Jay Z and Jnr. Gong Set To Release ‘BAM’ on 4:446 min read

Rapper Jay Z and Damian “Junior Gong” Marley has team up with the dancehall/reggae track BAM, one of the songs from Jay Z’s highly anticipated album, 4:44.

Bam samples Jacob Miller and Inner Circle’s 1976 classic Tenement Yard, and Bam Bam by Sister Nancy and we are sure that explains why Jay Z was in Jamaica last month with Marley and Sister Nancy.

On Bam, Marley sings the hook to Tenement Yard as ‘Gangsta cant live inna tenement yard’.

The memorable, original line, sung by Miller, went ‘Dreadlocks cant live inna tenement yard’.

Ian Lewis of Inner Circle said they were recently contacted by Jay Z’s legal team for clearance on the sample but he is not surprised therapper went for a Jamaican flavour. Lewis who is also known as the Inner Circle bass player also pointed to Marley’s influence and he believes Welcome to Jamrock help set up the need to add the Jamaican Flavour.

Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock was an international anthem in 2005 and the album of the same title won Best Reggae Album the following year.

Bam Bam, recorded eight years after Tenement Yard, has also kept its presence throughout generations. The album 4:44 is creating a stir in music circles. On it, Jay-Z addresses issues such as cheating on his wife Beyonce; death of pop star Prince and the OJ Simpson murder trial. It has received favourable reviews some describing it as a “dense, superlative, work of art” while others stating it’s a master class on the value of apology showcasing the many sides to Jay.