Jay-Z helped The Roots’ clear the Radiohead Sample they used on “Atonement” at the last minute for their 2006 album Game Theory.
During a 2011 interview with Spin, Questlove revealed The Roots had sampled Radiohead’s “You and Whose Army?” for “Atonement,” but they had troubles clearing the sample for release because Radiohead’s lawyers wouldn’t clear the sample. Questlove asked for Jay-Z’s help
“I was like, “Can you get me on the phone with those guys in five minutes?” He was like, “Yeah.” I said, “Do you know those guys?” He said, “No.” I was confused. So I asked, “Well, how are you going to get through to those guys?” He said, “Watch.” Sure enough, in five minutes I was jogging on the treadmill talking to the Radiohead guys. Lawyers can’t make it work, but Jay-Z can.“ – Questlove told Spin
Ath the time Jay-Z was the president of Def Jam and he made the call and the sample was cleared.
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