Tems Says Music Producer ATL Jacob Claims That She Initially Refused To Clear Vocals For Hit Song ‘Wait For U’ Are A ‘Big Lie’

Tems, ATL Jacob

Tems Says Music Producer ATL Jacob Claims That She Initially Refused To Clear Vocals For Hit Song ‘Wait For U’ Are A ‘Big Lie’

It seems that Future’s track “Wait For U” was almost shelved, well at least according to the record’s producer, ATL Jacob.

During a recent interview with “The Baller Alert Show” podcast, ATL Jacob, real name Jacob Canady, opened up about his life as a father, past relationship with rapper Kaliii, his childhood, and what he likes to do outside of the studio. The 25-year-old also chatted about teaming up with Future to create the popular song “Wait For U.” The track, which features Canadian rapper Drake and Nigerian singer Tems, was released in May 2022. “Wait For U” debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

However, it seems the success of the song almost didn’t happen because Tems allegedly didn’t want to clear her vocals on the track. For those who may be unaware, “Wait For U” samples Tems’ song, “Higher,” from her 2020 debut EP “For Broken Ears.” While speaking on how Drake became a part of the song and Tems’ reported pushback, ATL Jacob said,

“At this time, Future’s vocals on it, he’s on both verses. We’re trying to get it cleared [and] Tems wouldn’t clear the song. They just completely said no. [So] Future pulled in his relationship with Drake and he was like, ‘Can you get the song cleared?’”

@youknowbt

ATL jacobs talks about tems not wanting to clear “wait for you” #Atljacob #youknowbt #tems

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ATL Jacob continued, claiming that Drake then reached out to Tems, asking her to clear the sample because he wanted to be on the track as well. Reportedly, after a conversation with the “One Dance” artist, she gave the okay for production on the track to move forward.

Drake

Tems, however, has a different story to tell when it comes to crafting “Wait For U.” The 28-year-old reacted to a TikTok video of ATL Jacob’s story with a now-deleted comment denying his claims. She wrote,

“This is a BIG LIE. I didn’t even know Drake was on the song [laughing emojis]”

When asked during his interview if he ever talked to Tems, real name Temilade Openiyi, about the appreciation he has that she ultimately cleared the record, ATL Jacob said,

“I talked to her at the Grammys. Like personally, I feel like she was a little irritated with the “Wait For U” song.”

He added,

“I told her you ain’t got to thank me…I just want to work and we never got locked in.”

What are your thoughts on this entire situation? Would you like to see Tems and ATL Jacob work together again? Tell us in the comments below! 

Authored by: Twila-Amoure McDaniel