Juicy J is best known for fouding the Oscar-winning Memphis collective Three 6 Mafia, but he's ingratiated himself with the new generation thanks to several guest spots, such as Katy Perry's "Dark Horse," that have blown up on the Billboard charts.
One of those tunes, Usher's "I Don't Mind," has an interesting backstory.
"[Producer Dr.] Luke was trying to get me on it, but I was on tour," J told Billboard. "I was trying to go to a big studio to do it, but he was like, 'You did 'Bandz A Make Her Dance' in a hotel room, right?' I was like, 'Yeah -- I did it in a closet.' So I went to a hotel room and recorded it on a cheap-ass $200 mic. Usher loved it, but later on, I went to a studio and redid it."
The tune hit No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart less than a year after "Dark Horse" went to No. 1 on the pop chart. J has carried his momentum into several production projects, including an executive spot on A$AP Rocky's forthcoming album.
"I was there from the beginning," Juicy said. "Executive-producing, it means picking out the best songs, beats -- making everything the best."
He hasn't forgotten about solo work, either. He's working on a new album, THC: The Hustle Continues, while new mixtape Blue Dream & Lean: Reloaded is due soon.
"It's pretty much done," J said. "Lex Luger, Sonny Digital and Mike Will Made It produce on it, but I did a lot too. I'm going to give you that old Three 6 Mafia sound."
Check out that Usher collabo, "I Don't Mind," below:
