Next Monday (Dec. 14) marks the 10th anniversary of Diddy – Dirty Money’s Last Train To Paris. The 19-track offering spawned globally recognized smash hits such as “Yesterday” and “Coming Home” amongst plenty of other hits. On top of that, it boasts high-profile features from artists such as Lil Wayne, Usher, Drake, and Trey Songz to name a few. Upon its release, the album peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold a whopping 100,000 copies its opening week.
In celebration of the project, we listed seven quintessential songwriters and producers who you may not have known contributed to Last Train To Paris. Check out some fun facts below.
1) J. Cole
Hip hop heavyweight J. Cole is credited as a songwriter for “Coming Home,” one of the most popular records on Last Train to Paris. The rapper actually wrote the attention-grabbing intro of the track. The track variant surfaced months prior to the album’s release and served as a reference track to the final version.
In J. Cole’s demo track, references to Diddy’s frequent collaborator The Notorious B.I.G. and mentor Andre Harrell are made. “Cause I do it B-I-G, I remember we would be high / Who’d have thought we’d be running rap when we was knee high,” the North Carolina-native raps.
2) JAY-Z
Working together several times in the past, it should come as no surprise that JAY-Z contributed to Diddy – Dirty Money’s 2010 studio album. JAY-Z is listed as a songwriter alongside Skylar Grey, who does the chorus of the record, as well as on her 2013 predecessor “Coming Home Pt. II.” Not only is Hov credited as a songwriter on “Coming Home,” but also a co-producer who worked alongside British executive Alex da Kid, who’s worked with stars like Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Rihanna.
3) Rico Love
Singer-songwriter Rico Love is credited as a songwriter for “Yeah Yeah You Would” featuring Grace Jones, “Hello, Good Morning” featuring T.I., and “Last Night (Part 2).” Before working with Diddy, Rico praised the hip hop legend as an inspiration in his early career. Last Train to Paris marked the first-ever collaborative effort between the pair.
“When I got in the studio with Puff for the first time, it was so much pressure because I felt like I had to deliver. When I did ‘Hello, Good Morning,’ I fully felt like I had something. And to get that call from him that next day and was like ‘Yo, I really love this record.’ I flew down to Miami,” Rico Love told Rap-Up.
The hitmaker continued: “He has a house in Miami and I live down in Miami, so we spent Thanksgiving dinner together and it was amazing. Him playing ‘Hello, Good Morning’ throughout the whole house in the surround sound speakers, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is unbelievable.’ The nerves and the jitters was on an all time high when I was working with Puff.”
4) Sean Garrett
Known for his work with Beyoncé, Usher, and Lil Wayne amongst others, Sean Garrett is listed as a songwriter on “Loving You No More,” which features Drake. Previously, Garrett and Diddy only collaborated on 2006’s “Thought You Said” featuring Brandy from Puff’s critically acclaimed album, Press Play.
Upon Last Train To Paris’ release, Dawn Richard told The Couch Sessions: “Having been a part of writing on that record with Sean Garrett and Drake was a great experience for me. It is such a soulful record.”
5) Polow Da Don
Polow Da Don is listed as a producer for a whopping three songs: “I Know” featuring Sevyn Streeter, Chris Brown, and Wiz Khalifa; “Your Love” featuring Trey Songz, and “Looking for Love” featuring Usher. Polow is the one of three producers who played a hand in three or more songs off of the project. Danja and Mario Winans followed behind him. Not to mention, a holiday-themed remix of “I Know” later appeared on Diddy – Dirty Money’s 2011 album, Love Love vs. Hate Love.
6) Rodney Jerkins
Known for his work with Destiny’s Child and Michael Jackson, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins is amongst the many producers listed on Last Train To Paris. He is credited as the sole producer of “I Hate That You Love Me,” which also boasts songwriting from the legendary Victoria Monét. Furthermore, Jerkins notably executive produced Last Train to Paris alongside Mario Winans, Joe Hooker, and, of course, Diddy.
7) The-Dream
The-Dream’s work speaks for itself. Having worked with Rihanna, Brittney Spears, and Justin Bieber on top of several RIAA-certified records, the R&B and pop record producer and songwriter has proved to be a hit-making machine. So, it should come as no surprise that he is listed as both a producer and songwriter for the final cut of Last Train To Paris, “Change.” He worked on the song alongside Tricky Stewart, who’s worked with talents like Mariah Carey, Frank Ocean, and Katy Perry.