Along with honoring the highest hitmakers of the 12 months, the 2023 Billboard Music Awards are additionally celebrating hip-hop’s fiftieth anniversary with the invaluable help of three rap pioneers.
“Hip-Hop Via the Charts” finds Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris and T.I. sharing insider reminiscences about their numerous career-building Billboard chart achievements in addition to their reflections on hip-hop’s musical and cultural impression.
Watch all three interviews under with Vibe editor Datwon Thomas for illuminating sound bites excerpted from the trio’s particular person chats :
Jermaine Dupri on…
“Cash Ain’t a Thang,” that includes Jay-Z, from Dupri’s 1998 debut studio album Life in 1472 (No. 3 on Billboard 200; No. 1 for 2 weeks on High R&B/Hip-Hop Albums): “Once I did ‘Cash Ain’t a Thang,’ the corporate, Columbia, they didn’t have actually no thought what Jay-Z meant to the tradition. They have been really asking me like: Why did I need this tune to be my first single once I had ‘Sweetheart’ with Mariah [Carey]? … They thought they may do extra with ‘Sweetheart.’ It’s loopy, as a result of that’s similar to this period and this time of those 30 years in the past. [It] was such a studying interval for therefore many individuals.”
Mariah Carey’s “All the time Be My Child” (Billboard Scorching 100 No. 1 for 2 weeks, 1996): “That document taught me that it wasn’t actually about first and second singles. It’s nearly nice songs.”
Ludacris on…
What hip-hop means to him: “Hip-hop is every thing to me. It’s how we discuss, it’s how we costume, it’s how we stroll. … Like, every thing I do is to offer again to the tradition that gave me.”
Usher’s “Yeah!” that includes Lil Jon and Ludacris (Scorching 100 No. 1 for 12 weeks, 2004): “Quickly as Lil Jon despatched me the document, I used to be like, ‘That is out of right here’ earlier than I even obtained my verse on there. That’s why you see me originally of the document, a verse, and on the finish: ‘Take that and rewind it again.’ I’m attempting to get on as many elements of the document as attainable. I knew what it was. It’s crossed three generations. … That’s when you’ve got the hit document of a lifetime.”
T.I. on…
His lengthy and profitable profession in hip-hop: “Man, it appears like plenty of work, plenty of exhausting work that paid off. I’m the proudest of the music we made then. It impressed a lot to occur that has advanced to nonetheless be related now.”
“No matter You Like” (Scorching 100 No. 1 for seven weeks, 2008): “I feel that was my first solo No. 1. We was on a run, you dig? And had a good time despite a reasonably darkish second that I used to be going by. I used to be combating a fed case and making ready for jail. My complete factor was simply deal with doing essentially the most we are able to … being as productive as we are able to and progressive as we are able to with this time. And ‘No matter You Like’ was undoubtedly the catalyst of that second.”
