Public Service Announcement (song)
"Public Service Announcement (Interlude)" | |
---|---|
Song by Jay-Z | |
from the album The Black Album | |
Released | November 14, 2003 |
Recorded | 2003 |
Studio | Baseline (New York) |
Genre | Hip hop |
Length | 2:53 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | Just Blaze |
"Public Service Announcement (Interlude)" (also "My Name is H.O.V") is a song by American rapper Jay-Z from his eighth studio album The Black Album (2003). Produced by Just Blaze, it serves as an interlude on the album.
Background
Just Blaze's production of the song was inspired by a record that his friend Big Jack had played for him. Sampling a loop from "Seed of Love" by The Little Boy Blues,[1] he created the beat in about ten minutes.[2] That same day, Jay-Z took part in listening sessions for the press in promotion of The Black Album. One session was with The Village Voice reporter Elizabeth Mendez Berry. In his 2010 autobiography and memoir Decoded, Jay-Z described the interaction with Berry:
After we listened to the album the reporter came up to me and said the strangest thing: "You don't feel funny?" I was like, Huh?, because I knew she meant funny as in weird, and I was thinking, Actually, I feel real comfortable; this is one of the best albums of my career. ... But then she said it again: "You don't feel funny? You're wearing that
Biggie used to wear, in fact. It's part of my ritual when I record an album: I wear the Jesus piece and let my hair grow till I'm done.[3]
Before leaving, Berry gave Jay-Z a copy of a critical essay she wrote on his albums
Content
The subject of the first verse centers on Jay-Z rapping about how good a rapper he is. Jay-Z has regarded the verse as a "test of creativity and wit". Furthermore, in Decoded he wrote, "I call rhymes like the first verse on 'Public Service Announcement' Easter-egg hunts, because if you just listen to it once without paying attention, you'll brush past some lines that can offer more meaning and resonance every time you listen to them." The second verse is almost unrelated to the first and contains a response to Berry's comments: "I'm like Che Guevara with bling on, I'm complex".[5]
Reception
In 2019,
Charts
Chart (2003) | Peak Position |
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US | 7 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Weiss, Jeff (August 8, 2010). "The Weekend Song: Little Boy Blues-"Seed of Love"". Passion of the Weiss. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ a b "Just Blaze Details The Making Of Jay Z's "Public Service Announcement"". YouTube. Revolt. November 19, 2013.
- ^ a b Carter 2010, p. 24.
- ^ a b Baron, Zach (November 4, 2010). "How A Village Voice Reporter Helped Write the Second Verse of Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement"". The Village Voice.
- ^ a b Carter 2010, p. 26.
- ^ "Jay-Z: 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. December 4, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ "The 100 Best Opening Lines in Rap History, Part 2: 50 - 1". Complex Networks.
- ^ "Jay-Z – Chart History: Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "American single certifications – Jay-Z – Public Service Announcement (Interlude)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
Works cited
- Carter, Shawn (November 16, 2010). ISBN 978-1400068920.