Dancehall icon Sister Nancy says she is more important than Jay-Z regardless of his status as a billionaire.
The “Bam Bam” hitmaker recently premiered her new documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story in Canada. The documentary tells the story of her legendary song, one of the most sampled songs in music’s history, and certainly a legendary record that helped shape reggae and dancehall music.
“Bam Bam” has been sampled by some of the biggest names in music, including Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rihanna, and Lauryn Hill. The song has been sampled at least 150 times since its release in 1982. Sister Nancy says it took her over 30 years before she started collecting royalties from the song.
In a recent interview in Canada, Sister Nancy spoke about her experience meeting Jay-Z in Jamaica when he recorded “Bam” with Damian Marley for his 2017 album, 4:44.
“It doesn’t matter who the name of the person, or how big they are like Jay-Z, I tell him ‘you’re just a man, you’re just a man to me’,” she said in the interview, much to the amusement of the hosts. “When I went to the studio with him I didn’t even wear no shoes. I was barefoot. I just leave out of my yard and straight to the studio. I tell him ‘a man is just a man and you’re a man.’ You look for me I didn’t look for you so I’m more important than you.”
Sister Nancy also revealed that Jay-Z told her that “Bam Bam” is Beyonce’s favorite song. “Bam” was one of the top songs on Hov’s album, 4:44, further cemented Sister Nancy’s hit as a staple in Jamaican music history.
In the meantime, Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story tells the story behind the legendary song and features interviews from Janelle Monae, Young Guru, and Pete Rock. Award-winning filmmaker Alison Duke is the mastermind behind the documentary.
