Seen It All

Album: Seen It All (2014)
Charted: 85
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Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Jeezy hooking up with Jay-Z as the two rappers reminisce about their drug-selling days. While Jeezy rhymes about the rewards of his dope peddling (cars, jewelry, women), Hov chronicles some of its setbacks ("Uncle died on the spot. Pop killed the family with heroin shots").
  • The flute-laced production is supplied by former Taylor Gang staple Cardo (Wiz Khalifa, Meek Mill). "I was definitely at the crib. This was in November of 2012 when I made the joint," he recalled to MTV News. "I was just in a whole 'nother mood when I made the joint. The sample is from a Japanese artist named Tazz and the song's called 'Twilight.' It just made me picture the Japan night life and the culture, with the neon lights and the people. I wanted to make something very melodic, and atmospheric."
  • Cardo meant to send the beat to Big Sean and Travis Scott, but as a result of an e-mail mix-up, the track ended up with Jeezy. "I never had Jeezy or Jay Z in mind for it; Big Sean was a person I pictured on it, and Travis Scott," he told MTV News. "I sent to Jeezy by accident. I had two beats named under the same [name] in my folder for some reason and it got duplicated. I don't know what happened; sometimes I'll name the beat the same thing for some damn reason."
  • Jeezy received the beat in March 2013, and immediately hit up Cardo. "Jeezy sent me a crazy text message like, 'This joint right here, oh my God. Oh, this is crazy,'" the beatmaker remembered.

    Jeezy then hooked up with Jay-Z. The song was originally earmarked for Hova's 2013 release, Magna Carta Holy Grail, but didn't make the cut, so Jeezy released it instead.
  • According to Jeezy, Jay Z 's verse took him less than an hour to complete, but left him feeling emotional. The rapper told MTV News that the pair, "got on the phone and [Jay] was like, 'Yo, Jeezy, when I was writing the verse I had tears in my eyes, man,' because it took him so far back to Marcy."

    "Every bar in that song was real," Jeezy added. "I put my hand on the Bible."
  • Speaking with Atlanta's V-103, Jeezy explained why he titled his fifth studio album after this song. "My fifth album is entitled Seen It All because I feel like I've been through a lot and I've seen a lot, and I'm still standing here and I'm still standing tall," the rapper said. "That's what it is, man."

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