Jay-Z is one of the wealthiest rappers to come out of hip-hop. With a net worth of over $1 billion, the rapper (real name Shawn Carter) is revered in the culture for his work ethic and exceptional music. However, there is one song that the emcee wrote that he now wishes he never wrote.
Although Carter’s discography is undeniably outstanding and has made him one of the most successful artists of his generation, akin to Eminem, at times, he has looked back on his career and heard some material that makes him uncomfortable.
Reflecting on his career in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Brooklyn musician unveiled that he has developed a dislike for his 1999 hit ‘Big Pimpin’ featuring UGK. The track was released as a single for his multi-platinum album Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter.
Although the song, which features Pimp C and Bun B, charted, Jay disclosed that he prides himself on profound lyrics and, looking back, he doesn’t see anything meaningful in the rhymes of ‘Big Pimpin,’ stating, “That’s the exception. It was like…I can’t believe I said that. And kept saying it? What type of animal would say this sort of thing. Reading it is really harsh.”
Produced by Timbaland, ‘Big Pimpin’ sampled ‘Khosara Khosara’, an instrumental flute piece performed by Hossam Ramzy. For ‘Big Pimpin’, Carter called on the Texas rap duo UGK.
Although Pimp C didn’t initially want to record the track, it eventually peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification making it UGK’s most successful track ever.
It is rare that Jay-Z ever speaks negatively about his career. However, he openly expressed that ‘Big Pimpin’ is a piece of music that Carter is very happy to put behind him. You can listen to ‘Big Pimpin’ below.
