JAY-Z and Kanye West have put a lot of musicians on, but maybe none more than ex-Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera.
In his new memoir, Revolución to Roxy, which was published on Friday (March 22), Manzanera revealed (in an excerpt first shared in iNews) that a guitar riff of his that was sampled for the rap duo’s Watch the Throne opener “No Church in the Wild” put more in his bank account than anything he’d released as part of the famed English collective that also included Brian Eno.
Producer 88-Keys used a section of Manzanera’s 1978 solo track “K-Scope” for the Ye and Hov song, and the guitarist reveals in the book that he got one-third of the song’s recording royalties and one-third of its publishing revenue in return.
“”No Church in the Wild” was the first track [of Watch the Throne], with my guitar riff playing throughout the whole song and included vocals by Frank Ocean and The-Dream,” Manzanera wrote, in part. “The album went gold in the UK and Italy, and platinum in the United States and Denmark. It was used in the trailer and in a scene in the film The Great Gatsby, was in an advertisement for Audi cars, and in another TV ad for Dodge Dart which ran in the half-time break of the Super Bowl.”
He continued: “Who knew that I would earn more money from a short guitar riff that I wrote one evening on a sofa in front of the telly in 1978 than I ever earned in the entire 50 years as a member of Roxy Music? Thank you, Kanye West, thank you Jay-Z, thank you Virgin and Universal, and thank you to the capricious mistress that is rock’n’roll.”
Last summer, JAY-Z and Kanye West earned themselves diamond plaques for another WTT track, as their anthem “N-ggas In Paris” was certified 10x platinum.
According to the Recording Industry of America, Hov and Yeezy’s 2011 joint smash hit went diamond on June 12, 2023, and both of the decorated rappers are now part of the extremely exclusive club.
“N-ggas In Paris” serves as Jay’s first diamond record, while Kanye has done it once before with Graduation‘s “Stronger.”
“N-ggas In Paris” had been stuck on 9x-platinum since May 2022 but crossed over the elusive diamond mark more than a decade after its initial 2011 release.
Kanye previously detailed the inspiration behind “N-ggas In Paris,” which came from the duality he encountered on his European travels.
“I am where art meets commercial. The sweet spot between the hood and Hollywood. Having a conversation with Karl Lagerfeld and JAY-Z within the same hour,” Ye told XXL in 2010. “When we’re in Paris dressing all crazy at fashion shows, we listening to JAY-Z. Jeezy in Paris, that’s what it is.”
“N-ggas In Paris” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. In addition to Kanye, the track features production from Hit-Boy, Mike Dean and Anthony Kilhoffer.