11 Things You Didn't Know About No I.D.

On June 30, the world will finally get Jay-Z's fourteenth studio album, 4:44. A lot has changed in the four years since Jay-Z released Magna Carta Holy Grail. He's weathered the backlash of alleged infidelity famously referenced on his wife Beyonce's Lemonade, welcomed a set of twins into the world, and largely shrank away from music to multiply his portfolio with a streaming platform and a Live Nation deal. Fans and critics alike are wondering if 4:44 will resemble the slick, sage, hustler of yore or the bloated and bland Jay of recent memory. Luckily, Hov has tapped one of the most talented producers and creative minds of his generation to help him navigate this sea of detractors.

No I.D.’s roots run through twenty plus years of hip-hop. He created the foundation of modern Chicago rap with his childhood friend Common Sense. He helped mentor a teenage Kanye West at the insistence of his mother and would go on to produce for Bow Wow, G-Unit, Jay-Z, Nas, Drake, and Rihanna, to name just a few. The last few years he’s been at the forefront of the music industry as a former president of Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint, stints as the Executive Vice President of A&R and Executive Vice President and Head of Creative at Def Jam Recordings, and his current role as the Executive VP of Capitol Music Group. He also is the president of ARTium Recordings, which houses acts like Jhene Aiko and Vince Staples. It’s been an illustrious career, and he’s never lost his ear for great hip-hop. Which brings us to his next project: Helming a comeback album for one of the greatest rappers of all time.

With 4:44 almost upon us, here are some little known facts about the Chicago producer, label president, and visionary to help put into perspective why Jay’s next album could also be one of his best.

Green Eggs & Ham is a great book. Kanye West is a great rapper. Despite this, I hope the screenwriter who drafts the inevitable Yeezy biopic leaves one song on the cutting room floor. In an interview with Billboard, No I.D. illustrates what it was like meeting a teenage West:

West’s mom got No I.D.’s phone number, so her teenage son popped up at his Chicago basement studio wearing M.C. Hammer pants and carrying a laptop with his song “Green Eggs & Ham.”

“The music wasn’t good and he was only 14 or 15,” remembers No I.D. “But [West] took the advice I gave him and it multiplied with a new perspective. That’s why I’m betting on the new generation -- I can teach them everything I know and they can expand on it.”

At this point No I.D.’s mentorship of Kanye is a legend etched in stone. The relationship also holds morsels of inspiration for any up-and-coming artist. During an interview on episode 264 of the Apple Radio show Soulection Radio, No I.D. reflects on the evolution of Kanye. The best quote happens around the 1:21:00 mark when No I.D. says, “Don’t ever judge anybody. You don’t know who anybody is period...You gotta humble yourself. Just because you are where you are it doesn’t mean you aren’t talking to someone great.” Who knew the kid with Hammer pants and Dr. Seuss raps would one day rank among the most impactful artists of all time? No I.D. didn’t then, but he does now.

Kanye’s 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak remains one of his most divisive and innovative works. Sparse, cold, and melodically ambitious, it marked an artistic turning point for West and influenced nearly the last decade of rap (Drake, Future, Travis, etc.). Besides the music, Kanye’s fourth studio album was also groundbreaking for its fully realized aesthetic. Everything, from the KAWS designed album cover to West’s fashion choices to its live performances, was informed by a specific blend of '80s nostalgia and a new wave, pop sensibility.

Part of the look, from Kanye’s hair to his clothes, is owed to No I.D., who spoke about his contributions to several 808s songs (“Heartless,” “See You in My Nightmares,” and “Coldest Winter”) in a 2011 Complex interview:

“I was sitting at home in Atlanta—and I’m not saying 808s & Heartbreaks was my idea—but I was practicing a branding experiment. So I grew out my beard and started wearing old sunglasses all the time and I grew my hair out. Kanye would be like, ‘Yo, what are you doing?’ and I’d say ‘Cocaine 80s.’ This is where the group Cocaine 80s derived from—it was a lifestyle.

“Cocaine 80s was my concept, but Kanye dove deep into it himself. It wasn’t ‘Hey, I want to take this style,’ it was more ‘Can I make this work?’ It definitely had its moment though. People started growing beards and making a certain type of music during that era. And the group [Cocaine 80s] is still around now, and I have a lot planned for it.”

No I.D. has helped mold the careers of countless artists who have come into prominence during the last decade. Big Sean, Jhené Aiko, Vince Staples, and Logic have all cited the importance of No I.D.’s role in their careers as producer, executive, and mentor.

But Kendrick Lamar is one key artist No I.D. hasn’t worked with nearly enough. However, No I.D. did inadvertently inspire J. Cole to give Kendrick a beat that would go on to become the basis for one of Kendrick’s best songs.

In a video for the interview series “The Code,” for Forbes, No I.D. tells the story of how he pushed J. Cole to work with younger artists, which led to “HiiiPoWer.” The part comes at the 14:35 mark:

"J. Cole was like, Man, people won’t buy my beats. Man, I want to get on Nas. I want to get on Common. And I told him, I said, Why don’t you work with your peers. Start there. Then a couple days later he goes, Yo, I got Kendrick Lamar. I’m bout to do a record with him. Man, he’s dope man. I want you to meet him, and he brings them by the studio. It's him and Jay Rock. It’s a quick meeting. But he goes and does the record 'HiiiPower' based off this conversation. Which to me, it's not me doing something. Its me influencing them to do something. And me giving Cole a little insight to develop who he is.”