Last year Beyonce dropped Renaissance, the massively successful and even more massively acclaimed dance album. Consequently, she’s spent most of this year on tour for the album playing a series of arena shows. Those shows were a big attractor for celebrities all summer as everyone watched Bey’s performance and fashion evolve throughout the tour. Now, the Renaissance tour is officially wrapped up and news about it has trickled since the announcement of a concert film coming later this year.
Now, a new piece of information about the album itself is emerging. No I.D. recently say down with Stereogum to talk about the dozens of tracks he’s produced for some of the biggest stars in the world. He tells the story of creating the instrumental for Beyonce’s Renaissance track “Church Girl.” That included clarifying that originally it wasn’t meant for Bey at all. “I was at [Jay-Z’s] house one day, and I had some equipment with me, and I just started making a beat. And he was rapping to it. It was for him. And he just put it on the computer. I never thought about it again. I literally forgot about it,” he begins. But much later on he gets a call explaining that Bey had an idea for the instrumental, and the rest is history. Check out the full interview below.
His beats were used in Big Sean’s “Control” and Pusha T’s “The Story Of Adidon,” but superproducer No ID isn’t interested in rap beefs. “To be honest, I told [Pusha T], don’t do it,” he tells Stereogum, “and he did it anyway.”https://t.co/mUVJJpFjVe
Beyonce has kept somewhat quiet since then end of the Renaissance tour. She popped up for a surprise appearance last week when she attended the premiere of Taylor Swift’s concert film. Bey and Taylor had quietly been competing all summer on their respective tours but they made sure to show it was all love. Subsequently, Taylor’s “Eras Tour” film was a massive box office success breaking records in its first weekend.
The Renaissance tour film will arrive in a few months. Accordingly, it’s set to his screens across the country on December 1. What do you think of the instrumental for “Church Girl” originally being made for Jay-Z? Let us know in the comment section below.
No I.D. is a producer who has worked with some of the biggest names in all of hip-hop. That’s why when he recently sat down with Stereogum to reflect on his career’s worth of beats there was plenty to choose from. He discussed songs he made with Killer Mike, Big Sean, Common, Kanye West and more. He also discussed Jay-Z’s critically acclaimed 2017 album 4:44 which he produced the entirety of. They honed in particularly on the beat for “The Story Of O.J.” which has become just as well known for a different song entirely.
That song is “The Story Of Adidon” one of the most legendary rap diss tracks in recent memory. In the song Pusha T took aim at Drake, revealing to the world that he was hiding a secret child while using an offensive picture of him in black face as an album cover. No I.D. revealed that Push asked for his permission to use the beat, but he declined. “I told his manager, Steven Victor, he called me about it. And I was like, ‘No, that’s not even the spirit of the song, bro. Why would you pick that one?’ That wasn’t lack of love for him and what he was doing and his art. It was just, again, there’s times I don’t wanna be involved in certain things, because it’s not me.” Check out the full article below.
No I.D. Didn’t Want Pusha T Using His Instrumental To Diss Drake
His beats were used in Big Sean’s “Control” and Pusha T’s “The Story Of Adidon,” but superproducer No ID isn’t interested in rap beefs. “To be honest, I told [Pusha T], don’t do it,” he tells Stereogum, “and he did it anyway.”https://t.co/mUVJJpFjVe
Pusha T hasn’t slowed down dropping new music recently. Last year he dropped the album It’s Almost Dry. The album had features from Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Uzi Vert, Kid Cudi and more. Just last week he popped up in a strange place. He and Chad Hugo participated in a remix of French synth-pop band Phoenix‘s song “All Eyes On Me.”
Push is also still getting play out of his older records as well. He released a line of 10th anniversary merch for his 2013 album My Name Is My Name earlier this month. What do you think of Pusha T using No I.D.’s beat for “The Story Of Adidon” against the producers wishes? Let us know in the comment section below.
Five years ago, Pusha T set his sights on Drake, unleashing “The Story of Adidon,” a scathing diss track that revealed Drake was “hiding a child.” Flash forward to today, Pusha and Drake didn’t make up like The Boy did with Meek Mill; in fact, it feels like their beef can erupt again at any time.
Speaking on the historic diss is No I.D., who made the “Adidon” beat, but it originally served as the score for JAY-Z’s “The Story of OJ.” Speaking with Stereogum, No I.D. revealed that he told King Push not to use the beat for the diss, but he did it anyway.
