The Story Behind Move Your Body.

He added the [Biggie sample] hook when I made the beat. He wanted to use that sample on a record. It’s funny though, because the day after I gave it to Mad Skillz, Biggie heard it, and was like, ‘Yo, I want that beat.’

Biggie was like, ‘I want that shit! That’s mine! That better be my record!’ And I was like, ‘Nah, that’s Jay’s record. I’m gonna do that after I do this record.’

“I was like, ‘Nigga, I just gave it to Skillz yesterday.’ He said, ‘Fuck that, take it back, it’s me!’ I’m looking at him like, ‘Yo, you’re crazy. I got paid already. I can’t just take it back. It’s already a done deal.’

“And, when I played it, I walked back to the studio lounge, and when I came back, the beat ended, and the beat that came on next was ‘Brooklyn’s Finest.’ And he was like, ‘I want that shit! That’s mine! That better be my record!’

“I was like, ‘Nah, that’s Jay’s record. I’m gonna do that after I do this record.’ He heard the Mad Skillz joint, then the ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ joint right after it. They were on the same DAT. And that was the same day that [I introduced him to Jay-Z].

“I still have the DAT. I think about the fact that these two records were right behind each other, and he wanted both. What if I had gave them to him? What if I was like, ‘Fuck these dudes.’ I look at the fact that if I had said that, [maybe] he’d be alive. Because every different move changes the next move. Every step you take changes the path of the rest of your life.

I think about the fact that these two records were right behind each other, and Biggie wanted both. What if I had gave them to him? If I had, [maybe] he’d be alive. Because every step you take changes the path of the rest of your life.

“Think about it. ‘Move Ya Body’ would have been enormous for him. And he wouldn’t have used that sample. It would have been a singing hook. And that’s what Mad Skillz was trying to do. He was trying to get a record [like Biggie would make with that smooth, hard shit]. That’s what he wanted. And it was a single.

“Mad Skillz was my boy, though. I knew him from all the DJ and MC battles, and he was doing well or whatever, and [we became cool]. So he’s in my crib, and Jay’s coming to the crib. And I’m like, to Skillz, ‘Yo, by the way, this is the best MC in the universe.’

“That’s how I would introduce Jay to people. And they would be looking at me like, ‘What kind of introduction is that?’ So, he got to firsthand witness Jay’s records way before they were dropping.”