In the early 2000s, Lil Jon was one of the music industry’s most in-demand artists, with countless rappers and singers seeking him out for his singular Atlanta sound. Known for his knack for creating dancefloor fillers, Jon became a symbol of hip-hop’s hard-partying side.
It is perhaps no surprise, then, that there was a mix-up regarding Jon’s production duties that almost put the brakes on him creating a song for Usher. As he told Entertainment Weekly back in 2004, the original beat that he had given to Usher and Arista Records was one he had already submitted to Jive Records to be used by the Southern rap artist Petey Pablo. Pablo used the track, and the label had already started manufacturing the record it was to feature on. Meanwhile, Usher’s camp had used the beat to create the first version of “Yeah!”
Arista was reportedly incensed by the mix-up, but Jon was on such a prolific run in the early 2000s that he was able to remedy the error simply by making a fresh beat in the same style for Usher to record to. Though it shares many similarities with the Pablo version, it sounds much fresher, and while both songs charted the same year, “Yeah!” proved to be the bigger and more enduring hit. You can listen to the earlier Peter Pablo track above.
