bazaar belong: Young Jeezy Recruits 'Rapper' Jill Scott For 'Trapped'

Working with Jeezy 'made sense in a nonsensical way,' soul singer tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Jocelyn Vena

Young Jeezy
Photo: Prince Williams/ FilmMagic

When recruiting guests for his long-awaited TM:103 - Hustlerz Ambition, Young Jeezy called upon rap's heaviest hitters. Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, T.I., Andre 3000 and Fabolous all show up for the Snowman's latest LP, which was released in stores on Tuesday. One collaboration, however, stands out among the rest, so if "Trapped" featuring Jill Scott makes you hit the rewind button, don't worry, it was by design.

"I've been doing quote-unquote unusual pairings lately," Scott told MTV News on the red carpet at the "VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" show on Sunday night. "I've worked with Paul Wall, I've worked with Eve and now with Jeezy."

Scott and Paul Wall's "So Gone" from her The Light of the Sun LP is slow and sultry, while her collaboration with Eve, "Shame," is an upbeat yet soulful affair. Jeezy's J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League-produced "Trapped" takes a drastically different direction.

At the song's open, Scott begins to rap over a building sound bed of lush strings. "Yo they still be grindin' or runnin'/ Tryin' to get into somethin' or nothin'," Scott begins her verse.

Together the Snowman and the soul singer warn against the pitfalls of street business. By the time the drums drop and the full instrumentation takes shape, it becomes crystal clear that Jeezy is once again playing the role of thug motivator. Cautionary but real, Young uses a real-life narrative to illustrate his point. "Gotcha spendin' all your money on lawyer fees/ Judge throwin' numbers at ya like he speakin' Japanese/ All because a n---a out chea playin' bakery/ I'm out chea tryin' get this bread somebody pray for me," he spits in the song's second verse.

It's not unfamiliar territory for Jeezy, who has been mixing street tales with a hustler's sympathy since his debut Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. It's just this time out he approached it with a new twist.

"It just made sense in a nonsensical kind of way, like why not? This is music, have fun, stretch it out as much as possible," Scott said. "Jeezy is an MC that I respect. I like his content, that voice is really hard, so yeah, why not?"

What do you think of Young Jeezy's TM:103 - Hustlerz Ambition? Tell us in the comments.

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