There are a lot of things that wouldn’t have existed without Jermaine Dupri putting the play together. Apparently, 4:44 is one of those things. During a recent appearance on Rap Radar, the So So Def honcho recalled working alongside Hov around the time of American Gangster, which created the foundation for Jay-Z and No I.D.’s working relationship.
“I actually introduced No I.D. to JAY-Z,” Dupri said. “I took him with me to that session. When I was doing ‘Fallin’,’ I took No I.D. with me. They didn’t even know each other. While I was making that beat, he was in the corner with his headphones on making another beat.”
As he was cooking up, there were several other producers in the room. Jay tried to see what everyone was working on at the time. However, Jermaine Dupri said he directed Jay to No I.D., who he believed would have solid production on deck.
“Hov was like, ‘What you got?’ He was asking everybody around — there was a bunch of producers in the studio. And I was like, ‘He got some shit. I’m telling you, watch.’ He plugged that shit up, and next thing you know they done made a whole album together!”
It wasn’t the first time Jay-Z and No I.D. worked with each other, though, which JD acknowledged. No I.D. mentored Kanye and later had credits on The Blueprint 2. Still, Jermaine Dupri allowed the two artists to actually get to know each other and work closely together. Jermaine said it was the “first time that they actually got a chance to really connect like that.”
No I.D. had a few placements on American Gangster beyond producing “Fallin’” with JD. He also landed a placement on “Success” alongside Nas. From there, he became a pivotal force in Jay’s career throughout the mid-aughts and the 2010s, eventually leading to the release of 4:44.
Check the clip out below.