A popular urban legend in rap is that Nas wrote “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” for Will Smith. But is it actually true? Over the years, there have been some mixed stories. According to music industry giant and close friend to the Illmatic MC Steve Stoute, the answer is a firm yes.
Considering they started Ill Will Records together, he would’ve been in the know about those proceedings. According to Stoute, the experience was a begrudging one. But Stoute repeatedly reminded the Queensbridge rapper of the potential publishing money he’d earn from being part of such a smash hit.
“Will had a couple people write for him. But when we really needed to finish that thing up, we brought Nas in. He’d write some of it, then he’d hate himself, then he’d keep writing,” he told Hot 97 in 2016.
You would think this essentially closed the case. However, this apparently goes directly against what the artist, born Nasir Jones, himself said. During a Reddit AMA, he described himself as extremely hands-off during the recording process of “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”. All he offered was a few offhand lines. Additionally, he gave his respects to Will Smith as a capable rapper of his own.
The Real Story With Nas And Will Smith on ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’
“Alright, let’s clear this up once and for all. I hung out with Will in the studio. And watched him write it. It was a fun studio session, and I said a line or two or three to him. It wasn’t that serious. Will Smith wrote that song. But seriously, I watched him have fun making that record on his own, and Will is a true MC,” Nas said at the time.
It’s a confusing conundrum. Why would he lie? Why would Steve Stoute lie? Who’s telling the truth? For what it’s worth, Will Smith also cleared the air about Nas’ involvement with the “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”. In a conversation with N.O.R.E and DJ EFN on Drink Champs, he recalled asking the It Was Written rapper for his opinion on the song. The exchange was pretty simple: Smith would listen as he would approve/disapprove certain choices accordingly.
It was only then that they wrote a totally different song together, “Just Cruisin’”. “We definitely worked in the studio together. We might’ve messed around with two or three other songs, but ‘Just Cruisin” is the only one that ever got released,” Will Smith said of his time with Nas.
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