this is from the new xxl with jay z on the cover they do the making of reasonable doubt, like they did wit ready to die and life after death, heres the part where they talk about biggie bein on Brooklyns Finest from that album...
3. “Brooklyn’s Finest” (feat. Notorious B.I.G.)
Produced by Clark Kent
Irv Gotti: I did not want that record to happen. I was adamantly against it. I would call Jay every day like, “No, fuck that! Don’t do this record.” I said, “What I’m scared of is you doin’ [a record] with Biggie and you comin’ off like his little man. And nigga, we can’t be owning shit if you his little man. You never gon’ get that throne.” But this nigga would call me and be like, “Nah, but Gotti, I’m tellin’ you, I’m gonna show ’em. I’m gon’ make people see that I’m that nigga.”
Jay and Big had a lot of love, but at that particular time it was very competitive. Go ’head and listen to that record—“It’s time to separate the pros from the cons/The platinum from the bronze…” Real talk, Big’s goin’ at Jay in that record. “You ain’t harmin’ me/So pardon me…” Trust me. He’s goin’ at him real tough.
Lenny Santiago: I was doing promotion at the time, and we were at the video shoot for “Dead Presidents.” If you remember, Biggie was in the video. And it was during a break, Damon was being Damon, and everyone was around talking—Jay, Big, Lil’ Cease, D. Roc—and Damon approached Biggie, like, “What’s up with that record? You gonna do something with Jay?” And Big was like, “Whatever, nigga. I’m waitin’ on y’all. Whatchu sayin’?” Dame was like, “I’m sayin’, though, we could do it right now.” At the time, Jay was comin’ up and Big was the shit. He had the biggest record out, Puff was doing his thing, and Bad Boy was on fire. So Dame was trying to put him to the test. And they kept going back and forth, and Big was like, “Man, listen, whatever, anytime, anywhere.” So Dame called Clark Kent like, “I got Big right here, he wants to do that record with Jay, whatever, whatever.” So that same night, they ended up recording the record. And Clark did the track, and it was a classic. It was just funny how it happened from being put on the spot.
Biggs: Biggie came to the video for “Dead Presidents,” and he was saying how much he liked Jay, the whole style. Dame was talking about it, and said, “Do a record tomorrow.” Him and Dame was drinking. They drank like five bottles of Cristal, shot for shot. Dame threw up outside. Dame had told Biggie to call the next day at five o’clock. I remember being in the office, and at five o’clock the phone rings. We went to the studio, and we spoke to him. We had a date, and they went in and recorded. It was funny, ’cause they came in with a pad, and Jay pushed the pad to Biggie. They’re both looking at the pad like, Go ahead, you take it. No, you take it. That’s when they found out that both of them didn’t write.
That day we went in, I think Jay laid down his whole part. Biggie lay down like a line or two, then he said he couldn’t finish, he had to go home and finish it. We had Biggie come and smoke 60 blunts. But he came back and laid down a little bit more, left again, and then he came back and finished it. We had fun the first [session]. Afterward, we all went to see Bernie Mac at Radio City Music Hall.
Dame Dash: We didn’t do all of “Brooklyn’s Finest” in D&D. We had to come back to it, ’cause that didn’t have a hook. Me and Clark Kent had to make up a hook. We had to hand it in like the next day. Me and Clark and Biggs was in the studio, then Biggs left, and we finally got it, me and Clark Kent. Clark was trying to get me on the hook. We took a rhyme from the song, “Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls, nigga, shit your drawers…,” and he was trying to get me to say it. I was like, “I’m not gonna do it.” I got Clark to do it.
Clark Kent: I just freshly came off of tour with Big. We were doing Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s [debut album], and he heard the beat and went crazy. He was like, “I want the beat.” I was like, “Nah, it’s Jay’s beat.” He’s like, “You’re always giving this guy everything.” He wanted that beat real bad. I’m leaving the studio to go to D&D to track it for Jay, and Big’s like, “Yo, I want to be on that record.” So I was like, “Yo, just come with me.” So I went upstairs, and I left him downstairs. I was like, “Big wants to be on that record. Why don’t you put Big on that record? He heard the beat. He likes it.” Jay was like, “I don’t really know him like that.” And Dame was like, “I ain’t paying him, neither.” I was just like, Ah, okay. So then I’m like, “If I get him to do it for free would you do it?” He was like, “Yeah, we’ll try it.” So I run downstairs. I go get Big, bring him upstairs, and they met each other the right way, properly. And everybody was like, “Well, if you’re going to do it for whatever…” Jay changed the verses around right there, and was like, “This is where you go, right there. You ready?” Big was like, “I can’t do this right now!”
Two months later, Big came back with his verses. Days later, I was mixing it, and there was no hook. We were supposed to do the hook when we were mixing it. And Jay says, “All right, you got to scratch something.” I’m trying to find things to scratch and nothing’s working. So I’m telling Jay, “Yo, y’all gotta come up with a hook.” Jay and Big are there. We’re at Giant Studios. Big goes, “I’ll be back, I’m going to the store.” And then an hour goes by, and he doesn’t go back. Then Jay goes, “I’ll be back.” They leave me there and never come back. So it’s like three in the morning, I decided to write a hook, and I performed the hook. That’s my voice.
To me, that’s the best collabo I’ve ever heard. You would never think that Jay’s verses were done so far in advance. It feels like they did it together. Big and Jay were that talented, they could pick up on that line and go from that line.
I’d made the beat before for one of Damon’s groups. He had a group called the Future Sound, and I remixed the record with the same beat. And Damon said, “Yo, that beat is hot, give it to Jay.” So he says he produced it because he said give it to Jay. How ridiculous is that? But whatever, it’s all good. And then the other day he told me I jerked him because I didn’t give him publishing.
damn just imagine brooklyns finest without jay z, it woulda been the best song ever:woah:
3. “Brooklyn’s Finest” (feat. Notorious B.I.G.)
