figurine that she possessed.Īnd of course “New York State of Mind” went on to become a major success. Janet Sewell actually grew up in the same apartment building, located at 560 State Street in Brooklyn (which is mentioned in the song), that Jay-Z did. In fact the two of them knew each other even before this track came out.Īs aforementioned Hunte and Sewell submitted this song twice before it was ultimately approved by Jigga himself. And of course after the first rejection they were discouraged accordingly. But what ultimately inspired Hunte in particular to try a second time is when she received what she interpreted as an omen in relation to a Notorious B.I.G. This track is a product of Roc Nation, who put New York State of Mind out on 20 October 2009. It’s the third single from what would actually be Jay-Z’s 11 th studio album, “The Blueprint 3”. Robinson is an old school performer who is actually one of the pioneers of hip-hop. And the reason she is credited as a co-writer is because “Empire State of Mind” samples a track she wrote that came out in 1970 entitled “Love on a Two-Way Street”, by the Moments.Īccording to some reports, it was Angela Hunte, who originally sang the hook, that Alicia Keys got involved. Other reports imply that it was Jay-Z’s idea, as he felt the same in terms of Keys’ fit into the song. But he had also considered Mary J. was after the two of them submitted the tune (twice) to Roc Nation. And by the time all was said and done Sewell and Hunte received both writing and production credit for the song, as did Al Shux. And the track’s other co-writers are as follows: The way it came to the attention of Jay-Z and co. In fact they conceptualized the tune while visiting London in 2009 and suffering from homesickness.

This song was originally conceived by a pair of writers named Janet Sewell and Angela Hunte, who are from New York City. And Alicia Keys joins Jigga in bigging-up New York as a place “where dreams are made of” and that “make(s) you feel brand-new”. This strong feeling of affection for the NYC can actually be traced back to the song’s original writers, both native New Yorkers, who penned the track while they were in London and suffering from homesickness.

Alicia keys jay z empire state of mind