In an interview with Consequence of Sound, Roc Nation artist Hugo explains the concept of the song and visual for his new single, “99 Problems.” “I thought it would be perverse to make a newgrass version of a gangsta rap song,” he said. “He raps [in '99 Problems', but there's a melody implied in it." According to Hugo, he approached Jigga ("He can be pretty intimidating") about doing the cover with the words "I'm thinking of covering '99 Problems' with a banjo." Jay-Z simply replied, "Yeah, go ahead," and the cover was born.