Montell Jordan

Montell Jordan became the second R&B performer to secure a contract with Def Jam Recordings, and his opening single, "This Is How We Do It," stood out as one of 1995's major successes. Raised in L.A., he began performing in talent shows and church choirs while still a child, then progressed to nightclub appearances as he completed his studies at Pepperdine University. After graduation he spent seven years pursuing a record deal until he met Paul Stewart, president of PMP Records. Jordan and Stewart traveled to New York, where Jordan auditioned for Russell Simmons and received an immediate contract offer.

On his debut album he drew extensively on samples from B.B. King—the first artist to do so—while shaping lyrics that conveyed an upbeat perspective on South Central L.A., aiming to counter the prevailing negativity found in most SoCal gangsta rap. The strategy produced the enormous hit "This Is How We Do It," a party anthem that held the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and surpassed one million copies sold, driving the album to platinum certification. More... appeared in 1996; although it did not equal its predecessor’s reach, the release still registered as a modest success, climbing into the Top 20 of the R&B charts and earning gold status. Let’s Ride in 1998 and Get It On...Tonite in 1999 achieved similar results, with the title tracks of each album receiving solid radio airplay.

Persistent expectations for another blockbuster on the scale of "This Is How We Do It" led Jordan to present his self-titled 2002 album as "the 1st MONTELL JORDAN album," yet the project made no commercial impression. One year later he released the aptly named Life After Def, widely regarded as one of his most accomplished works, through a partnership with the minimally involved Koch label. Nearly five years elapsed before he signed with Fontana/Universal and delivered Let It Rain.