“I told [Pusha T], don’t do it, and he did it anyway,” No I.D. said. “I told his manager, Steven Victor, he called me about it. And I was like no, that’s not even the spirit of the song, bro, why would you pick that one? That wasn’t lack of love for him and what he was doing and his art. It was just, again, there’s times I don’t wanna be involved in certain things, because it’s not me.”
In case you need to revisit the single, press play below.
Earlier this year, Saba released two new singles both of which were collaborations with legendary producer No I.D.“Back In Office” came first in April and was followed by “hue_man nature” in June. The pair have an entire album together coming soon and while specific details on its release date aren’t available yet Saba gave XXL some details on particular songs from the project.
He shares details on four different songs from the album starting with “Waba.” “We had a studio session in 2019. I found this beat from that session that I guess I overlooked then. This was a fun record for me to make because I had to give myself permission to just talk sh*t,” he explained. Saba describes a song called “Black Suburbans” as being similar to “Back In Office.” “I’m going back to what made me fall in love with rap in the first place. It just feels like a classic rap record and not to toot my own horn,” he says about the song.
He finishes the discussion by sharing details on “Stomping,” which he calls one of his favorite songs on the forthcoming album. ” I just be walking throughout the day sometimes and it’s in my head. That song is kinda important to me because I don’t really have a lot of songs that feel that way. To me, the funnest part about what I do is being able to find interesting pockets. Pockets that complement the beat, but they might be the opposite of what the listener is expecting to hear sometimes. “Stomping” is one of the records where I feel like I’m inside of a different pocket.”
Saba is following up his album Few Good Things. The project dropped early last year and featured G Herbo, 6LACK, Smino, Foushee, Black Thought, and more. What do you think of the details Saba shared about his forthcoming solo album with No I.D.? Let us know in the comment section.
The footnotes of hip-hop are filled with stories of rivalries and enemies. East Coast vs. West Coast beefs, debates over production styles, artists inking other artists to labels, only for the deal to fall flat… So much of hip-hop is animated by these sorts of stories, from its inception to 2023. Sales figures get pushed against one another (remember Kanye vs. 50?), underdogs take swipes at kings (a tale as old as time), MCs are accused of ghostwriting (or worse, employing ghostwriters), others are painted as frauds.
Hip-hop is a game of enemies, and even corporations have used this characterization – who can forget Arby’s employing Pusha T to take a shot at McDonald’s? Despite this, though, it’s unfair to highlight rap’s history of rivals without highlighting how crucial mentorships have been to the history of the game. For every beef, there are five successful relationships between master and apprentice, rising star, and graceful vet.
Because so much of rap music began as an oral tradition, one passed down through storytelling, mythmaking, and the act of observing others create, it makes sense that the genre’s foundations are built upon this idea of the transfer of knowledge. Flows are stolen and beats are mimicked, but rap is partially built on this idea of picking and choosing which ideas to take from where.
Sampling, after all, is the literal act of taking a snippet of sound and recontextualizing it. The mentor-mentee relationship is mutually beneficial. One, the mentee gets access to knowledge and an audience otherwise unobtainable, while the mentor makes an investment in the future, leaving a part of their DNA in another artist to carry the torch long after they’re gone. To celebrate 50 years of hip-hop, here are five of the most impactful mentor-mentee relationships in the history of the game:
Kanye West and No I.D.
Long before Kanye West was the most polarizing figure in rap – well, long before he was the most polarizing figure in rap this time and the time before and the time before that — he was an aspiring producer, as so many know. He was, famously, making five beats a day for three summers, looking for an in to the rap game. The scene is early ’90s Chicago. Producer No I.D. was working with Common, who was beginning to make some noise as the new voice in Chicago. Kanye and I.D.’s moms were friends, and the two beatmakers were introduced. No I.D. immediately spotted Kanye’s talent, even managing the wildly skilled artist for a bit. While that relationship didn’t last, their friendship did, which Kanye eventually memorialized in song, even outlining the importance of mentors. On “Big Brother” from 2007’s Graduation, he raps, “My big brother was B.I.G.’s brother / Used to be Dame and Biggs’ brother / Who was Hip Hop brother, who was No I.D. friend / No I.D. my mentor, now let the story begin.”
