Izzo (H.O.V.A.)

Infobox Single
Name = Izzo (H.O.V.A.)


Artist = Jay-Z
Album = The Blueprint
Released = July 2001
Format = 12" Single
CD Single
[Recorded = 2001
Genre = East Coast hip hop
Length = 04:03
Label = Roc-A-Fella Records
Writer = Jay-Z, A. Mizzell, B. Gordy, D. Richards, F. Perren, K. West
Producer = Kanye West| Chart position = #8 U.S.
Chronology = Jay-Z
Last single = "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" (2000)
This single = "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (2001)
Next single = "Girls, Girls, Girls" (2001)"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (often referred to as "H to the Izzo") was a single released from Jay-Z in 2001 from his sixth album "The Blueprint". It is among his most popular singles. This was the second song released off "The Blueprint", after the diss track "Takeover", but the lead single from it. The song reached #3 on the Hot 100.

This song was also used in Jay-Z and Linkin Park's mash-up album, "Collision Course". It was featured against Linkin Park's "In the End", creating a new song, "Izzo/In the End", which is track 5 on the album.

The song, produced by Kanye West, prominently features a sample of "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5.

The music video features cameo appearances from Nelly, Eve, Destiny's Child and Kanye West.

Lyrics

The first verse deals with the rapper's early career as a drug dealer, including his escape from conviction, and a reference implying he sold drugs to the basketball team of the University of Maryland ("home of the Terrapins"). The second verse narrates his struggles with the exploitative recording industry, while in the last verse he reverts to his childhood growing up in the Marcy Houses housing projects.

The song's lyrics "H to the izz-O, V to The Izz-A" ("izz" is inserted before each vowel) spell out H.O.V.A. which refers to Jay-Z's alias, "Hova" being a shorted version of the biblical Jehovah.