Tyler, the Creator‘s “I Ain’t Got Time” off his 2017 album Flower Boy was originally for Kanye West and later Nicki Minaj.
During an interview with Zane Lowe, Tyler, the Creator revealed the beat and hook for “I Ain’t Got Time” was made in Kanye West’s studio during the recording sessions for The Life of Pablo when Kanye was taking a nap.
“That was two different beats, I heard the Deee-Lite song on the radio with Q-Tip years ago… I suck at sampling so I just looped it and was like ‘This is cool.’ Added some drums to it and it was a beat. I remember being a ‘Ye’s during The Life of Pablo and I think he went to take a nap and I was just in the studio and there was an MPC there… I was like ‘Just start recording me.’ I just started smacking, started clapping, started making weird noises, and added a boom boom boom boom. I was like I’m gonna add a hook… and it was just that. I was like ‘Damn, Kanye should take this song. He would sound so much cooler saying that hook.’ He didn’t like it… One day I was like I’m gonna mix these two together.” Tyler told Zane.
Tyler, the Creator explained he sent it to Nicki Minaj for her to feature on the song but she told him that she couldn’t think of anything; “I reached out to her so many times. Tried to get her number. She couldn’t think of nothing. She couldn’t think of it. That’s what they were relaying. I’m like, ‘How the fuck you hear this beat and can’t think of shit?’ Like, stop that shit. Stop playing. I’m like, ‘Nicki playing me right now.'” Tyler, the Creator continued to tell Zane Lowe.
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