The internet’s favorite hobby is dredging up the past.
In a new interview with Big Boy’s Neighborhood, Ice-T touched on a recent conversation he had with Jay-Z at this year’s Grammys regarding the Brooklyn rapper’s hit song “99 Problems.” Hov’s version, which appeared on his 2004 Black Album, interpolated Ice-T’s song of the same name, which arrived in 1993.
Apparently, Jay-Z thought a conversation was warranted. Back in November, an old interview with Ice-T resurfaced where he seemed to express grievances about not receiving proper credit. “Why has Jay-Z never said, ‘This is Ice-T’s song’? Show me some love!” he told Radio.com in 2014. “That’s just another way of handling the situation. I handle the situation differently. If I use your music, I want to let people know.”
Jay thought there was beef between them, but Ice set the record straight with Big Boy. “I’m at the Grammys and Jay-Z comes to me. He says, ‘Ice, you know I love you, right?’” Ice-T said. “I say, ‘Yeah!’ He says, ‘Well, it’s on the internet that you mad.’ I said, ‘I’m not mad! They’re bringing up all kinds of interviews about it and they asked me the story, and I told them the true story.’”
The Law & Order: SVU actor continued, “But I said, ‘Yo, well, you know, when you did “99 Problems,” at the end of the record you could’ve said, ‘Ice!’ You could’ve given me a little dap or something!’ I said, ‘But I’m not mad at it. What had happened was people wanted to know the story.’”
Ice then told Big Boy about the origins of “99 Problems” back in 1993. Ice and 2 Live Crew’s Brother Marquis were discussing their many nights at Atlanta’s Magic City and how the DJs would yell “whoomp, there it is!” when the dancers would bend over.
“Marquis says to me, ‘N***a, I’m sitting there all them nights in Magic City, that was the phrase that pays!’ Then outta nowhere, he goes, ‘Man, I got 99 problems and a bitch ain’t one.’ I said, ‘What did you just say?’ I said, ‘That’s a song!’ Now, as the legend goes, Rick Rubin and Jay were getting ready to make a record and Chris Rock was around, and they said, ‘What record should we remake?’ And Chris Rock brought up ’99 Problems.’ Jay-Z remade the song, he changed the verses, but he even took the ‘hit me!’ So he did it. No harm, no foul.”
Ice-T explained that he was paid accordingly for Jay’s use of the original song. “It was a publishing deal. … It paid, I had a deal and that was it,” he said. “I didn’t come out saying, ‘Oh, Jay-Z went after’—this, that. But now we’re in the social media era and they’re like, ‘Let’s see what we can turn into a beef.’ I got no problems with Jay-Z. … I love Jay-Z. Jay-Z is a very supernatural human being.”
Watch the interview with Big Boy up top.
