Jay-Z‘s long-awaited new album Magna Carta… Holy Grail boasts production from the cream of the crop of today’s hip hop producers, but in amongst names like Pharrell, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz is a production credit on the track Crown from 16-year-old newcomer WondaGurl.
The high school student, whose real name is Ebony Oshunrinde, resides in Ontario, Canada. Speaking to MTV News, the young beatmaker explained how the track came about after hearing Pusha T‘s single Blocka:
“I was at home one day and I was looking for reggae samples for a while and I finally found this one that was crazy, Sizzla ‘Solid as a Rock.’ I took it and I cut it up and I put it in the software FL Studio and I started building around it, adding 808s.”
Oshunrinde originally intended the track for Pusha T himself, with a feature from rapper Travi$ Scott who was on Blocka. Scott took a liking to the track but had different plans for the vocal, Oshunrinde told MTV:
“Travis Scott said he was going to add some stuff to it and then later on a few days afterwards he messaged me saying he’s about to change my life and a few days later he told me that I was on Jay-Z’s album.
“Just like that. At first I didn’t believe him, it didn’t seem real.”
The album has been garnering positive reviews from critics and has given WondaGurl a considerable foothold in the hip hop industry. Not content to just feature on the album of the biggest star in rap, the young beatsmith has big plans for career, saying, “I’d like to work with Kanye West, Drake, Timbaland on some beats and Keri Hilson.”
(Via Revolt TV News)
Listen: Jay-Z – Crown
http://youtu.be/PcPbTNkWaRk
