JAY-Z Says He 'Cheated' While Making Nearly 4-Minute 'God Did' Verse
By Tony M. Centeno
September 1, 2022
In the days after DJ Khaled's GOD DID album dropped, JAY-Z's trusted producer Young Guru claimed the veteran rapper laid down his lengthy verse for the album's title track in one take. According to Hov, that's not exactly true.
During a Twitter Space session held on Wednesday night, August 31, JAY-Z chimed into the conversation led by Rob Markman, DJ Khaled and Lenny S to clarify how he made the nearly four-minute verse. The Roc Nation founder explained that he actually practiced the verse a couple of times on a loop of the instrumental while he and Guru waited on Khaled to send the full beat.
In a dope conversation tonight between @djkhaled, @sc, @kodaklens and my guy @RobMarkman, Hov admitted he “cheated” a little bit with his ‘GOD DID’ one take verse. #GODDID #HOVDID #GURUDID pic.twitter.com/RC847I55tE
— ill Will (@officialillwill) September 1, 2022
“So while we was waiting for you to send the beat, we was just playing the [loop] inside the control room; so I was going through it a couple times,” JAY-Z told Khaled. “I was just rapping over like, any part, it kept looping and drops was happening in the wrong place.”
“I think I sent it to you like that, right?” Khaled replied. “Hov rapped over the hook, breaks — ’cause Guru was waiting for me to send the instrumental."
“When you sent it back, I was like, ‘This man rapping over the hook,'" Khaled said to Jay.
“So I cheated a couple times before I went in the booth," Hov said. "I was playing it in the control room; so when I went in the booth it was pretty much a done deal.”
The conversation also allowed JAY-Z to give Khaled his flowers for cooking up his "amazing album." Prior to Hov's appearance, LL Cool J also popped in to the Space to talk about Khaled's album. In case you missed it, check out the entire breakdown of Hov's verse below.