Buckshot: Just Blaze Stolen Beat For Jay-Z Killed Black Moon’s Comeback
Brooklyn legend Buckshot detailed how Black Moon’s comeback in 2003 was derailed by producer Just Blaze and Jay-Z.
Looking to make their big comeback after their 1999 studio album “War Zone,” Black Moon knew they needed a huge single to instantly grab the attention of hip hop listeners. Known for having a great understanding of what a single should sound like, Buckshot put himself and his fellow Brooklyn group members in a great position to succeed.
“Evil Dee and Just Blaze been knew each other,” explained Buckshot on Doggie Diamonds TV. “So what happened was, we were just about to come out with the album, but I knew like I said, I know how to make a single bro. I did it with everybody. I helped people make singles and they didn’t even know how to make them s****. Right before we came out Dee had made the beat. I was like that’s it. Cause I’m that dude. I’m a musician.”
That newly produced beat by DJ Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz would become the opening track for Black Moon’s 2003 comeback album, “Total Eclipse.” Sampling a loop from “Seed of Love” by The Little Boy Blues, Buckshot was excited for the potential of their soon to be lead single.
That was until Buckshot heard Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement.” “It just put my head down. I was like that’s it. It’s over. I was like there is nothing we can do about that. We cannot say, ‘Yo Blaze got the beat from us cause of this…’ I knew what time it was. It was one of those chess moves.”
The beat would become an instant classic for Jay-Z’s interlude on his 2003 “The Black Album.” Along with the Just Blaze stolen beat, Jay-Z went on to take a page out of Tupac’s “book,” when he opened the track with “Allow me to reintroduce myself,” echoing Tupac‘s “Bomb First” record where Shakur now Makaveli says, “Allow me to introduce first: Makaveli Tha Don.”
A disappointed Buckshot was not surprised. According to the Brooklyn rapper, stealing beats was the norm for Blaze. “Me and Just Blaze been having problems for years, before that, because of stealing beats,” said Buckshot. “He’s a beat thief.”
Just Blaze on the other hand felt the outcome was destiny. Speaking with Revolt in 2013, Blaze said, “There were so many “coincidences.” I kind of tend to feel like that was something that was supposed to happen, cause that song was supposed to find its way out to the world.” Blaze also noted that Jay-Z wrote the song in between a press listening session for his soon to be released studio album, “The Black Album.”