Izzo (H.O.V.A.)

"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
Single by Jay-Z
from the album The Blueprint
Released	July 28, 2001
Recorded	May 2001
Studio	Baseline Studios (New York City)
Genre	East Coast hip hop chipmunk soul pop-rap
Length	4:00
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Shawn Carter Kanye West
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

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"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, becoming 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.