7. Beenie Man and Kelis – “Jamaica Way” (2000)
One of the great things about the early days of any new producer’s career is the familiarity of the instruments they use in their beats. The guitar chords on“Jamaica Way” were similar to the opening riff of N.E.R.D.’s “Lapdance” and “Truth or Dare.” The criticism the Neptunes would receive for repetition like that (see also the martian-like drops on records for Jay-Z and Britney Spears) comes from not understanding how artists build a reputation—through familiarity. It’s not so much what they used at that time, but how they used it. On “Jamaica Way” the sound effect was played differently than the other records, raising the tempo of this Beenie Man and Kelis collab, a slept-on anthem for Jamaican pride.