| "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..." Vinyl Case | ||||
| Single byJay-Z | ||||
| from the albumAmerican Gangster | ||||
| Released | October 10, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Shawn Carter | |||
| Producer | Diddy, Skyz Muzik, The Hitmen | |||
| Jay-Z singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..." is the second single fromJay-Z's tenthstudio album,American Gangster.[1] The song is produced byDiddy, Skyz Muzik, and two of his producers known asLV andSean C from his production team,The Hitmen.[2] It features additional vocals byBeyoncé,Kanye West andCassie. The song samples "Make the Road by Walking" by TheMenahan Street Band.[3] On December 11, 2007,Rolling Stone named it the best song of 2007.[4]
The music video was directed byChris Robinson and costume designed by June Ambrose.[5] The video was shot inNew York City in Jay-Z'sThe 40/40 Club.[6]
The intro of the video contains the chorus from Hello Brooklyn 2.0. The video features cameo appearances byNas,Rick Ross,Memphis Bleek,Diddy,Freeway,Terrence J,Tru Life,Young Gunz,Jadakiss,Yaya DaCosta,Swizz Beatz,Drew Sidora, Kristia Krueger, Chain 4, Chantel,Beanie Sigel,Cassie,DJ Clue,Larry Johnson,Tristan Wilds,Just Blaze,Zab Judah,The-Dream,Irv Gotti andMariah Carey.[6] Kanye West is not featured in the video because of a scheduling conflict, at the time he was on tour in Dubai, as posted in his blog.
The young Jay-Z was portrayed by actor Samgoma Edwards. Director Chris Robinson personally sought out Edwards for the role after Edwards and his older brother Samtubia Edwards and friend Chris Alvarez shot their own video project titled "The Young Hov Project",[7] based on tracks from Jay-Z'sThe Black Album.[5]
Beanie Sigel announced that he andJadakiss had finished the official remix of the track, featuring both of them on vocals.[8] An alternate remix featuresYoung Chris of theYoung Gunz andBusta Rhymes.
RapperAsher Roth extensively samples "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..." in his own version, "Roth Boys", released on his debut mixtape,The Greenhouse Effect.
Numerous freestyles were recorded by artists such asWale (onThe Mixtape About Nothing) andRick Ross.
The Game andLil Wayne also sampled the song in "Red Magic", with Lil Wayne singing excerpts of the chorus.
A similarly titled song by rapper and Jay-Z collaboratorSaigon appears on his debut album,The Greatest Story Never Told.[9]
The song was also sampled inGirl Talk's song "Set It Off" and in a remix produced by Norwegian DJMatoma.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
The instrumental version of “Roc Boys” is played atSan Francisco Giants home games atOracle Park as starting lineups are introduced.
Blue Ash is a suburb of Cincinnati.
