The business is based on relationships, like a large part of it. But more so than that the business is based on hits. Like you I’m a music purist, I guess I’m an old school guy. It comes from like hit record you konw what I’m saying. Yes it is hugely based on relationships and if you have great relationships with DJs and programmers and people out there to get things done; that’s very important. But I like to say what’s more important is when I go and make that undeniable hit. When I drop “I’m Real” or “Always on Time” or “Foolish” or “Ain’t it Funny” or all these number one records that I’ve had or “What’s Love” and just like when I drop these records they’re undeniable hits. I don’t even need a relationship; I have them but I don’t’ need them. People hear the record and they want to play it.
That’s what you want to achieve in the music business. You don’t want to have to base what you’re doing on a relationship and getting somebody to help you out. What you want is to deliver a material that you don’t have to say one word that they hear it and they’re like that is a great record and they play it. That’s what I try and do every time. Now most of the times or some of the times I have to work which is fine also. Whichever way it’s gonna be is it’s gonna be and I’ll work it.
Just come to you adn after they come to you it’s my God given talent to see something different in them. I guess. You know what I’m saying? When you talk about that I gotta go to a conversation about God. You know what I’m saying? This is what God is given me. When I first met Ja he was in a group, Cash, Money, Click, and it was when I met him and he rhymed I thought he was different. I immediately said he’s the one. Out of the group I immediately gravitated to him and thought he was special. J-Z, when I first met J-Z it was in 1987 we went to London and he was just different. I was with him and Jazz and I was cool with both of them but I felt that J-Z was the one. When I met DMX, the guy was fucking different. I can’t like – if you want me to give you this reason, this reason, it’s just something happens when I hear it and I just I’m like yo, they’re different. And I’m gonna run with them. Ashanti when she first came to me it was different becuase I actually told her I ain’t doing R&B. I said I’m hip hop. I said you know come to the studio and stick around and be a studio rat and you know what I’m saying we’ll get it done and see if we can do something. First meeting in hearing her music I was like you know it wasn’t impressive like her first music becuase it was different than what the people know now. She just stuck in the studio and she was a studio rat and she just stayed in the studio while we were making Ja’s “Pain’s Love” album. And I just seen the hunger in her cause she would come to the studio most every day even if she wasn’t doing anything. She was just chilling. So then I started talking to her and I started saying hey try this, write a hook for this cause I was testing her. And it’s like I would tell her what to write, the concept and tell her yo, do it like this and do it like that and every time she did it it would be amazing. So then when she did that that’s when I was like yo, she’s talented. With Ja and with J it was immediate. With Ashanti it was like it took a minute and then it was like okay; I seen she had it.
Vanessa Carlton who I signed it was instantaneous. It was – I went to Doug Morris’ office and she was in there becuase she was having a meeting with Doug. They pulled me in the meeting just because they wanted me to sit in on the meeting. And she got on the piano and she played this record “Hands on Me” and she totally blew me away like to the point where I was jumping around like yo, you’re the shit. Oh my God, you’re voice and she just totally blew me away. It was instantaneous. So it’s hard to say when with me – it’s like God gives me the chills and says this is the one.
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