Sunday Night Sample - Jadakiss Feat Styles P - We Gonna Make It

J to the mwah + Alchemist is always going to equal some fire flames.

“We Gonna Make It” was released as a single from Jada’s 2001 debut solo album, and extremely underrated Kiss tha Game Goodbye. 

It featured a two-by-two with his L.O.X. brother Styles P. 

The Alchemist sampled a section of Samuel Jonathan Johnson’s 1978 track “My Music” for the beat, which the subject of a ton of controversy.

Alchemist shopped the beat to several different artists, claiming a deal with Nas fell through before he took the beat to Ras Kass.

In 1999 The Alchemist was set to produce 3 tracks for Ras Kass' album, Van Gogh, which had been slated for a  release the following year. One of the tracks was "Home Sweet Home", which was to be the lead single for the album, and used this very sample/beat. 

After The Alchemist received the first half of the payment for the beat, he claimed Ras Kass' record label, Priority, began ghosting him.

They had a run in a few months later in August at the Source Awards where Alchemist informed Ras Kass that he'd been offering the beat to other artists, including Jadakiss.

Jadakiss knew the beat was fire and quickly snatched it up. The result was "We Gonna Make It" 

When Ras Kass took notice, he attempted to stop the release by releasing his own version of the song on mixtapes like a scumbag, but to no avail.

This prompted Ras to diss Alchemist in freestyles and on a track from Van Gogh. 

MTV- The Alchemist: “There was some confusion [between Jadakiss and Ras Kass with this beat ]. They were both good friends of mine at this point and before that so it was a lot of bullshit confusion. Raz is incredible, Jada is incredible. They’re both great artists. I think maybe the Jadakiss record stuck a little more for whatever reason. Who knows?

“But I can go further back than that. I tracked that beat for Nas before even all that. He didn’t end up getting on it. He ended up putting Nashawn on it but that version never made it. I mean, with beats you shop them around and things happen.

“I remember doing the Jadakiss session. I went to Yonkers and after we tracked the beat Kiss went in the booth and after the first line it was over. When he was like, ‘They gotta use the scales that they weigh the whales with,’ It was like here we go! It was already it was a wrap. Jada and Styles chemistry on that song is crazy.

“Kiss was like, ‘You’re gonna be real rich. Real rich, kid.’ He was gassing me up. It was like the early stages but that whole crew always showed me nothing but love. You meet a lot of artists and you meet their inner circle and you get to know a lot of people in this game but their crew, and everybody around them, are nothing but good people. They show me nothing but love and I do the same back. More than just work and music. It’s a great connection and they can get whatever from me.”

The Original -  Samuel Jonathan Johnson - My Music

The Alchemist dug deep to find this one. He subtly lifted multiple elements from this track including the funky bassline, horns, and strings. (Go to the 3:20 minute mark)

Jadakiss also made a "movie" to go along with his album release. It's almost impossible to find nowadays but it was big in the bootleg/napster community. 

Here's a rare video version of "We Gonna Make It" from it

Here is the MTV clean version of the single video

And here is the remix featuring Ruff Ryders labelmate Eve.

As well as the live performance from 106 & Park which was the best fuckin after-school show maybe ever after Big Tigger's The Basement.

Shit like this is why The Alchemist is one of the most genius producers of all time.

And if you haven't listened to Kiss The Game Goodbye in a while, give it some play. All-time record from one of the pound-for-pound greatest rappers alive.