Bangladesh Says Lil Wayne's "A Milli" Didn't Initially Meet His Expectations

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Rapper Lil Wayne performs onstage during the BET AWARDS '14 at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on June 29, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Bangladesh speaks on Lil Wayne and "A Milli" being 10 years old.

"A Milli" stands as one of the most popular singles in both Lil Wayne and Bangladesh's catalog. While Bangladesh already a well-known producer, "A Milli" helped him stand out even further. The song was released on February 13th, 2008 which makes today the 10 year anniversary of the song. In a recent interview, Bangladesh revealed how the song came about and his initial reaction to it.

"A Milli" was initially supposed to be a interlude on Tha Carter III, an idea that Bangladesh wasn't feeling, he revealed to Billboard. The original concept for "A Milli" was supposed to feature several younger artist he was working with at the time including Tyga and Cory Gunz. Wayne later hopped on the beat himself and recorded several versions. However, Bangladesh said those didn't necessarily come out the way he wanted it too.

"When I first heard it my expectations weren't met. I didn't like it. I had different expectations and when you expect something and it's not like that you're kind of let down. It doesn't mean the shit isn't good, it's just I couldn't digest it." He said. He explained that because the song didn't have a hook on it, he felt like it would've hindered the potential of the beat itself.

Bangladesh later admitted that "A Milli" took on a life of its own that he expected. He also said he didn't think Wayne or his team expected how big that record was going to be.

"That record did something I didn't know it could. It took on a life of its own. I don't think [Wayne] knew what the record was. I knew what the beat was, just not what the record was," he said, "I don't think [Wayne's team] took the record seriously, because they weren't going to release it as a single, until it got leaked and took off."

There's no doubt that Wayne and Bangladesh create great records together. In the interview, he also explained that business politics have also played a role in why they haven't collaborated in recent times. Hopefully one day we could get another banger from the two of them.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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