My man Alchemist did the beat for 'We GonвЂ™ Make It' for Ras Kass, but Ras KassвЂ™ company never paid for it, so he let Jadakiss do his thing instead. For example, a lot of people, even Big Pun, passed on the track for 'Whoa,' but Black Rob jumped on it and it blew up. Mad people hear beats before theyвЂ™re used. ThatвЂ™s the one thing in this game that you arenвЂ™t supposed to do. Is it possible that someone affiliated with Ja Rule heard 'Tell Me' and just created their own beat using the same sample? We made history, being the first hip-hop group to come out of Orlando. WeвЂ™re both reppinвЂ™ Orlando, so of course I wanted to help them. IвЂ™d already given Dakari (the A&R and producer for their project) a few beats to hear, and heвЂ™d shot them all down. Why did you give it directly to them, without shopping it around to more established artists first? Normally, when I make a beat I would give it to my manager, Chaka Zulu, who shops it around for me, but the beat for 'Tell Me' came straight out of the lab to Smilez & Southstar. IвЂ™ve never spent time with him in the sense of playing music for him. The only time IвЂ™ve ever seen Ja Rule was when he did a platinum party last year at Tabu, and even then I just met him briefly. The truth is that I donвЂ™t have any relationship with Ja Rule or Murder Inc. Ja Rule didnвЂ™t mention you by name on 106th & Park, but he did say that the same person who produced 'Tell Me' gave him the beat for 'Mesmerize.' WhatвЂ™s your side of the story? Ja Rule appeared on BETвЂ™s 106th & Park, claiming that the producer of 'Tell Me,' DJ Nasty of Nasty Beatmakers, had given him the beat. Shortly after, a song by Ja Rule featuring Ashanti, 'Mesmerize,' with a very similar beat using the same sample, was released. Orlando hip-hop group Smilez & Southstar broke into the mainstream with the single 'Tell Me,' getting heavy rotation on radio stations across the country as well as BET and MTV.

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