Beanie Sigel

Why he matters

Dwight Grant was born in Philadelphia in 1974. His first recorded appearance came on the Roots’ Things Fall Apart, on “Adrenaline!”, after he tagged along to one of the band’s weekly jam sessions. He signed with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella in 1998, and The Truth came out in February 2000, debuting at No. 5. That album was the first Roc-A-Fella release to bring in Just Blaze and Kanye West, two producers who would go on to define the label’s sound.

The Reason followed in 2001 with Just Blaze, Kanye, No I.D. and guests including Scarface and Jay-Z. Around the same time Sigel and Freeway organized State Property, a group of Philadelphia artists signed to the Roc, including Peedi Crakk and the Young Gunz. They starred in the State Property film, and “Roc the Mic” with Freeway became his only Billboard Hot 100 entry.

The B. Coming in 2005 is, in my ear, his best record: the Neptunes, Just Blaze, Buckwild, Cam’ron and Jay-Z on one album, and “Feel It in the Air,” which became his signature song. After The Solution in 2007 he left the Roc system and self-released The Broad Street Bully and This Time. His voice was never the flashiest on the label. It was the one that sounded most like a man talking to you.

What a working rapper can take from it

Be in the room. Sigel didn’t get on Things Fall Apart through a submission portal. He showed up to a session and was ready when the moment opened. Live jams, open sessions and cyphers are still how a lot of first breaks happen. See the Roots profile for how that room worked.

Bet on the new producers. Just Blaze and Kanye West weren’t stars when The Truth was made. A debut is the best time to build with people at your own stage, because you grow up together. Chasing the most expensive name usually gets you their B-side beat.

Build a crew that can stand on its own. State Property gave other Philadelphia rappers a lane, and a Young Gunz single from The Chain Gang Vol. 2 got a Grammy nomination. If you’re putting friends on records, settle the splits before release. The split-sheet tool takes five minutes and saves years of arguments.