Feelin’ It Lyrics

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

Released on April 15, 1997, “Feelin’ It” was the fourth and final single from Jaÿ-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt, while the DJ Premier produced “Friend or Foe” was the single’s B-side. It peaked at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Presenting an air of luxurious untouchability, “Feelin’ It” is a stand-out track on Jay’s classic debut. It is the purest example of early-era Jaÿ: effortless wordplay and a flagrant superiority complex over an immaculate beat.

Produced by Hov’s close friend Ski Beatz, “Feelin’ It” contains a sample of jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal’s 1974 song “Pastures.” Ski revealed to Complex that this song was originally for his own album and featured Geechie Suede from Camp Lo. Ski played it for Jay, and the following exchange took place:

Jay was like, ‘You know you gotta give me that song, right?’ I was like, ‘What do you mean? I just did this song!’ He was like, ‘Come on B, I need that for my album. You know we’re working on this album. Give me that beat, I want that hook too.’ He took the beat, the hook, and the flow too! Which was cool, it wasn’t like he didn’t ask me for it. He didn’t jack it. He told me he was going to do it.

The song received a fitting video, with Jay and his cohorts captured in Jamaica enjoying expensive goods and expensive alcohol. The music video was directed by Alan Ferguson, who would later marry Beyoncé’s sister Solange Knowles.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did JAY-Z say about "Feelin' It"?
Genius Answer

In an interview with Complex, Ski Beatz explained that this song was originally his:

That was my song! It was a song I was working on for my album at the time. It was me and Suede from Camp Lo rapping on it. I was happy about the song so I ran up in Dame’s house and Jay was there. I played it for them and they got the mad frown face, bopping they head, like, ‘This is dope!’

Then Jay was like, ‘You know you gotta give me that song right?’ I was like, ‘What do you mean? I just did this song!’ He was like, ‘Come on B, I need that for my album. You know we’re working on this album. Give me that beat, I want that hook too.’ He took the beat, the hook, and the flow too! Which was cool, it wasn’t like he didn’t ask me for it. He didn’t jack it. He told me he was going to do it.

The thing with Mecca was she sung the hook. She got paid for singing, obviously. But I wrote the hook for the song. I guess the people that she was dealing with got in her ear and made her think she wrote the song and that she deserved all the publishing and that burned the bridge for what we was doing. They definitely wanted to work with her but it never got that far.

Who is Mecca?
Genius Answer

Angela “Mecca” Scott is a R&B singer from Virginia. Just weeks after they had met, at the young age of 17, Mecca was asked by producer Ski Beatz to travel from VA up to New York City to sing on the track. She detailed the experience in an interview with The Village Voice in 2011:

We first recorded in Ski’s home studio, then for the second session [at D&D Studios] Jaÿ-Z was there. He’s a perfectionist with his music, so absolutely he wants to be there. We were side-by-side in the booth—it was a whole Jaÿ-Z experience.

He was demanding. Jaÿ-Z was an amazing professional; he knows exactly what he wants to hear. But he’s also a very calming spirit. He’s a professional man, I tell you. It was a pleasure working with him.

He’s a combination of laid-back and intense. It depends on where he is in his rhyme. At the beginning of the verse, he’s very calm, but as his bars climax he gets very intense. He definitely uses the emotion in the music. I think that’s why he’s able to not use a pen and a pad and not write anything down—it’s in his heart, in his soul, in his brain, and he definitely displays that when he’s in that booth. Jaÿ goes in effortlessly and lays those vocals down.

Who was in the studio during the track's recording?
Genius Answer

According to Mecca, people present at the D&D Studios recording session included the late Big L, Jay’s mentor Jaz-O and his close friend DJ Clark Kent.

I remember I turned around after recording my vocals and seeing all these people behind me: Jay-Z, Big L—if you remember Big L, rest in peace—Jaz, just all of these hip-hop legends were standing behind me, and they knew it was going to be a hit record. Just the energy and the vibe in that room, we all knew what we were part of was something special. When I first heard the playback, I knew that it would lead to something big.

I was in D&D probably about four or five times, ‘cause I was working with Ski, and I’d go and hang out and there would be artists like Bahamadia, Premier, and Jay-Z there—he and I recorded another record there as well. I remember times when Bahamadia and myself and Ski and Jaz and Big L would all get in a cipher and really just praise God for our opportunities and where we were and where we were going to be. It was a great experience being there at that time.

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