| "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Jay-Z | ||||
| from the album The Blueprint | ||||
| Released | July 28, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | May 2001 | |||
| Studio | Baseline Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Kanye West | |||
| Jay-Z singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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.