Eminem/Dr. Dre and 50 Cent
50 Cent was — at one time in the not-too-distant past — the biggest rap superstar on the planet. His debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, reshaped the way hip-hop captured the public imagination. He made hits for the streets and hits for the club, blending the two in such a way that his songs were both instantly familiar yet entirely unique to his story. Of course, 50 carried massive amounts of innate talent, but it also helped that he had two of rap’s biggest superstars on his side. He was mentored by Dr. Dre and Eminem, who helped sculpt him into the icon he became on Get Rich. It helped to have two of the biggest influencers in rap on your side. Who can forget the music video for “In Da Club,” which features an absolutely jacked 50 engineering himself in a lab, seemingly turning himself into an indestructible behemoth? The reveal, though, shows Eminem and Dre in white lab coats, facilitating the entire training camp. Even they were in on the joke that they had created a monster, though now it’s clear that 50 was likely destined for stardom regardless.
Birdman and Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne’s Young Money empire wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t for Birdman and his game-changing Cash Money enterprise. Before Weezy, Drake, and Nicki took over the industry, Birdman was offering up game to the hustling, rising New Orleans nightmare. Birdman and Weezy first linked up when the latter was only eight years old, and Wayne signed his first deal with Birdman’s label four years later – before he was even a teenager. That deal was for a project with B.G., and two years later Wayne joined the Hot Boyz with B.G., Juvenile, and Young Turk. Of course, it was Wayne’s solo career that turned Cash Money from a regional favorite to an international sensation, but much of Weezy’s success is due to Birdman‘s belief in him as an artist and entrepreneur. In an interview with New Orleans’ Q93 Radio, Birdman broke down the depth of their relationship, saying, “Before I had a child, Wayne and all of them were my children, you heard me? Wayne to me is my son—my first-born son—and that’s what it do for me. That’s my life, that’s my love and that’s my thing. That’s my lil’ son. I love him to death.”
Eazy-E and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Eazy-E signed the melodically inclined Cleveland, Ohio rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony while on tour in the early 1990s, shortly after the group had chased him across the country hoping to encounter the former N.W.A. legend. Working with the group allowed Eazy an opportunity back onto rap’s mountaintop through Ruthless Records, his clearest path to influence after his West Coast group had fallen apart. Bone Thugs’ 1994 EP, Creepin’ On Ah Come Up features Eazy’s fingerprints throughout, and while Eazy died tragically in 1995, the group’s biggest hit, 1996’s “Tha Crossroads,” was dedicated to the late star. Ironically enough, Eazy was attracted to working with Bone Thugs because they were tighter than N.W.A. ever was. In a 2015 VIBE story, Krayzie Bone recalled something Eazy shared with him: “One thing he used to trip off of was how close Bone was because back then when one of us would get up to go to the bathroom the other four would follow. One day, E told us, ‘Man, if N.W.A. would have been as tight as y’all nobody would have never came between us.’”
Shock G and Tupac Shakur
2Pac didn’t get his start in the rap world on the mic. Instead, he began his career as a dancer and road crew associate with dirty-rap pioneers Digital Underground. The group, led by the inimitable Shock G, landed a massive hit with “The Humpty Dance,” and it was during this time that Tupac was reportedly carrying the group’s crates of vinyl to performances. Fast forward two years and 2Pac was featured on the group’s single “Same Song.” Fast forward four more months and Shakur’s Interscope Records debut landed on shelves. Shock G also lent his professional ear to 2Pac’s work, producing his breakthrough single “I Get Around” and serving as co-producer on Pac’s debut album 2Pacalypse Now. At the premiere of the 2017 movie All Eyez On Me, Shock G (who has since tragically passed as well), reflected on Tupac’s philosophy on life, saying, “He was ready, he knew he was done here. On to his next planet, on to his next adventure, maybe he was reincarnated on Earth, who knows? But Pac wasn’t worried about death. He was not scared of death and neither am I.”
It turns out that mentees can end up leading teachers too.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
There are a lot of things that wouldn’t have existed without Jermaine Dupri putting the play together. Apparently, 4:44is 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.
ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 23: Jermain Dupri and Jay-Z attend the So So Def anniversary party hosted by Jay Z at Compound on February 23, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Getty Images)
“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.
Ogi actually had no plan to be a full-time singer. That’s the most shocking part about the Chicago-born Nigerian-American singer. Prior to everything that’s occurred for her over the last four years, Ogi had plans to pursue a career in law as a student at Northwestern. However, all it took was one cover she shared on Instagram to change everything for her. “It was just something that I did for fun on the side,” she tells Uproxx over a Zoom call. “It all really came to a head senior year, like this doesn’t make any sense. To this day I’m still confused.”
