Nas Speaks on Amy Winehouse’s “Me & Mr. Jones”
Today (October 4) marks the five-year anniversary of the late great Amy Winehouse's five-time Grammy Award-winning LP, Back to Black. The album featured memorable songs like the Top 10 single, "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good," but one of the disc's album cuts, "Me and Mr. Jones"—a song believed to be about none other than Nasty Nas, born Nasir Jones— has become the stuff legends are made of over the years.
Rumor has it that Winehouse once had a crush on Nas, but interpretations on the song vary. "Mr. Destiny, 9 and 14," Winehouse sings, referencing Nas's daughter, Destiny, and the September 14 birth date she shared with the rapper. "Nobody stands between me and my man/'Cause it's me and Mr. Jones."
Nas recently recalled hearing about the Salaam Remi-produced song prior to its release.
"I don’t really remember if Salaam, who was really close to her, who introduced us, if he told me about it or not," Nas told XXL. "I don’t remember right now. But, I heard a lot about it before I even heard the song."
As previously reported, Winehouse and Nas were planning a joint birthday celebration before the singer's untimely death his past July. The London native also used a slightly altered version of Nas's "Made You Look" instrumental for her 2003 single, "In My Bed," off of her debut CD, Frank. —Carl Chery