Montell Jordan Says Drake Helped Him Recoup Def Jam Earnings Through Song Sample

'I finally recouped with Def Jam after 28 years'

Montell Jordan recently revealed that, although he signed his first recording deal almost 30 years ago, he finally recouped the money owed the label after Drake sampled one of his songs and was able to break even.

On the We Sound Crazy podcast, Jordan was a guest and was speaking to the hosts about a song he did in 1995 called “Daddy’s Home,” which the Canadian recording artist used for his song “Papi Home” in 2021. Although he wasn’t directly contacted about using the song, it turns out that Drake using the sample and bypassing his approval benefited him in the end.

He called it a wild surprise when he heard the song, he seemingly intimated that he may not have allowed it, based on how Drake used the sample, saying that the content was off-brand for him, although it fit Drake perfectly.

“The content in the song, with the language and stuff like that, is stuff that’s not on brand for me, but it’s on brand for him,” Jordan told the co-hosts.

Evidently, Drake’s people went through the right channels to get the sample cleared, and it worked out for Jordan.

“It advanced the publishing of the original song more, which allowed me to recoup faster. So, literally, when, after Certified Lover Boy dropped, my recoupment of my publishing and royalties, literally, I finally recouped with Def Jam after 28 years.”

Drake sampling Daddy’s Home on Papi’s Home helped Montell Jordan finally recoup from Def Jam—29 years after the original dropped pic.twitter.com/oBjtmOcRe8

— RNB RADAR (@RNB_RADAR) May 5, 2025

Jordan, who hails from South Central California, recorded on the Def Jam label when he released his most popular song, This Is How We Do It, a sample of a Slick Rick song, Children’s Story, which was recorded in 1988. Jordan released the single in 1995.

The recording artist revealed late last year that early detection and his faith in God were the precursors to his beating prostate cancer. He told TMZ Hip-Hop that he had prostatectomy surgery in November 2024, when his prostate was removed. He cited that finding out about it early, along with proactive doctors, saved his life.