Amid the slight confusion and reality shock that Ogi is still sorting through, the young singer has been putting out great music. She received co-signs form PJ Morton and No I.D. while also signing a deal to the latter’s Atrium Recordings imprint, a place that Snoh Aalegra and Jhene Aiko also call home. This past spring, Ogi released her debut EP Monologues and it struck as a beautifully constructed project carried by her rich vocals and textured production.
Monologues earned her plenty of attention from the music industry. She performed at Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival as well as at the 2022 BET Awards. Ogi has toured with The Marias and Snoh Aalegra, and now, she’s getting ready to hit the road again, this time with British singer Mahalia.
Before things pick up again for Ogi, she took a moment to speak with Uproxx about Monologues, her rise towards success, her Nigerian background, and what she wants to do next.
I’m really drawn to your music because of how rich, textured, and just full it is. As a Nigerian born and raised in the Midwest, what influences did you have growing up that helped you make the kind of music you make today?
I think it came from a lot of things, but primarily, it started from my parents — I mean, that’s how it starts with everybody. They had the aux cord, so to speak, for my childhood. My mom played a lot of Nigerian hymns growing up [and] a lot of gospel. She introduced me to people like BeBe & CeCe Winans, John P. Kee, J. Moss, Smokie Norful, people like that. My dad played a lot of reggae, a lot of Highlife right? So it was people like Cardinal Rex Lawson. My dad is Igbo, so he played that Highlife from that tribe and a lot of reggae, a lot of Fela Kuti. I think all of that kind of culminated into what I listened to. Once I got old enough, I started listening to hip-hop and rap. My sister introduced me to like 106 & Park, so all the R&B of that time. I think that plays a role in my cadences, a little bit, and the way that I write lyrics. But yeah, my parents influenced the way that I create the sound, but lyrically, I think 106 & Park [and] things a little bit more recent influenced how I speak.
Pursuing a career in music or art altogether isn’t the first thing our parents want to hear. What were those early discussions like, and how did the level of support change or grow as time went on?
So, I had the conversation with my mom first and she was obviously like, not about it at all. She’s like, “This is nonsense, you’re wasting your time.” I was in my senior year, I was right there, it felt like a distraction there. It wasn’t until one of the people who were interested in me flew us out to LA. He took me and my mother to LA and really showed off what being in this industry can do [and] the money. I think that was the moment she was like, “Okay, there’s security here, she could maybe do well.” Then, she realized it was a business. My mom is a very shrewd businesswoman, she’s very on it. Once she realized that perspective, I think she was a little bit more about it.
My dad, I think he’s just realizing what’s going on. When I told him that the music stuff was happening, he wasn’t as upset, but I think he didn’t take it as seriously. He was like, “Okay, this is your passion project, you’ve been in school. Go ahead, just do it, and like a year later, you’re gonna go to law school as we planned.” I think he’s now realizing that that’s not what’s happening. So he’s been kind of looking back on my life to wonder how did we get to this point. He’ll say, “I got a piano for the house, and you would play it, but I didn’t think it would become this,” that kind of thing. Now he’s kind of onboard. He realizes that I’m good at what I do and he wants me to do a jazz song, things like that. So I think the parents are onboard.
Now that we’re a bit removed from its release, what would you say you’re most proud about Monologues?
I’m proud of the response in the sense of like, I’ve seen people do covers of the songs on the EP. Which is like… That gets me because [that means] you found something that you felt enough like you that you wanted to take it and then use those words as your own sort of expression, like something resonated in that. The first time I saw someone do a cover of my song, it made me cry, that’s huge. I mean, that’s how I came up, that’s the only reason why I’m here. I did PJ Morton’s “Alright,” which is a song that I would sing to myself when I was studying LSAT books. I was comforting myself and singing that song, so to see somebody else do that, felt like a real full circle moment.
Aside from the success Monolouges has brought you, what would you say the EP has personally helped you with?
I think it’s been a positive affirmation of vulnerability is power. Being afraid of something that would alienate you, like in music, is actually the thing that brings people towards you. The song “Bitter” is about me being like, “Dammit, nobody wants me. What’s going on?” Having that moment, which in other contexts would be like, “Ew, you want people to know that about you?” people use those words as something that they understand and feel. It’s encouraged me to be even more vulnerable in the way that I express myself, and just to dig deeper. I think the things that resonate the most are the things that people don’t think other people are going through. To show that I’m going through it too, I think that’s what brings people together.
You’ve toured with The Marias and Snoh Aalegra, and now you’re hitting the road with Mahalia. What excites you the most about these next string of performances?
