After the tracklist for Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 album leaked [click to read] revealing the roster full of A-list musicians and household names, the lone new name appearing as a guest was Luke Steele, appearing on “What We Talkin’ About.”
Appearing on track one of the anticipated album, the mystery man is none other than Australian singer and songwriter of the Electronic Pop band Empire of the Sun. While the band has had much success overseas, lead vocalist Luke Steele was discovered while Jay-Z was watching an episode of HBO’s Entourage.
Entourage’s “Running on E” episode which aired August 2 featured a clip of “Standing on the Shore” from the band’s 2008 debut platinum album “Walking on a Dream.” Jay was immediately drawn to Luke’s eclectic vocals and arranged for the two of them to begin working on the song for Blueprint 3.
The Brooklyn superstar is not the only artist in Hip Hop who has given props to the Australian band. Kanye West has also mentioned Luke Steele and Empire of the Sun numerous times on his blog.
Sampling the original hook of “Standing on the Shore,” this collaborative track combines Luke’s melodic voice with Jay’s signature flow creating “What We Talkin’ About,” an ingenious Hip Hop/Electronic fusion. Blueprint 3 is set to be released on September 11 on Roc Nation/Atlantic Records.
Reported by Krysten Hughes.
