“We Was Waiting on Four Bars For a Month!” Swizz Beatz on Working With Jay Electronica

Swizz talked with Elliott Wilson about the making of A Written Testimony.

To say Jay Electronica is meticulous with his craft would be quite the understatement. Over ten years after his debut single, Jay finally released his debut album on March 13.

Jay completed the album at a relatively quick pace of 40 days and 40 nights. According to Swizz Beatz, however, that length doesn’t do his patience justice. In an Instagram Live session with Elliott Wilson, Swizz spoke about his experience working with Jay-Z and Jay Electronica on the album.

READ: “May Allah Bless Your Career As A Journalist”: Jay Electronica Responds to Joe Budden’s Critique of His New Album

“Those men are so intelligent and so smart,” he said. “It was like they was writing scriptures, man.” Swizz made an example of a time where four bars, in particular, caused a bit of a holdup.

“Jay Electronica, the way he takes his time to process before he tells us what he’s saying, I’ve never seen it…it was like he would go to the cosmos and come back with the scriptures…We was waiting on four bars for a month,” Swizz said. “Four bars! But those four bars meant so much to him that even if it took a month, it took a month.”

READ: Eight Takeaways From Jay Electronica (and Jay-Z’s) Momentous ‘A Written Testimony’

A Written Testimony is currently available on all major streaming platforms.