Lil Wayne, T.I. and Trick Daddy were originally supposed to be a part of Boyz N Da Hood before Jeezy joined the group, according to Jody Breeze.
During an interview with VladTV, Breeze revealed Russell “Block” Spencer, co-founder of Block Entertainment, initially envisioned creating a supergroup comprised of Tunechi, Tip, Trick and himself.
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However, the latter didn’t feel ready to be in a group with the Southern stalwarts at that time given their sizeable star power.
“The group actually was supposed to have been me, Trick Daddy, T.I. and Lil Wayne,” Breeze explained. “That was Block’s first plan, but I was like, ‘They already on, they already popping.’
“Even though I could hold my own and had done songs with everybody anyway, I was telling Block like, ‘Nah, I don’t think I want to be in a group with them at this time.'”
Jody Breeze went on to explain that Trick Daddy swung by the studio one day to record to Boyz N Da Hood’s breakout hit “Dem Boyz,” but he passed on the song because he “didn’t like it.”
Instead, the Miami, Florida native laid down vocals for two other tracks for the group’s self-titled debut album, one of which made the cut: “Pussy M.F.’s.”
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Around this time, Jeezy began recording his classic Gangsta Grillz mixtape Trap or Die, which Jody said is the reason the original version of the project features the songs “Stay Fresh” and “Dem Boyz.”
Another record from the original iteration of Boyz N Da Hood that found a home elsewhere was T.I., Lil Wayne, Trick Daddy and Lil Jon’s “Stand Up,” which landed on Tip’s 2004 album Urban Legend.
Boyz N Da Hood’s eventual lineup comprised of Jeezy, Jody Breeze, Gorilla Zoe, Big Gee and Big Duke. The group released two albums via Diddy’s Bad Boy South imprint, 2005’s Boyz N Da Hood and 2007’s Back Up N Da Chevy. However, Jeezy had left the group to pursue solo stardom by the time the latter dropped.
Boyz N Da Hood was by far the group’s most successful project, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 while also topping both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts. It also featured Rick Ross, Diddy, Jazze Pha and others.
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Revisit “Dem Boyz” below:
