Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds record “My Love,” which featured a guest verse from Atlanta rapper T.I., was one of numerous standout’s from the crooner’s second solo album and even went on to win a Grammy Award for “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration” in 2007. But according to Timberlake, the record was close to featuring a guest verse from another noted emcee.
While speaking with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, Timberlake revealed that it was Jay Z who was first approached about a guest appearance on the Timbaland-produced “My Love.” Due to Jay Z’s work on a project of his own and Beyonce’s “Déjà Vu,” the “Suit & Tie” singer says the rapper was unable to appear on “My Love.”
“I wanted to do a record with him on FutureSex/LoveSounds and he at that time had done a record with Beyonce, it was ‘Déjà Vu.’ And he said—respectfully, I can’t knock him for saying like I have this one feature,” Timberlake explained. “I think he was working on his own music as well so he didn’t want to be on too many things. And I said, ‘I totally respect that. I’m obviously not gonna get into any domestic anything. That’s your wife.’ But the record was ‘My Love.’ And it ended up being an interesting blessing in disguise because I think Tip for that record—I mean his verse is phenomenal.”
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The Magna Carta Holy Grail rapper did eventually collaborate with Timberlake on his The 20/20 Experience record “Suit & Tie” and also toured alongside the songster as part of their “Legends Of The Summer” tour.
“It was unbelievable,” said Timberlake while speaking on his experience touring with Jay Z. “For him, to kind of give me real creative license to put, musically, to put the show together and to trust me with that, it obviously meant a lot…It’s the best show I’ve ever been a part of.”
The songster later spoke on his close relationship with producer and longtime collaborator Timbaland, an artist he considers a brother. According to Timberlake, it’s their close relationship he feels is responsible for creating “better music.”
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“Us doing that music together breathed such life back into him,” he revealed. “At that time, I think it’s the best work he’d ever done on a grand scale. Obviously his work with Missy and Aaliyah and Ginuwine is the reason I sought him out for ‘Cry Me A River.’ It wasn’t for ‘Cry Me A River,’ that’s what came out of it on the first album. But we’re like brothers. We’ve become such family…That’s the type of bond that doesn’t get broken and better music comes out of that.”
Timberlake’s interview with The Breakfast Club comes just weeks before the September 27 release of The 20/20 Experience 2 Of 2, an album which serves as the sequel to The 20/20 Experience.
Video of the singer’s interview can be found below (via Rap Radar).
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