Alicia Keys and the late Isaac Hayes, as photographed in Downtown New York working on “Rock Wit U” by Anderson Ballantyne in 1998.

For the album's 20th anniversary, Tidal celebrated Songs in A Minor with exclusive commentary from Alicia herself as well as her collaborators. Here she opens up on working with Hayes: “Isaac Hayes was one of the most amazing arrangers and producers of all time, period. ‘Rock Wit U’ was definitely inspired by his style of creating music. You know, that real ’70s energy, that ’70s vibe. Guitar, strings, and long intros. You had very dramatic music. Once it was done. Once we had written it. We loved it. We really wanted Isaac Hayes to arrange the strings. Now, what would make Isaac Hayes want to arrange the strings for a new artist that nobody even heard of? I’m not sure. But he felt the energy, he felt the vibe. He personally came into my session. We were Downtown New York City in this big room, because he wanted at least 16 string players, if not 32. It was huge. We had to get a really huge space. He came in, and he had the whole arrangement for it. His partner was with him too, who also did some arranging for him."

She continues: "I got to sit there. My little 17-year-old self. I got to bear witness to the genius of Isaac Hayes, as he arranged the most beautiful arrangement of strings I’ve ever heard in my life, for my song, on my first album Songs in A Minor. I was in awe. I sat there at the piano with him, he was showing me chords, he was talking me through things. He was quite playful, we were having a good time. I felt so blessed to be in that space. I was like ‘If I never do anything else, and if I never meet anybody else, I was able to meet such a hero.’ And I was able to meet him before he passed away, too, which is big. When you listen to those strings on ‘Rock Wit U’ on Songs in A Minor, that is the maestro, the one and only Isaac Hayes. I’m never, never, never going to forget that.”

Noted Jason Kpana, Tidal’s SVP of artist relations, of the streaming service’s “deep-dive” into the album’s creation: “Alicia Keys is one of the greatest performers and songwriters of our time. It’s only fitting that Tidal commemorates her musical accomplishments as we arrive upon the 20th anniversary of Songs in A Minor, her debut album that took the world by storm.”

“Rock Wit U” featured on the soundtrack for the John Singleton directed Shaft 2000 sequel, along with Hayes’ 1971 theme, starring Samuel L. Jackson in the title role.