The five best Jay-Z songs produced by The Neptunes
Jay-Z was already a respected rapper by the time he met Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. Although the dates are a bit fuzzy, it was around the late nineties that Jay-Z started working with Williams and Hugo on session work – then known as record production duo The Neptunes – and in 2000 when ‘I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)’ dropped.
This was the song that – without sounding dramatic – somewhat changed hip-hop history. It ushered in a new era of Jay-Z’s music, something more accessible and club-friendly, something closer to the Jay-Z music we take for granted as his genre-dominating sound today.
Jay-Z and The Neptunes continued to collaborate in a partnership that came to shape the sound of the decade across the sphere of music. Sonically, it was a jump for the rapper towards glossier rhythms, a warmer sound with more cosmopolitan edge. And over time, it created an international icon out of not just Jay-Z, but Pharrell Williams, too.
Here are the five best Jay-Z songs produced by The Neptunes.
The five best Jay-Z songs produced by The Neptunes
‘Allure’
From Jay-Z’s The Black Album, ‘Allure’ is a moody production in which atmospheric chords and soft drums give the song an introspective depth and establish a melancholic energy not traditionally associated with hip-hop.
Naturally, Jay’s lyrics reflect the production. Instead of glorifying the rapper lifestyle, the musician follows The Neptunes’ lead and pens lyrics that seamlessly fit the groundless, reflective vibe of the track. It’s an emotional anchor of the album and showcases both the musician and the producers at their most sonically and lyrically vulnerable: and, naturally, at their strongest.
‘Blue Magic’
Inspired by the film American Gangster, Pharrell actually joins Jay on the other side of the recording booth, contributing his vocals for a soft – even haunting – dimension. There’s an underworld vibe to both film and track that feels like a sincere homage to the 1990s and ’00s gangster culture predecessors – that of the mafia and associated organised crime films.
Jay-Z plays ball too, with a narrative that goes above his usual lyricism and explores a new world of lyrical storytelling. In ‘Blue Magic’, Jay speaks as a historian of the hood and its cycles of greed and ambition. This is a deeply moody, tense, but glossy, and sincerely interesting track that highlights the ambitious success of both Jay and The Neptunes.
‘Change Clothes’
The first official single from The Black Album, this track also features vocals from Pharrell for a tune that is altogether very different from ‘Blue Magic’. It’s an upbeat and playful production that uses a brisk tempo and fun guitar licks for a very different New York City experience: something more exciting, optimistic, and cosmopolitan.
The music video reflects this. Featuring the likes of Naomi Campbell, Kelly Ripa, Mary J. Blige and Beanie Sigel – to name a mere few – this R&B leaning single reached number 20 in the Billboard Hot 100 and remains both fan and critic’s favourite in Jay-Z’s evolving sound throughout this point of his career.
‘Excuse Me Miss’
Discussing the concept of love at first sight is usually left to the poets, not the rappers. But in The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse’s ‘Excuse Me Miss’, Jay-Z drops the way he spoke about women on former tracks for a story more centred on considerations and subtle gestures over masculine bravado.
And he was handsomely rewarded for it. On a brilliant production that uses percussion and a gentle melodic rise for a final piece that felt dapper in lyrics and elegant in tone, the single peaked at number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song.
‘I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)’
The song that started it all. With a Neptunes production that sounded both futuristic and undeniably fun, Pharrell’s falsetto grants the track an easy lightness that really allows Jay’s flirty swagger to anchor the tune.
It was a huge hit upon release. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart; Britney Spears said the track inspired her to work with the Neptunes for her album Britney the following year. Not only did ‘I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)’ establish Jay-Z as a superstar upon the global stage, but it also altered the sound of noughties music as we know it today.