How Drake’s “Papi’s Home” Sample Helped Montell Jordan Break Even on Def Jam Deal After Nearly 30 Years

When Drake released his Certified Lover Boy album in 2021, fans immediately recognized the nostalgic bounce of “Papi’s Home.” But few realized the track’s deeper significance—especially for R&B legend Montell Jordan.

The song samples Jordan’s 1995 track “Daddy’s Home,” a smooth, soulful cut that originally flew under the radar compared to his chart-topping hit “This Is How We Do It.” Now, years later, that very sample helped Jordan finally achieve a financial milestone nearly three decades in the making.

Appearing recently on the We Sound Crazy podcast, Jordan shared that Drake’s use of his song wasn’t pre-cleared with him, and he only learned about the sample after the fact. “It was a wild surprise,” he said. While the lyrical content of Drake’s version didn’t align with his current brand, Jordan acknowledged the unexpected windfall it brought. “It advanced the publishing of the original song more, which allowed me to recoup faster,” he explained.

He added with a smile, “So literally after Certified Lover Boy dropped, my recoupment of my publishing and royalties—literally—I finally recouped with Def Jam after 28 years, really 29.”

That moment marked a full-circle financial turnaround for the artist, whose long-standing deal with Def Jam had gone unreconciled for nearly three decades. In music industry terms, “recoupment” refers to the process by which artists pay back their label advances before receiving full royalties. For Jordan, it was a drawn-out process that required patience—and, apparently, a little help from Drake.

But Jordan’s journey with Def Jam was never conventional to begin with. In a prior interview with VladTV, he recounted the unusual and somewhat awkward circumstances under which he first met music mogul Russell Simmons. After having dinner at New York’s Time Cafe alongside celebrities like Warren G and Chris Rock, Jordan was invited upstairs to Simmons’ penthouse. What followed was a bizarre series of events.

“He doesn’t say anything to me, bro. It’s super awkward,” Jordan remembered. Simmons ignored him completely while pacing on a treadmill and talking on the phone. Then, out of nowhere, Rev Run entered the room, only for Simmons to casually call Jordan “my rap singer”—even though no deal had been signed.

Later that night, the entourage went to the movies, where Simmons again avoided Jordan, opting instead to sit in front of him alongside a man named “Dre.” The two laughed through the film, barely acknowledging Jordan’s presence. Only later did Jordan’s girlfriend help him realize who “Dre” was: none other than the late Andre Harrell, a key tastemaker in R&B and hip hop at the time.

“Before Andre would ever sign a Hip Hop artist, he would take him to Russell,” Jordan explained. “And Russell would be like, ‘Yeah, I would do it.’ Or going into the R&B space, Russell wouldn’t sign without Andre giving the nod of approval.”

It turns out that Harrell’s offhand comment—“I’d sign him”—was all it took. Jordan returned to Los Angeles, secured legal representation, and signed to Def Jam, thanks in large part to Harrell’s endorsement.

Nearly 30 years later, that signature finally paid off. While Montell Jordan’s path through the music industry has had its share of surreal detours and long waits, “Papi’s Home” gave his early catalog a surprising second wind—and brought his decades-old deal to a satisfying close.