Cedric The Entertainer Freestyled His Part On Jay-Z Song

Cedric The Entertainer is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and game show host who has found himself in some very interesting places. He is currently starring in the CBS sitcom ‘The Neighborhood.’ The multi-talented artist recently revealed that he freestyled on a Jay-Z song even though he was never credited.

JAY-Z’s The Black Album, described as his “retirement” album in the run-up to its 2003 release, had a heavyweight supporting cast that included Pharrell, Kanye West, Timbaland, Just Blaze, Rick Rubin, Eminem, and DJ Quik, among others. Some fans were unaware that the album had an uncredited contribution by comedy/acting icon Cedric The Entertainer.

Cedric provided the humorous, faux-menacing skits at the beginning and end of “Threat.” Cedric The Entertainer described how his collaboration with JAY-Z came about during a recent visit to William “Fuzzy” West and Quincy Harris’ FAQ Podcast. The 58-year-old remembers running into Hov in New York City and asking if he might drop by the studio to hear him perform. Hov obliged by asking him to a session.

“It was random. I was in there, watching him do his thing. The Black Album was his last album so I pitched him an idea. He was on his way out and I was like, ‘Yo man, I’ve been having this funny idea of doing the Beverly Hills Cop thing with you.’”

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“He was like, ‘Oh, that’s funny. I like that. But I’m working on this song called ‘Threats’ that I need somebody just threatening people on.’ I was like, ‘Aiight!’ So then he left and it was me and [Young] Guru. I just went in there and freestyled that sh*t! Just was making it up, having a good time.”

Cedric, who has previously appeared in skits on Nelly’s Country Grammar and Bun B’s Trill OG, recalled receiving a phone call from JAY-Z informing him that he had made the album.

“That was a crazy call. He was like, ‘Yo Ced, what’s up? This sh*t made the album, the ‘Threats’ sh*t.’ I was like, ‘What the hell?! I’ma be on The Black Album, n-gga?!’ That sh*t was legendary, dawg. That was one of those f*cking dope-a*s moments.”

Young Guru, JAY-Z’s engineer, shared the interview footage on Instagram and revealed more about “Threat,” stating he and the song’s producer, 9th Wonder, had never-before-heard outtakes of Cedric’s skit.

“@cedtheentertainer man we had a great time making that song. First off I was super excited that @9thwonder had the possibility of making the album. @cedtheentertainer is really a “King of Comedy” because he did at least 30 minutes of complete freestyle. That night was one for the books. A couple years ago I did some “special edits” where I used some of the other stuff he said that night. Only me and @9thwonder have that version. This interview is up now on @faqpodcast.”

“Threat” was also a defining moment for 9th Wonder, who, together with Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh, was a budding producer behind the North Carolina rap group Little Group in 2003. Despite not being as well-known as the other producers on The Black Album, 9th rose to the challenge of sampling R. Kelly’s “A Woman’s Threat” and, as they say, the rest is history.

You can watch Cedric The Entertainer’s complete FAQ Podcast interview below. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Thirsty.

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