Produced by Clark Kent
Irv Gotti: I did not want that record to happen. I was adamantly against it. I would call Jay every day like, “No, fuck that! Don’t do this record.” I said, “What I’m scared of is you doin’ [a record] with Biggie and you comin’ off like his little man. And nigga, we can’t be owning shit if you his little man. You never gon’ get that throne.” But this nigga would call me and be like, “Nah, but Gotti, I’m tellin’ you, I’m gonna show ’em. I’m gon’ make people see that I’m that nigga.”
Jay and Big had a lot of love, but at that particular time it was very competitive. Go ’head and listen to that record—“It’s time to separate the pros from the cons/The platinum from the bronze…” Real talk, Big’s goin’ at Jay in that record. “You ain’t harmin’ me/So pardon me…” Trust me. He’s goin’ at him real tough.
Lenny Santiago: I was doing promotion at the time, and we were at the video shoot for “Dead Presidents.” If you remember, Biggie was in the video. And it was during a break, Damon was being Damon, and everyone was around talking—Jay, Big, Lil’ Cease, D. Roc—and Damon approached Biggie, like, “What’s up with that record? You gonna do something with Jay?” And Big was like, “Whatever, nigga. I’m waitin’ on y’all. Whatchu sayin’?” Dame was like, “I’m sayin’, though, we could do it right now.” At the time, Jay was comin’ up and Big was the shit. He had the biggest record out, Puff was doing his thing, and Bad Boy was on fire. So Dame was trying to put him to the test. And they kept going back and forth, and Big was like, “Man, listen, whatever, anytime, anywhere.” So Dame called Clark Kent like, “I got Big right here, he wants to do that record with Jay, whatever, whatever.” So that same night, they ended up recording the record. And Clark did the track, and it was a classic. It was just funny how it happened from being put on the spot.
Biggs: Biggie came to the video for “Dead Presidents,” and he was saying how much he liked Jay, the whole style. Dame was talking about it, and said, “Do a record tomorrow.” Him and Dame was drinking. They drank like five bottles of Cristal, shot for shot. Dame threw up outside. Dame had told Biggie to call the next day at five o’clock. I remember being in the office, and at five o’clock the phone rings. We went to the studio, and we spoke to him. We had a date, and they went in and recorded. It was funny, ’cause they came in with a pad, and Jay pushed the pad to Biggie. They’re both looking at the pad like, Go ahead, you take it. No, you take it. That’s when they found out that both of them didn’t write.
That day we went in, I think Jay laid down his whole part. Biggie lay down like a line or two, then he said he couldn’t finish, he had to go home and finish it. We had Biggie come and smoke 60 blunts. But he came back and laid down a little bit more, left again, and then he came back and finished it. We had fun the first [session]. Afterward, we all went to see Bernie Mac at Radio City Music Hall.
Dame Dash: We didn’t do all of “Brooklyn’s Finest” in D&D. We had to come back to it, ’cause that didn’t have a hook. Me and Clark Kent had to make up a hook. We had to hand it in like the next day. Me and Clark and Biggs was in the studio, then Biggs left, and we finally got it, me and Clark Kent. Clark was trying to get me on the hook. We took a rhyme from the song, “Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls, nigga, shit your drawers…,” and he was trying to get me to say it. I was like, “I’m not gonna do it.” I got Clark to do it.
Clark Kent: I just freshly came off of tour with Big. We were doing Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s [debut album], and he heard the beat and went crazy. He was like, “I want the beat.” I was like, “Nah, it’s Jay’s beat.” He’s like, “You’re always giving this guy everything.” He wanted that beat real bad. I’m leaving the studio to go to D&D to track it for Jay, and Big’s like, “Yo, I want to be on that record.” So I was like, “Yo, just come with me.” So I went upstairs, and I left him downstairs. I was like, “Big wants to be on that record. Why don’t you put Big on that record? He heard the beat. He likes it.” Jay was like, “I don’t really know him like that.” And Dame was like, “I ain’t paying him, neither.” I was just like, Ah, okay. So then I’m like, “If I get him to do it for free would you do it?” He was like, “Yeah, we’ll try it.” So I run downstairs. I go get Big, bring him upstairs, and they met each other the right way, properly. And everybody was like, “Well, if you’re going to do it for whatever…” Jay changed the verses around right there, and was like, “This is where you go, right there. You ready?” Big was like, “I can’t do this right now!”
Two months later, Big came back with his verses. Days later, I was mixing it, and there was no hook. We were supposed to do the hook when we were mixing it. And Jay says, “All right, you got to scratch something.” I’m trying to find things to scratch and nothing’s working. So I’m telling Jay, “Yo, y’all gotta come up with a hook.” Jay and Big are there. We’re at Giant Studios. Big goes, “I’ll be back, I’m going to the store.” And then an hour goes by, and he doesn’t go back. Then Jay goes, “I’ll be back.” They leave me there and never come back. So it’s like three in the morning, I decided to write a hook, and I performed the hook. That’s my voice.
To me, that’s the best collabo I’ve ever heard. You would never think that Jay’s verses were done so far in advance. It feels like they did it together. Big and Jay were that talented, they could pick up on that line and go from that line.
I’d made the beat before for one of Damon’s groups. He had a group called the Future Sound, and I remixed the record with the same beat. And Damon said, “Yo, that beat is hot, give it to Jay.” So he says he produced it because he said give it to Jay. How ridiculous is that? But whatever, it’s all good. And then the other day he told me I jerked him because I didn’t give him publishing.
damn just imagine brooklyns finest without jay z, it woulda been the best song ever:woah:
