Raphael Saadiq Reveals Beyoncé’s “CUFF IT” Was Originally For Tony! Toni! Toné!
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Raphael Saadiq won his second Grammy back in February for Best R&B Song after co-writing/producing Beyoncé’s “CUFF IT,” but according to a recent chat with Vulture, the famed singer-songwriter confessed that the record was supposed to be for Tony! Toni! Toné!.
As their reunion tour kicked off last week, Saadiq explained, “That record was going to be a Tonyies record, the part that just sounds like [mimics the ‘Cuff It’ guitar riff]. But I gave it to a friend of mine and said, ‘I got this record. I was going to do it, but what about Beyoncé?'”
The 57-year-old continued, “She’s one of those people where if she’s feeling it, she’s going 100 percent in. I said, ‘It’s going to move people. It’s going to work, I’m telling you.’ I think she just put it away. From what I heard, The-Dream eventually found it. And he was like, ‘What is that?!’ I already knew it was one of them joints. I always said, if you drop the right music on an artist, it could go, but I’m glad she has so many eyeballs on her, you know what I mean? You can’t really trick people, it’s got to be good. Beyoncé’s a hard worker. I told her, ‘I’ve always knew we would work together at some point.’ Like I said, it’s all about timing.”
“CUFF IT” was the second single from Bey’s RENAISSANCE. It quickly rose in popularity with the help of its viral TikTok challenge and became her 21st top 10 single as a solo artist. She later released a sultry remix to the record after a mashup created by DJ Esentrik, that interpolated Twista’s 2009 hit, “Wetter,” took the internet by storm.
When Saadiq spoke on the official reunion with his Tony! Toni! Toné! bandmates, he revealed that — despite the false starts over the years — this time, “Being back together, it felt like the energy was right. I was good by myself, and they did okay on their own, but I’m better with the guys.”
Tickets for the trio’s tour are quickly selling out, but the 25-city run goes through mid-November.
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