I’m really interested in just meeting because her EP is so dope. I mean, to talk about vulnerability, like the story of her EP is about her trying to save another girl from the mistake that she made in being within with a guy that is also pursuing her. That’s a big thing to do, you know? I’m curious to see what that story is gonna look like onstage. I listened to it, and I’m a fan. I’m also excited about my growth as a performer. I strive to be better and better each time and I look at this as another opportunity to grow in my craft. I want to be more energetic and more expressive. I have the opportunity to perform my whole EP now, so I want to create a story with that, like what can I do next? So I think that’s what I’m excited about.
Looking back, what about your heritage and/or childhood do you think contributed the most to your success now?
My name honestly. I’m from Wisconsin, so there weren’t a lot of people that had a name like mine. There used to be times when I was kind of ashamed of it. I would tell people that it translates to Michelle… like no it doesn’t, it never did. I would just lean into it, but like, I’ve been Ogi since I was three years old. Now, it’s contributed to what my name is as an artist and it points to my heritage, who I am, and the things that made me who I am. I’m very proud of my name, I like it when people ask me, “Is that your real name?” and I get to say yes, that is my name. The thing that I felt alienated me, fills me with pride now.
When would you say that you started to embrace everything about your culture?
It was always a kind of love/hate relationship because I always loved it when my mom would come and wear her dresses, and everyone would be like, “Oh wow!” you know what I mean? I think it was in high school and college when I finally kind of claimed it for myself. That’s when I started seeing people like me. College was the first time that I refused to start straightening my hair all the time. Stylistically you can do whatever you want, but for me, it was tied to “my hair isn’t beautiful unless it’s straight.” I just started accepting my blackness and looking at myself and being like, “I’m African and I love it.” That’s also gonna make its way into my music eventually. I mean, it’s still there in terms of Highlife influences, but I think I want to lean into that part of my identity in the future.
Looking ahead, what’s something else you’d like to accomplish within the next 12 months?
I’d like to release some more music for sure. I just want to travel, I want to go to different places through tours and shows, just to see where I am. One thing that I regret from college is never studying abroad, and I feel like this is my moment to go wherever I want — or I guess wherever people want me. So I guess that means I just gotta work hard. I’m trying to go to Tokyo and Seoul and I want to go to Lagos for sure, I gotta go. Rio de Janeiro would be so dope. I want to go to South America, Africa, and Asia. I’ve been to places in Europe because I have aunts and uncles that live out there, but yeah.
Monologues is out now via Artium Entertainment LLC/Atlantic. You can stream it here.
Ogi is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Earlier this year, Saba dropped off his new album Few Good Things. The stellar effort brought in collaborations with G Herbo and Krayzie Bone. Now Saba has his eyes on another collaboration with No I.D.
Appearing on Apple Music 1 with Ebro Darden, Sabab talked about the Few Good Things album before revealing he received 120 beats from legendary producer No I.D. for a future project.
“So, when I got up with him, he told me he did 120. He was like, ‘A two-week span,’” Saba said. “‘I got 120. How many of them you want me to send you?’ And I was like, ‘Bro, I’m about to go on tour. Send me all 120.’ I didn’t expect him to actually do it, but he did it, and with the intent of just… I’m just having fun, mixtape style, just writing to as many of them… My goal is 10. I want to leave tour with 10, but I’m already at six, and we’ve been on tour for like a week, so I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see how many, but it’s definitely… It’s something to come.”
A collaboration between the two Chicago natives would be epic, Saba added that No I.D. was one of the first to hear the Few Good Things album:
I played the album for No I.D. before it was finalized. I’m just like, “Hey, these are the songs I’m working on. I’m about to finish it up. This is the album.” I had 10 records that I played for him, and he gave me some notes, and they was really solid…one thing that he pointed out, he was like, “You did all of the musical shit, but I’ve been to your show before, and you had motherfuckers out there moshing, doing all type of other crazy shit that you didn’t do yet on this album. You need to do that.” And to me, that was like just a oversight, where it was something I didn’t even think about. It was like some legend advice to me…But to me, the most important thing he said, he was like, “You need a new closer.” He was like, “If you play… When you tour this album, without these new records, you’re going to still be closing with the big song from your last album.” He was like, “You can’t do that.” And I was like, “That’s something I didn’t even think about.” And it was the best…it put the battery in my back and got me back to work, and I went home, and “Survivor’s Guilt” was the first beat that I made.
You can see the entire conversation between Saba and Ebro here.
(@itsrikip_)
