Jay Electronica Takes Credit For Inspiring Kanye West's 'Bound 2'

Jay Electronica has claimed that he allegedly inspired Kanye West’s “Bound 2,” which was a standout track from the 2013 album Yeezus.

According to a post on X (formerly Twitter), the “Exhibit C” rapper explained how Yeezy took inspiration from his song “Fat Belly Bella” onAct II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn).

“So when I was living in London, Ye and Virgil came to my house and stayed for a few days,” Electronica elaborated, “and I played them FatbellyBella aka Life on Mars and they eventually used that same melody line and sample for Bound 2. Go listen.”

Both the track in question and “Bound 2” feature a snippet from the 1977 record, “Aeroplane (Reprise)” by Wee.

Jay Elec’s “Fat Belly Bella” is a tribute to the his then-girlfriend of five years, Erykah Badu. The pair share a child together named Mars Merkaba Thedford, hence the song’s alternate title, “Life On Mars.”

Kanye West was actually supposed to appear on Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn), the critically acclaimed New Orleans emcee’s long delayed debut. However when the album released on October 5, 2020, the Chicago superstar was nowhere to be found on the tracklist.

The two ended up finally working together on “Jesus Lord” from Donda. Before that, the New Orleans emcee was shouted out by Ye on “Saint Pablo” from The Life of Pablo.

News about Virgil Abloh and Kanye’s visit to Jay Electronica’s house in London was released on the same day (February 8) that Elec reignited excitement for his upcoming album, Bismillah Boys. 

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Electronica teased a snippet with Westside Gunn and Hit-Boy that may finalize as the first track for the elusive rapper’s upcoming project. 

The award-winning producer hinted, “Best Wishes by @jayelectronica and @westsidegunn produced by me. Elec just text me and said this his intro for the new album [eyes emoji].”

Jay Electronica first teased Bismillah Boys in October 2023. In his announcement post on social media, he tagged a number of potential collaborators, including  Beyoncé, Jadakiss, 2 Chainz, Erykah Badu, Conway The Machine, Just Blaze, DJ Premier and The Alchemist.