5 Ways Blue Ivy Has Already Impacted Beyoncé and Jay Z’s Music
Jay Z and Beyoncé’s baby girl Blue Ivy Carter is growing up fast. On Tuesday, the darling toddler turns 2 years old. But instead of spending her time engaging in typical Terrible Twos antics, Blue is busy collaborating on music with her parents and offering her father A&R advice.
Her 5 most notable credits thus far in her brief career:
1. She Made Singing Debut on “Beyoncé” Album
A mother-daughter collaboration was inevitable. So it should come as no surprise that Beyoncé’s first album since giving birth would feature her precious baby girl. On the song “Blue,” released on Dec. 13, the pop diva sings about the joys of motherhood. Even though Beyoncé wants for nothing, she makes it clear that her relationship with her child gives her the most joy in life. She sings, “Sometimes these walls seem to cave in on me, when I look in your eyes, I feel alive.” Blue Ivy makes the most adorable cameo on the song, closing it out by repeating her mother’s lyrics, “Hold on to me” and offering the cutest pronunciation of Beyoncé’s name. Plus, the accompanying video filmed in Rio de Janeiro is gorgeous.
2. Her Newborn Cries Debuted on Jay Z’s “Glory”
Though Beyoncé’s song “Blue” is awesome, it isn’t the famous toddler’s first recording. Within 48 hours of her Jan. 7, 2012, birth, she appeared on her father’s song “Glory.” The then-newborn baby’s first cries can be heard as the record fades out. Earlier in the track, Jay Z raps about being comforted by her heartbeat, his excitement about her birth and her promising future. He sings, “The most beautifulest thing in this world, is Daddy’s little girl.”
3. She Co-Starred in Beyoncé HBO Special
On Feb. 16, 2013, a year after Blue Ivy was born, she achieved another milestone. She appeared on screen in Beyoncé’s HBO documentary, “Life Is But a Dream.” While there are images of Blue shown throughout the film, it also contains footage of Beyoncé’s bare, pregnant belly. These clips dispelled rumors that the child was born via a surrogate. In the special, Beyoncé sings “God Made You Beautiful,” an emotional ode to Blue: “When you were born the angels sighed in delight.”
4. She Received Royal Treatment From Jay Z on “3 Kings”
Four months after Blue’s birth, Jay Z said he felt more inspired to spend time with his daughter than to make music. “I thought that after my daughter was born I would be more inspired with all the new feelings that I have to write about, but it really happened the other way,” he said in an interview that aired on MTV on May 14, 2012. His quality time with Blue did have an impact on his music. He referenced her in a braggadocios verse on “3 Kings,” a Rick Ross song that also features Dr. Dre. In an expletive-filled lyric released in July 2012, Jay notes that competing MCs “couldn’t walk in my daughter’s socks.” Ouch.
5. She Deserves “Holy Grail” A&R Credit
If we can take the opening lyrics of Jay Z’s “Holy Grail” song literally, Blue deserves some credit for the chip on his shoulder. On the duet with Justin Timberlake released last July, Jay raps that his daughter told him to remind his contemporaries that he’s the man, and he did so with colorful grown man language. In the November 2013 cover story in “Vanity Fair,” Jay Z expounded on Blue’s response to his “Holy Grail…Magna Carta” album. “[S]he loves all the songs,” he said about his child who was 18-months old at the time. “She plays a song and she goes, ‘More, Daddy, more.'” He is humbled by her sincerity. “If no one bought the ‘Magna Carta’ [album], the fact that she loves it so much, it gives me the greatest joy.”
WARNING: Video contains explicit lyrics:
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