Jay-Z has apparently become much more generous over the years—at least when it comes to guest verses.
During a recent appearance on the Flip Da Script podcast, Joe Budden confirmed he tried to get Jay on the remix of “Pump It Up,” the Just Blaze-produced hit that appeared on his 2003 eponymous debut album. Hosts Queenzlip and DJ G Money pressed Budden about Hov allegedly demanding $250,000 for a verse, which was about half of the project’s entire budget.
The Slaughterhouse rapper acknowledged that the price was too steep for him at the beginning of his career. However, he pushed back on the belief that the requested fee was unwarranted.
“I don’t think it was a big number. I think that was his number,” he explained. “It was just big in my world, but it wasn’t a big number … Listen, I’m super young in that moment. I wasn’t in the studio when they [Jay and Budden’s A&R, Skane] had the conversation. I knew that they had some type of relationship. It was a Just Blaze beat, and I was green behind the ears. I mean, just thought that it would get done.”
Though he says a Jay verse was “unattainable” at the time, he was grateful that the conversation even took place—especially now that he knows how the industry works.
“That was par for the course,” he continued. “It was, like, normal. ‘Oh this is what you want? Yo, ’cause you’re my man, I’m having this conversation; otherwise, I wouldn’t be having this talk ...’ It was big to me because it was unattainable. It was outside of my budget, but the blessing was that he gave a number. If there was a way to get it, maybe this gets done. Maybe the start of your career goes different if you can find that money. But no, we didn’t have that.”
Jay ultimately dropped a freestyle over the “Pump It Up” beat. Many suspected the record, which appeared on the deluxe edition of Hov’s 2010 greatest hits album, took a jab at Budden in the opening line: “Gimme that beat, fool, it’s a full-time jack move.” Budden, however, had nothing but good things to say about Jay’s freestyle.
“Loved it. He went crazy,” Budden admitted.
You can check out Budden’s full interview above.
Jay recently told Kevin Hart he no longer charges for a feature, as he typically reserves his guest appearances for artists with whom he has developed a relationship.
“Yeah. Mostly relationships … It’s actually always been mostly relationships. Sometimes it’s talent.” he explained on the Peacock series Hart to Heart. “Pretty much every song that I’m on, I’m asked to be on. I don’t ask people to be on their songs. I never charge.”
