No I.D. Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records
By Andrew Barber | Dec 23, 2011 | 1:47 pm | Permalink
Recognized by many as the Godfather of Chicago hip-hop, No I.D. has had an illustrious career that spans 20 years—and like fine wine, he’s only gotten better with age.
Breaking into the industry in the early '90s as Common’s in-house producer, No I.D. ascended from underground crate-digger to A-list hitmaker, crafting lush soundscapes for the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, and Rihanna. His talents have taken him in many directions, including a brief career as a rapper, and now as executive vice president of Def Jam.
Before he was known to the world as "Kanye’s mentor," No I.D. was quietly building his own extensive catalog, lacing beats for everybody from G-Unit and Ghostface Killah to Bow Wow—inlcuding many you may not know he produced.
The end of 2011 finds No I.D. reuniting with Common for The Dreamer, The Believer, which he produced in its entirety. On the eve of one of the year's most anticipated releases, Complex caught up with No I.D. These are the stories behind the best beats by Dion.
As told to Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive)
ShannonTeri December 23rd, 2011 at 11:02 PM
my best friend's sister-in-law makes $81 an hour on the computer. She has been fired for 9 months but last month her income was $8170 just working on the computer for a few hours. Here's the site to read more... m a k e c a s h 4 . com
johnny December 24th, 2011 at 12:57 AM
so many hits
oldmanVIN December 24th, 2011 at 03:49 PM
i remember COM used to all on stony isl. in that mitsubishi diamante
Biatch December 29th, 2011 at 09:54 PM
No ID is overrated as fuck. 80% of these joints aren't even classics - they're just records he made. lol. That's how low his batting average is. Aside of the "Resurrection" album, which was definitely stellar, can you honestly say that his joints on Blueprint 2, Watch the Throne and Big Sean et al are some of the most memorable beats you've ever heard? F O H. Dude is probably getting work because Common & especially Kanye are now famous, so ID can get industry favors.