With the help of TikTok and the larger internet, newer kids are getting more and more into the classics. Moreover, some of those all-time records get repackaged into something entirely new. That’s what happened when Don Toliver sampled the Justin Timberlake hit song “Rock Your Body” on his big smash “Body”.
However, that song never would’ve taken off in the first place if JT hadn’t personally cleared the sample himself. Ultimately, it wasn’t really about taking a percentage of the song or trying to capitalize off of Toliver’s success. It was actually his son that made the connection a no brainer.
In an interview with Complex, he recalled hearing Don Toliver’s reimagining of the Justified hit and immediately recognizing it as a hit. But the fact that his son Silas loved the Houston rapper played the biggest role in working with him.
“That was an easy decision… As soon as I heard it, I was like yeah of course,” Justin Timberlake recalled. “My 11 year old, Silas, Don Toliver, that’s his guy, I remember asking him… and he was like ‘you gotta do it.’ So that was an easy yes. I also really love that whole album.”
Justin Timberlake Allowed Don Toliver to Sample One of His Biggest Songs Because of His Son
That could’ve been the end of their relationship. However, Timberlake went above and beyond by showing up for Don Toliver’s show in Miami as part of his OCTANE World Tour. At first, he was a little sheepish and just wanted to satiate his son’s appetite to see one of his favorite artists. However, when Toliver’s manager asked, JT eventually gave in and made the surprise appearance.
Afterwards, Justin Timberlake inquired about working with Don Toliver personally on some music. In the end, they didn’t even leave the arena to crank out some new ideas.
“I was like, ‘Don’t you have a studio on the road?’” he recalled. “He was like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘Alright, cool. Take a shower. Let’s work.’ So we stayed at the arena for, like, a couple hours. I don’t know. And we did a few ideas. So, who knows?”
It’s not known if Justin Timberlake has another album coming on the horizon. However, we do know that he’s reportedly sharing a new ‘tell-all’ docuseries that will see him candidly open up about his career and past controversies with Britney Spears and Janet Jackson.
Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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