Rick Rock says that music publishing executive “Big” Jon Platt got him in touch with Jay Z. It was while Jay Z was recording what would become 2000’s The Dynasty Roc La Familia album and “Big” Jon got Jay Z on the phone with Rick Rock. Jigga was impressed with one of the Bay Area-based producer’s concoctions in particular.

“Jay Z was like, ‘Yeah, man your shits fucking hot. It’s crazy,’” Rick Rock says during an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. “It was some West Coast-sounding shit, some weird straight West Coast shit. So he flew me out there, took my two-inch reel. I got out there, just nervous, juiced, like, ‘This was gonna be the start.’ I get there and they pull up the reels. Jay Z comes in and he’s like, ‘I don’t like that that no more.’ So I was like, ‘Ah.’ A nigga’s dreams all crushed and shit.” 

Rather than lose his opportunity with Jay Z, Rick Rock took advantage of another producer’s wares. 

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Just Blaze had some keyboards sitting there, so I took out the keyboard and started playing, ‘Get your mind right, babe. Get your mind right’ and Jay was just like rubbing his face and started mumbling words or whatever, and then went in there and knocked it down,” Rick Rock says of what would become The Dynasty Roc La Familia cut “Get Your Mind Right Mami.” “To me, that was everything to me. I didn’t have no way to sample anything. I didn’t have no way to resurrect this moment that was crushed when he said he didn’t want my old beat that I brought. So at the same time, being able to play a little bit and I was able to get down.”

Rick Rock also ended up producing the album’s “Change The Game,” “Parking Lot Pimpin’” and “Squeeze 1st.” 

Rick Rock, who produced “Pop Pop Bang” on Snoop Dogg’s Thats My Work 3 mixtape that was released last week, is working on a solo album.

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