In February 2022, Netflix released jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. Directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, the docuseries gave a look into Kanye West’s journey of being a go-to Roc-A Fella Records producer while having the dream of blowing up as a rapper. Early on, he was turned down by multiple record labels, including Roc-A-Fella.
“It was a strike against me that I didn’t wear baggy jeans and jerseys and that I never hustled, never sold drugs,” West explained to TIME magazine back in 2005. “But for me to have the opportunity to stand in front of a bunch of executives and present myself, I had to hustle in my own way. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was that they didn’t get that. No joke — I’d leave meetings crying all the time.”
Despite the constant rejections, West finally landed an opportunity at Roc-A-Fella. Following his first record deal, not only did he find success as a solo artist, but he became one of the biggest musicians of all-time.
Although West achieved his mission after tireless efforts — as shown in jeen-yuhs — he continued to produce too. Below are just a few of the chart-topping songs that he produced pre-stardom and while being a music star in his own right.
1. Stand Up by Ludacris featuring Shawnna
In 2003, one of Ludacris’ timeless party anthems was born. Co-produced by the Atlanta rapper himself, “Stand Up” was the second single off his two-times-platinum album Chicken-n-Beer. Its success led to him snagging his first-ever No. 1 song. As previously reported by REVOLT, Ludacris praised West for producing the smash hit in minutes.
“Producers, sometimes, you don’t see these muthaf**kas touching electronic equipment in person,” Ludacris shared during his appearance on “Drink Champs.” “It was literally just me, Kanye and the engineer, and that muthaf**ka made that beat in like five minutes on a godd**n [Ensoniq] ASR-10 keyboard by himself,” he said. “Soon as I heard that s**t, I knew it was a hit.”
2. Slow Jamz by Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx
“Slow Jamz” was the lead single from Twista’s fourth studio album, Kamikaze, released in January 2004. By February of that year, the record became Twista’s first No. 1 hit, per Billboard. Moreover, it was West’s first No. 1 as an artist. “Slow Jamz” also received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
West also placed it on the tracklist for his own debut studio album, The College Dropout, in the same year.
3. Izzo (H.O.V.A.) by JAY-Z
West was behind one of JAY-Z’s certified classics. Known for his nicknames JAY-Hova, Hova and Hov, “Izzo (H.O.V.A)” -- which sampled The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” -- was an anthem for the Hip Hop legend. Or, as he simply put it, “That’s the anthem, get ya damn hands up.” As the lead single off The Blueprint, it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4. ‘03 Bonnie & Clyde by JAY-Z featuring Beyoncé
During West’s time as a producer at Roc-A-Fella Records, “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde” was among the hits that he cooked up for JAY-Z. Released in 2002, it went on to make the tracklists for both JAY-Z’s The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse and the European edition of Beyoncé’s Dangerously in Love. Additionally, it was the introduction of JAY-Z and Beyoncé as a dominating music force.
5. You Don’t Know My Name by Alicia Keys
“You Don’t Know My Name” stands as one of Alicia Keys’ biggest songs. Off her sophomore studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, the lead single was produced by both West and Keys and sampled The Main Ingredient’s “Let Me Prove My Love to You.” The love record reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another accolade it landed was a Grammy for Best R&B Song.
6. Overnight Celebrity by Twista
When it comes to songs with the most iconic openings, “Overnight Celebrity” is definitely on the list. Released as the second single from Twista’s Kamikaze, the track sampled Lenny Williams’ “‘Cause I Love You.” “Overnight Celebrity” became one of Twista’s Top 10 hits, as it reached the No. 6 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned him one of his two nominations at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.
7. Talk About Our Love by Brandy featuring Kanye West
“Talk About Our Love” was the lead single off Brandy’s Afrodisiac. The R&B record was another example of West’s fondness for sampling, as it borrowed from Mandrill’s “Gilly Hines.” In addition to producing “Talk About Our Love,” he also hopped on it to drop a verse. While the song cracked the top 40 at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, it hit No. 16 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart.
8. Young Forever by JAY-Z featuring Mr Hudson
For “Young Forever,” West included an interpolation of Alphaville’s “Forever Young.” Featuring Mr Hudson, the track was a fan-favorite single from JAY-Z’s The Blueprint 3. Following its release, “Young Forever” jumped to No. 10 on the Hot 100. According to Billboard, it was JAY-Z’s 17th Top 10 single.
9. Find Your Love by Drake
Alongside Grammy-winning record producers Jeff Bhasker and No I.D., West brought this love song to life. “Find Your Love” marked the second single from Drake’s debut album, Thank Me Later. Peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, the track is one of the Canadian rapper’s most-loved Top 10 hits.
10. I Don't F**k With You featuring E-40
“I Don’t F**k with You” was the lead single from Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise. Released while he was signed to West’s G.O.O.D Music, Ye assisted in producing the record. He was joined by DJ Mustard and Mike Free. ““I Don’t F**k with You” hit No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
11. B**ch Better Have My Money by Rihanna
Rihanna’s “B**ch Better Have My Money” was another fan-favorite record that West assisted with. Alongside Ye, Travis Scott, Deputy, and WondaGurl were also credited as co-producers. However, Deputy previously claimed that he produced 90 to 95 percent of the declarative single.
“B**ch Better Have My Money” is just one Billboard Top 20 song in Rihanna’s heavy catalog.
12. Industry Baby by Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow
Producer and songwriter duo Take a Daytrip revealed to Rolling Stone that West’s production on “Industry Baby” came after its inception.
“Kanye specifically picked out ‘Industry Baby’ and just from what Nas told us, Kanye gravitated to that one just because it reminded him of some of his anthemic moments, like ‘All of the Lights,’” said David Biral, per Rolling Stone. “He just wanted to come in and really give it an overall finishing touch. So, he came in and helped layer some instruments and really helped beef up the production, and sent us all the parts back, and we were able to take all of those things and place them in and finish it up with Nas.”
In 2021, “Industry Baby” became Lil Nas X’s third No. 1. hit. In addition, the pop/rap song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.