Back in November, producer Zaytoven teased a Jay Z collaboration by posting a picture with him in the studio on Instagram.
Now in an interview with Billboard, the Atlanta hitmaker has spoken about working with Hov and how it got set up. He also hints that the music will appear on both his and Jay’z projects.
What’s so crazy is I always looked at Jay Z and guys on the caliber of Jay Z like they just the big dogs. I didn’t think they listen to my music or even know who I am. I was in L.A. in a meeting with [veteran publishing executive] Big Jon and he was like, ‘Me and Jay was just talking about you.’ So he text him and [Jay Z] said, ‘You have Zaytoven over there? Can he come to the house?’ And I’m like, What? For real?
This is me having no idea that he even cared about my music. First thing [Jay Z] said [to Big Jon], ‘Tell him when he come over, make sure he bring them beats with them strings and pianos in it.’ So that means he’s paying attention to what I’m doing. I feel like I’ve been behind the scenes, making music all this time but I’ve been making it just to satisfy my demographic.
I didn’t know how far it was reaching. So when Jay Z invited me to his house and told me what type of beats he wanted, it opened my mind up to be like, ‘My music is reaching everybody and touching people in a certain way.’ There’s a distinct something when they hear my music. I feel like [the collaboration] is gonna be for both of [our projects]. I know it’s going to be a trophy for me.
Zay also spoke on the long pending sequel to his joint project with Future, Beast Mode. “I can’t say exactly when Beast Mode is coming out. All I can say is when it does come out, it’s crushing everything,” added the producer.