"We might have to do a whole interview about this" - Sound engineer Young Guru reveals the inception of Jay-Z verse on Drake's 'Talk Up'

Jay-Z's long-time sound engineer, Young Guru, recently shed light on how Hov got about recording his verse on Drake's Talk Up. Drizzy surprised fans on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, by dropping new music and sharing around 100 GB worth of behind-the-scenes footage.

In one of the videos, the Hotline Bling rapper is seen discussing getting Jay's verse, a last minute feature on his fifth solo album Scorpion, with his producer Noah 40 Shebib. At the time, Jay-Z was on his On the Run II Tour and planned to record his part after his show at the venue.

Guru commented under a repost of the clip by rap journalist Elliott Wilsons, elaborating on the day, writing:

"@elliottwilson we might have to do a whole interview about this. We are on OTR2. Remeber I'm the DJ. HOV hit me and simply said "set up a studio in the venue" I'm like "what?" But of course I get it done."

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Talk Up is one of five songs Jay-Z featured in on a Drake track

Talk Up is one of five tracks Jay-Z and Drake collaborated on including Off That, Light Up, Pound Cake, and Love All. In the released behind-the-scenes footage, Drizzy is telling 40:

"I’m only laying down for like two hours while Hov’s doing his show ’cause I don’t want him to hit me and be like, 'Hey, what do you think of this?' and I’m not there to respond."

He estimated that Jay-Z would be on stage for a couple of hours, followed by a show and snacks, and then recording. So he could catch a couple of hours of sleep.

Young Guru, through his comment, elaborated on the hectic time, confirming that the concert lasted for two hours and adding that Hov had the whole show memorized without any backing tracks. Meanwhile, Guru had to DJ for the Encore singer's tour while at the same time setting up the makeshift studio for the rapper.

He explained that following the show, they rushed back to the room to finish the verse, but he was also scheduled to perform later at an afterparty that was set up months in advance.

"The promoter waited in the parking lot for two hours and I can't tell him why I'm late. "

Things took a turn for the worse when they lost the internet set up by Live Nation.

" By the time HOV finished the internet that we set up from Livenation is gone. I had to teather my phone to my computer to send the session to @ovo40."

Guru added that he reached the club just in time for his set, adding that he "killed" it.

The behind-the-scenes videos also include things like how a woman inspired his song Hotline Bling and three new songs featuring 21 Savage, Young Thug, and Latto.