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She made the song sound so close to the original," said Hunte. "She's never done a record with him and she also has my same vocal tone. But when the songwriting duo were asked if they thought someone else would be more appropriate for the chorus, Hunte suggested Alicia Keys. Jay-Z penned all new verses inspired from the original lyrics and left Hunte's hook. For him to be so open-minded about it, we just couldn't be any more grateful and thankful." Two female producers/writers and for him as a rapper to take our song - that's not a combination you see a lot. "We were just so happy he wanted to honor our work and our production. The next day, Platt sent it to Jay-Z and he "loved it and recorded it that night." Hunte recalled. During a summer BBQ, EMI's Jon "Big Jon" Platt heard the track and loved it, realizing according to Hunte, "it would be perfect for Jay-Z. The duo secretly sent it to Roc Nation a month later in hopes that Jay-Z would like it and use it. We said to ourselves, 'we complain so much about New York - about the busy streets, about the crowds and the pushing, about the subway system - but I would trade that for anything right now.' Before we left the hotel that night, we knew we would write a song about our city." Her mother was ill at the time and I was sick that summer, and we were just down. "My writing partner and I were in London, missing home. Hunte explained to Billboard magazine that she created the track with Sewell-Ulepic after the two shared their homesick feelings during an overseas trip. But Jay loved the song, it made the album and it sounds crazy." You get your hopes up with artists but then things happen and the record doesn't make it for whatever reason.
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I still have no words even for the World Series performance. Not in a million years did I think I'd make this hit for him. Hunte told Billboard magazine: "I come from the same building where he lived, and we knew each other from Brooklyn, but we never worked together. Among the other songs she has written are "Do Somethin'," which was the second single from Britney Spears' Greatest Hits: My Prerogative compilation, and "Show Stopper" for Sean "Diddy" Combs' Danity Kane group, which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Hunte, who penned and produced the track about her beloved hometown, actually grew up at "560 State Street," the street address Jay-Z mentions on the tune. This song was originally written by Brooklyn-native singer/songwriter/producer Angela Hunte and her writing partner Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic.