenes, Jay-Z has quietly lent his writing talents to a number of other artists, shaping records that don’t necessarily carry his name in bold print. His ear for hooks and instinct for storytelling have proven just as powerful when placed in someone else’s voice.
In some cases, Hov’s ghostwriting skills have been so sharp that the songs he helped craft went on to become defining moments for his peers. These aren’t obscure album cuts buried in liner notes, but major tracks that dominated charts, airwaves and award ceremonies. His influence seeps into the DNA of modern music in ways many listeners might never suspect.
Listen to these five tracks that showcase Jay-Z’s behind-the-scenes brilliance and reveal just how mighty Hova’s impact on the industry truly is.
‘Still D.R.E.’ – Dr Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
This 1999 banger is one of Jay’s biggest ghostwriting credits. Famed for being a pinnacle of West Coast rap, it was written by Jay, an East Coast artist. In an interview in 2020, Snoop Dogg even admitted that after he and The D.O.C. struggled to write verses for the iconic piano beat, Dr Dre called in reinforcement.
Jay flew to Los Angeles and wrote both Dre’s and Snoop’s verse in under an hour. Snoop explained that “Jay-Z is a great writer to begin with for himself, so imagine him striking it for someone he truly loves and appreciates. He loves Dr Dre, and that’s what his pen showed you”.
Meanwhile. Jay revealed in a different interview that he actually recorded a reference track that mimicked Dre and Snoop’s voices. “You’ve got to have a reverence for them, obviously the music they were making, The Chronic, and all that,” he said. “In order for me to get the essence of Dre, and Snoop, it had to be a studied reverence of what they were doing”.
Ironically, ‘Still D.R.E.’ celebrates Dre’s triumphant return to music after leaving Death Row Records, but is so authentically Dre, that few people suspect it comes from Jay.
‘Heartbreaker’ – Mariah Carey
The same year that Jay wrote ‘Still D.R.E.’, he also churned out pop diva Mariah Carey’s ‘Heartbreaker’. Mariah wrote the main body of the song with DJ Clue, but felt like it needed a strong male, hip hop verse to be complete. Naturally, she went to Jay Z.
Jay wrote his whole verse and also helped produce some of ‘Heartbreaker’’s core instrumentals. In true Jay fashion though, he wasn’t content with the first attempt and so rewrote his verse just before the song was released, without telling anyone. Speaking about the collaboration, Mariah Carey said that “We could be sitting in the studio, and [Jay-Z] can freestyle a rhyme that would be incredible just off the top of his head. He doesn’t need a pen and paper”.
She elaborated: “I equate that to a singer who can pick up the mike and riff and ad-lib over a song and take you to a totally new place”. ‘Heartbreaker’ was Mariah Carey’s fourteenth number-one single.
‘Umbrella’ – Rihanna
Jay didn’t write all of ‘Umbrella’ but he did contribute in a way that significantly elevated it from a good pop song to a global hit. Terius “The Dream” Nash and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart wrote the majority of the track, but once Rihanna had recorded her parts, Jay added his opening verse.
Unsurprisingly, Jay wasn’t satisfied with his first efforts – he rewrote his verse without Nash and Stewart knowing. “From a songwriter’s standpoint, [Jay-Z] really made it more about the song, with the metaphors about umbrellas and about the weather versus what he had before”, said Stewart.
The change was justified, ‘Umbrella’ was number one for 10 weeks in the UK chart and became one of the best-selling singles of the 21st century.
‘3 Kings’ – Rick Ross featuring Dr Dre and Jay-Z
Released in 2012, the ghostwriting situation on ‘3 Kings’ gets a bit complicated. The track features on Rick Ross’ God Forgives, I Don’t album, and includes verses from Dr Dre and Jay-Z.
While Jay wrote his own verse, Rick Ross actually wrote Dre’s verse. On top of that, there’s some speculation that Jay’s verse was freestyled and not prewritten because it has a more raw energy than his other ghostwriting ventures. Still, Jay’s contribution demonstrates the collaborative nature of hip hop songwriting.
It also demonstrates the value each artist brings: Ross’s conceptual vision, Dre’s unmatchable delivery, and Jay’s ability to drop memorable verses without flinching.
‘I Love the Dough’ – The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Jay-Z
Off Biggie’s Life After Death album, Jay’s involvement on ‘I Love the Dough’ goes deeper than simply rapping a verse. It’s two Brooklyn legends flexing their rap and songwriting abilities.
The track was produced by Nashiem Myrick, who recalled watching Jay and B.I.G record it: “Jigga and Big, them n***** was really battling. Both of them don’t write their rhymes down; they just say it in their heads”.
Biggie had already been impressed by Jay’s lyricism when they worked together on ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ for Jay’s Reasonable Doubt.
‘I Love the Dough’ is like a love letter between the two artists – a love for hip hop, for each other’s skills, and for an innate mastery of language. The track was released just two weeks after Biggie was murdered in 1997 and was one of his last recordings.