Helping showcase Jay-Z’s talents early in his career on hits like “The Originators” and “Hawaiian Sophie”, Jaz-O now says his former protégé doesn’t seem to want to return the favor. With the release of his own album, Jaz-O and the Immobilarie Family Present Kingz Kounty this week, Jay-Z’s lack of involvement is noticed. “Everything that I did for him as far as his career was concerned, I did all of those things to be an agreeable person”, Jaz-O said. “The feeling just wasn’t reciprocated in the way that I understood it. I really found that out when I tried to get back in the game”.
Continuing with Jaz-O’s tradition of showcasing up and coming talent, producer Zukhits and rapper Dibiase get a chance to shine on the Kingz Kounty album. Meeting Dibiase at the New York Port Authority a few years ago, both rappers realized they had similar interest in music. Zukhits, the younger brother of Dibiase, shares producing credit on Kingz Kounty with DJ Premier, Jaz-O, D.R. Period and Craftworks. “Production wise, he’s my protégé”, Jaz-O said. “What’s so good about it is that his music sounds nothing like me. I like that, because he took what was necessary from me and came upon his own and made it grow”.
In the process of working on his own album, Jaz-O feels ready to really express his self. “My album is going to express what Marcy Projects was and what is really is and what it’s going to be”, he said. “It has a lot to do with who and what I am, why I am this way. It has a lot to do with the truth”.
