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

"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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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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