News of October 8, 2002
Two Hits, One Tupac Song: Dispute Between Toni Braxton and Jay-Z over "Me and My Girlfriend"
In October 2002, Jay-Z with Beyoncé and Toni Braxton remade Tupac's "Me and My Girlfriend". Braxton accused Jay-Z of taking her idea.
A song from the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory causes a dispute six years later. In early October 2002, Jay-Z introduced “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde”, the first single from his album The Blueprint 2. Beyoncé Knowles sings the chorus. Producer Kanye West based the beat and hook on Tupac’s “Me and My Girlfriend”, turning “me and my girlfriend” into “me and my boyfriend”.
“Insulted and disappointed”
On October 8, Toni Braxton came forward. She too had re-recorded the track, with producers Irv Gotti and Chink Santana and with Tupac’s original vocals as a sample. Her “Me and My Boyfriend” was scheduled to appear on her album More Than a Woman in November. According to her record label Arista, she had played the song months earlier for an acquaintance at Jay-Z’s label Def Jam. She was “insulted and disappointed”, a spokesperson stated.
Kanye West: Idea from the Makaveli Album
One day later, Jay-Z’s camp pushed back. Kanye West said he knew nothing of Braxton’s version. The idea came to him while listening to the Makaveli album at a friend’s place. After all, everyone knows “Me and My Girlfriend”. Roc-A-Fella co-head Damon Dash called it a coincidence, insisting that Jay-Z certainly had not taken anything intentionally.