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2016 BET Experience

Source: Thaddaeus McAdams / Getty

If you remember the time and place you were when Lil Wayne dropped “A Milli,” prepared to feel old.

It’s been over 10 years since Weezy released the influential track and while many fans are ready to recite the song word-for-word, one person initially didn’t think it was a hit.

 

It turns out the producer of the song, Bangladesh, was oblivious to the track’s potential at first. In an interview with Rap-Up he explained, “I kind of didn’t like it at first listen.”

He continued, “I was probably too slow to know what it was when I heard it. We didn’t make that song together…It kind of let me down to hear this song with no hook on it. We was conditioned to think things had to be structured a certain way, that it had to have this big hook, something relatable that people say and all that.”

This goes to show you there isn’t one way to make music. While imitators might have a hit on their hands, originals will always help shape the culture.

“I started hearing people say how it brought hip hop back,” Bangladesh said. “When legends were saying this, I started paying attention and started studying why they were saying it…It was simple. 808s with drums and a chop, a sample. That’s hip-hop. Just raw drums. Boom-bap type sh*t. That’s what they meant. As soon as I started understanding what it is, I started understanding the impact that it had.”

With a milli plays later and a Best Rap Solo Performance Grammy for Lil Wayne, it’s safe to say folks could deal without one little hook.