Public Service Announcement (song)
"Public Service Announcement " is a song by American rapper Jay-Z from his eighth studio album The Black Album. Produced by Just Blaze, it serves as an interlude on the album.
Background
Just Blaze's production of the song was inspired by a record that his friend Big Jack had played for him. Sampling a loop from "Seed of Love" by The Little Boy Blues, he created the beat in about ten minutes. That same day, Jay-Z took part in listening sessions for the press in promotion of The Black Album. One session was with The Village Voice reporter Elizabeth Mendez Berry. In his 2010 autobiography and memoir Decoded, Jay-Z described the interaction with Berry:
After we listened to the album the reporter came up to me and said the strangest thing: "You don't feel funny?" I was like, Huh?, because I knew she meant funny as in weird, and I was thinking, Actually, I feel real comfortable; this is one of the best albums of my career.... But then she said it again: "You don't feel funny? You're wearing that Che T-shirt and you have–" she gestured dramatically at the chain around my neck. "I couldn't even concentrate on the music," she said. "All I could think of is that big chain bouncing off of Che's forehead." The chain was a Jesus piece–the Jesus piece that Biggie used to wear, in fact. It's part of my ritual when I record an album: I wear the Jesus piece and let my hair grow till I'm done.
Before leaving, Berry gave Jay-Z a copy of a critical essay she wrote on his albums Reasonable Doubt, Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter, and The Blueprint. It inspired him to write the second verse of the song. The next day, Just Blaze played the beat he had produced to Jay-Z. The beat, which Jay described "opened with dark minor organ notes and then flooded them with brassy chords" and was "beautiful", became the foundation of the song. Jay-Z rapped two verses and no chorus over the track because of limited time and called the song "Public Service Announcement". In an interview with Revolt in 2013, Just Blaze stated that Jay-Z recorded four lines at a time, in between meetings with the press.