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"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
Single by Jay-Z
from the album The Blueprint
ReleasedJuly 28, 2001
RecordedMay 2001
StudioBaseline Studios ( New York City)
Genre
Length4:00
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Kanye West
Jay-Z singles chronology
" Fiesta (Remix)"
(2001) 		"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
(2001) 		" Girls, Girls, Girls"
(2001)
"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (2001)
A 24-second sample of "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" by Jay-Z from The Blueprint
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (often referred to as "H to the Izzo") is the first single released by Jay-Z from his sixth album The Blueprint. It is among his most popular singles. This was the second song released off The Blueprint, after the diss track " Takeover", but the lead single from it. The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It was Jay-Z's first top 10 single as a lead artist. [1]

The song, produced by Kanye West, prominently features a sample of " I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5, the second major hit in 2001 to sample that song (after " My Baby" by Lil' Romeo).

Jay-Z premiered the song live at the inaugural BET Awards on June 19, 2001. [2]

The song was later mashed up with Linkin Park's " In the End" for their collaborative EP, Collision Course.

Meaning

Izzo and H.O.V.A are synonymous with Jehovah. Jay-Z earned the nickname "Jay-Hova" due to his songwriting skills.

"They start calling me Jay-Hova. I didn't want to offend people, by saying I was Jehovah. I'm God or anything like that. I know way better than that." [3] -Jay-Z

Copyright infringement lawsuit

On October 31, 2001, a copyright lawsuit was filed against Jay-Z by Demme Ulloa, who claimed that she was wasn't paid for her contribution to "Izzo". Ulloa asserted that it was her singing "H to the izzo/V to the izzay", though she didn't receive any money for her contribution and was not credited in the liner notes of The Blueprint. [4] The joint authorship claim was dismissed in 2004 but continued to proceed for a copyright infringement claim, which was ultimately settled. [5] [6]

Music video

The music video was filmed in Los Angeles on a street made to look like New York City, and features cameos from Damon Dash, [7] Kanye West, Destiny’s Child, Trina, Eve, Nelly, and Outkast. [8]

Credits and personnel

The credits for "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" are adapted from the liner notes of The Blueprint. [9]

Studio locations
Personnel
Samples

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
Australia ( ARIA) [10] 23
Australian Urban ( ARIA) [11] 11
Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) [12] 9
Netherlands ( Single Top 100) [13] 69
Scotland ( OCC) [14] 29
Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade) [15] 53
UK Singles ( OCC) [16] 21
UK Dance ( OCC) [17] 8
UK Hip Hop/R&B ( OCC) [18] 7
US Billboard Hot 100 [19] 8
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard) [20] 4
US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard) [21] 7
US Rhythmic ( Billboard) [22] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (2001) Position
US Billboard Hot 100 [23] 52
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [24] 30

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom ( BPI) [25] Silver 200,000‡
United States ( RIAA) [26] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Jay-Z Awards". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "2001 BET Awards Winners".
  3. ^ Ducreay, Safra (August 21, 2018). "Jay-Z – 'IZZO (H.O.V.A)': Throwback Video of the Day". The Boombox.
  4. ^ "JAY-Z SUED FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT BY 'IZZO' SINGER". MTV News. October 31, 2001.
  5. ^ "Ulloa v. Universal". 2004.
  6. ^ Griffis, Kelcee; Setty, Riddhi (August 8, 2022). "Beyoncé 'Renaissance' Blowback From Kelis Cautions Young Artists". Bloomberg Law.
  7. ^ "Jay-Z Gets Serious, 'Soulful,' On New Video And Album". MTV News. August 2, 2001.
  8. ^ "THE FACT THAT KANYE WEST PRODUCED H TO THE IZZO BY JAY-Z SURPRISES FANS". February 18, 2022.
  9. ^ The Blueprint (Liner notes). Jay-Z. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2001. 5863962.{{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link)
  10. ^ " Jay-Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. ^ " Issue 631" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 45, 2001" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  13. ^ " Jay-Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  15. ^ " Jay-Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  17. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  18. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  19. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  22. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  23. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2001". billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  24. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  25. ^ "British single certifications – Jay-Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  26. ^ "American single certifications – Jay-Z – Izzo". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
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