Jay-Z Co-Signs Robin Thicke's Use Of Rakim And Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj
Photo: DrJays.com

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Jay-Z gave Robin Thicke a guest verse for his upcoming Sex Therapy album — as well as the idea to invite another performer to the project.

"It was Jay's idea," Thicke said about how Nicki Minaj came to be on "Shakin' It 4 Daddy." "We were in the studio, and I played him the whole album. He was like, 'You should get Nicki Minaj on that. She's got that voice. She's got that swag.' So I leaned over and was like, 'Somebody get Nicki Minaj on the phone! Jay-Z said so!' Next thing you know, we called Nicki. She was excited. But once we told her it was Jay-Z's idea to get her on the track, she started screaming on the phone. She was all excited. She's a super, super talent. I can't wait to do a video with Nicki. There's a power in her. It's not just that she's sexy and that's the only way she can get you to like her. She's got charm — not just sex. Some women may use sex to get what they want; others have charm. She's got charm."

The charm of the Slick Rick/ De la Soul hip-hop vibe on Rob's "Meiple (Me I Play)" attracted Jay to add one of his golden verses. The Jiggaman also gave Thicke his co-sign on another of the album's cuts, "Ms. Sex." The track pays homage to Rakim's classic "Mahogany," which sampled Al Green's "I'm Glad You're Mine."

"Her name was Mahogany, her friend's name was Ebony," Thicke sings on the track, flipping Rakim's lyrics. "I said, 'My name is Rob, and this is Jay-Z.' "

The singer said Hov loved it. "Before anybody else heard it, Jay-Z heard it, and he said, 'That's genius. That's genius on so many levels.' He said, 'First of all, who do you think you are? Who do you think you are, doing Rakim? You got ba--s, boy.' "

Thicke's Sex Therapy comes out December 15.

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