History is constantly rewritten around the celebrities of the present.Ĭrystal: Maybe the most fun fact in all of music: one of the few non-rap/R&B projects that Irv Gotti was involved in was Heroes & Thieves, the third studio album from Vanessa Carlton, released on The Inc. Katherine: It’s not just him reading criticism you’d think Pharrell and Timbaland and maaaybe Darkchild were the only R&B producers working. Gotti’s singles production discography is a lot smaller of a list than someone like Timbaland or Pharrell (he really only produced for Ja, Ashanti, and DMX) but his batting average is much better: “Holla Holla,” “What’s Luv,” “I’m Real (Murder Remix),” “Always On Time,” “Foolish,” and of course, “Mesmerize.” Given how much we talk about rap/sung duets being critical to the sound of this era, I’m surprised that when we talk about producers of the early-aughts we almost never talk about Irv. We’ve chosen to focus in on “Mesmerize” here, which was one of the few tracks produced by Irv Gotti. I think we all know who won that fight.Ĭrystal: All the big Ja + female R&B singer duets are generally fire, and similarly, all Ashanti + dude rapper duets are fire, too. In 2015, Blender redirects to a broken page on Maxim’s website and the list is only accessible via a copy-paste on a poker forum. Katherine: In 2004, Blender called “Mesmerize” one of the 50 worst songs of all time. This is the Total Rewatch Live nostalgia that you were promised! Ja Rule + Ashanti duet: IT’S MURRRRRRDAAAAAAAA! Like those two think they invented the rapper and singer combo”Ĭrystal: I know you’ve been waiting, but here it finally is. Ahhh, the comments: “Ashanti and Ja Rule were at it waaay before Jay Z and Bey.