When Timbaland announced a few weeks ago that he and Jay-Z were planning an album solely between themselves, the memories of “Big Pimpin’” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulders” had Hip Hop fans salivating at the presumptuous thought.
Though the dream team combo wasn’t necessarily an illusion brought about by Timbaland, Hov recently explained to Rolling Stone that no such project exists. As of now, Jigga also made it clear that he has no material for a new album, but he is creatively open to former producers who have brought the best out of him. “You know I love Timbaland, he is like a brother to me, but until the music is done it’s premature. I’m a person that works off music. If Timbaland makes 10 great tracks then he produces the album, if Kanye West makes 10 great tracks then he produces the album; if he makes three, I’ll take three. I let the music dictate the direction.”
Of course, the bulk of Jay-Z’s time this summer has been spent touring the globe, where his last stop was at the Pemberton Festival in Canada. With the majority of his set a full on display of pure entertainment, he has also integrated a positive message through Barack Obama into his shows, a move that has earned thunderous applause from his audience, and rightfully so. “For America, [Obama] means so much. I believe he can change the perception and relations between America and the rest of the world right now. I am that kid that grew up in [Brooklyn, New York’s] Marcy Projects and thought that no matter who was in office, we weren’t part of the political project. Because our voice didn’t count, and trickle-down politics — we were the last on the totem pole to receive any attention because we couldn’t put a candidate in office.”
Now though, he has found a motivating symbol that everyone, including himself, can grasp on to. “He represents to that kid in Marcy Projects, that we really here… And as your mother says, with the right focus and the right thoughts and determination you can be anything in the world that you want to be. It’s a true statement for the first time; it’s really a special time to be here.”
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