Beyoncé‘s record-breaking album Renaissance paid tribute to her late Uncle Jonny, the LGTBQ community, and Black musical pioneers. Throughout the album, Beyoncé sampled various artists, including Donna Summer, Robin S, Teena Marie, and Kelis. One of the most notable tracks was “Church Girl,” which sampled The Clark Sisters‘ 1981 song “Center Of Thy Will.” However, it’s revealed that the beat for “Church Girl” was originally intended for someone else.
According to No ID, the co-producer of the song, the beat was initially created for Jay-Z. During an interview with Al Shipley for Stereogum, No ID disclosed that he crafted the beat while at Jay-Z’s house. Jay-Z started rapping to the beat, and it was intended for him. However, Beyoncé later playfully “stole” the beat from her husband.
No ID shared his experience, saying, “I was at [Jay-Z’s] house one day, and I had some equipment with me, and I just started making a beat. And he was rapping to it. It was for him. And he just put it on the computer. I never thought about it again. I literally forgot about it. And then, one day, I just got a call. When you get two to three calls from people in a row, you know it’s something.“
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He added, “‘Hey, do you have this idea? Beyonce got somethin’ to it. And Jay jokingly tells me, ‘Man, she stole my beat.’ She was like, ‘Remember that idea in the computer that you didn’t finish?’ And I went to see [Beyoncé], talked about the record, and listened to her album.“