Don Cannon has revealed Jeezy and JAY-Z’s “Go Crazy” was originally a T.I. freestyle that eventually morphed into the actual song.
During an appearance on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion, Cannon explained how Tip played a role in the conception of Jeezy and Hov’s 2005 collaboration. According to the Generation Now co-founder, his beat was initially made for T.I. and although he recorded a freestyle over it that landed on his Down with the King mixtape, nothing was done with it, which led to the Snowman snatching it up.
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“When I made the beat, ‘Go Crazy’ was his beat. I don’t know if everybody knew that,” Cannon said. “He freestyled on [DJ] Drama’s tape on it, but he really ain’t do nothing with it. And that led to Jeezy hitting me up later like, ‘What’s up with that beat?’ He cashed me out for it, you know.”
Cannon explained that he played T.I.’s freestyle version at least “eight, nine times” at Jeezy and DJ Drama’sTrap or Die release party. The track enamored Jeezy, and he wasted no time inquiring about the beat for himself.
There’s much more to the story as Don Cannon revealed Michigan rapper Willie the Kid had the “Go Crazy” beat first, but while that was going on, the record producer was trying to find a way to blend his East Coast sound with the South. The version with Willie had a breakbeat that wasn’t suitable for a club atmosphere, so Cannon restructured the beat and gave it to T.I.
The Philly native knew he had a special beat when Tip freestyled on it, but Jeezy took things to another level when he told Cannon he got JAY-Z to rap on it.
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“When Jeezy got it, I knew it was special ’cause he was like, ‘Yo, I got something special for you on this record.’ I’m like ‘What?’ He’s like, ‘The boy got on it.’ Hov got on it and did them 64 bars and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m out of here!'”
Hov’s addition to the record was such a moment for Don Cannon that he explained in another segment of his My Expert Opinion interview that he shed tears of joy.
“I couldn’t even think about it because it was unreal to me,” he said. “When I seen the verse in Hip Hop Quotables and I read it, I’m like, ‘Oh, he really destroyed my shit.’ Then the second time I seen him, Jeezy brought him out at State Farm Arena in Atlanta and he was like, ‘Yo, Hov about to perform the joint.’ That’s when I hit the thug tear, you know.”
“Go Crazy” served as the third single from Jeezy’s debut album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Featuring a sample of The Impressions’ “(Man, Oh Man) I Want To Go Back,” the track peaked at No. 22 on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs and Hot Rap Tracks charts.
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Revisit “Go Crazy” below.
