- Prodigy had to battle Nas the first time he came to Queensbridge to prove he was legit
- The skit "fukk Me" from Ready To Die is Biggie and Lil Kim sitting on a piano bench and making it squeak. At the end they actually broke the bench and Biggie and Kim's laughter is real and unscripted
- Cee-Lo originally was going to be a part of Outkast
- Jon Brion had to convince Kanye West to keep the song "Celebration" on Late Registration because he thought it was too silly a song. The laughter at the end of the song is real, during every take Kanye couldn't help himself from laughing so they kept it in
- Jay-Z and DMX always were always in Competiton, they were never enemies but they weren't friends. Irv Gotti wanted Jay on a song, Jay wanted to spit first but Irv already had X's verse slated for first. Jay gave Irv a look and said "Oh you think he better than me"
- Mos Def was an actor BEFORE he was a rapper, he co-starred as a teenager with Bill Cosby on the short loved tv show The Cosby Mysteries
- The Hate Me Now beat was originally For Foxy Brown but she didn't know what to do with it, Nas heard it one day and snatched it from her.