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Jay-Z and Drake Take MCs to Task Over Timbaland's "Off That" Beat

August 24, 2009 11:37 AM ET

"Off That," a track from Jay-Z's upcoming The Blueprint 3, leaked this weekend, per Nah Right. Featuring up-and-comer Drake on the chorus and boosted by a Cybotron-flavored electro beat courtesy of Timbaland, "Off That" finds Jigga rapping about being hip-hop's main innovator, and by the time the rest of the rap game catches up to what he's doing, he's already "off that."

"This is the blueprint, follow this," Jay-Z tells other rappers. Among the things that Jay-Z is "off " of: Oversized clothes and chains, making it rain, fighting at the club, rims, etc. Jay also takes a swipe at neo-conservative hosts like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, telling them, "This is 2010, not 1864." "Off That" was rumored to be the second single after the space-jazzy "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," but the Rihanna/Kanye collabo "Run This Town" instead followed (watch the apocalyptic video for that song here). Still, with its dance floor-ready tempo and the involvement of Drake, it's hard to imagine "Off That" not being a single in the near future.

As Rock Daily previously reported, The Blueprint 3, out September 11th, will also feature contributions from Alicia Keys, Young Jeezy, Mr Hudson, Empire of the Sun's Luke Steele and Kid Cudi, as well as a production credit to MGMT. Jay-Z will showcase his new album with performances at both the MTV Video Music Awards at New York's Radio City Music Hall on September 13th and the premiere episode of The Jay Leno Show, where Jigga will "Run This Town" with Rihanna and Kanye West.

UPDATE: "Reminder," the other Timbaland-produced track off The Blueprint 3, has also leaked. As usual, check Nah Right.

Related Stories:
Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West's Dark "Run This Town" Video Debuts
Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3" Track List Features Alicia Keys, Young Jeezy
Jay-Z, Lady Gaga Join Green Day, Taylor Swift as VMAs Performers

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