Jay-Z taps 16-year-old 'WondaGurl' to produce song on album

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Jay-Z’s latest album Magna Carta Holy Grail  has sparked plenty of chatter in the music world — including buzz about a 16-year-old girl he tapped to produce one of the album’s tracks.

Ebony Oshunrinde, also known as “WondaGurl,” is a Nigerian-Canadian teenager whose talent in making beats officially landed her the chance to showcase her work on the song “Crown.”

As the rapper’s latest discovery, Oshunrinde’s work  is now featured alongside credits of big-name producers like Timbaland, Pharrell and Swizz Beatz.

The young beat maker said her passion for producing began at the age of 9 after she was inspired by a video she watched that featured Jay-Z and Timbaland.

“I was just amazed, I wanted to do what Timbaland does,” she said in an interview with The National.

Growing up, Oshunride referred to YouTube videos and taught herself how to produce beats at home. She went on to compete in beat-making contests and won the 2012 Battle of the Beatmakers competition just the second time she entered.

After proving her talent, the young performer collaborated on tracks for artists like Ryan Leslie and worked on Travi$ Scott’s song “Uptown,” which soon caught interest in Jay-Z.

“I made a beat and sent it to Travi$ Scott and he said he was gonna do some stuff with it,” Oshunrinde said, according to The Huffington Post. “A few days later he texted me and said he was about to change my life but he wouldn’t tell me what he was talking about. Then he called me and told me I was officially on Jay-Z’s album.”

Samsung Galaxy phone owners were given early access to Magna Carta Holy Grail. The album was officially released on July 7.

Follow Lilly Workneh @Lilly_Works