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Mariah Carey was one of the most revered singers at the turn of the millennium and is still renowned for her incredible vocal range. With hits such as ‘Fantasy’, ‘Emotions’, and ‘One Sweet Day’, she was one of the most eminent singers during the R&B wave of the late 1990s.

That said, during her prime, Carey effectively produced albums annually, and one year, her creativity struggled to keep up with demand. In 1995, the vocalist found herself in a creative rut, looking for ways to change her sound and move forward in her career. So she called the R&B super-producer Jermaine Dupri.

Dupri has worked with the most prestigious R&B singers. From Usher to Beyoncé, he is known for his ability to produce smooth, melodic R&B instrumentals easily. Furthermore, the Atlanta beatmaker has a knack for making hits. So, in 1995, when he found himself working with Mariah Carey, he assumed it would be business as usual. However, when he entered the studio, Carey had a strange request.

During an appearance on the R&B Money podcast, Dupri recalled working with Carey and revealed that the sound of Xscape’s 1993 hit ‘Just Kickin’ It’ was what Carey initially wanted. Speaking to the hosts, Tank and J Valentine, Dupri began, “She wanted a record that felt like that on her album. I got the call to go in the studio with Mariah. I didn’t know that that’s what she wanted, but that’s what she was looking for.”

The Georgia native detailed how his Mariah Carey collaboration was the first time he had made music outside of his Atlanta studio and unveiled that making music in an alien New York studio gave him a bit of anxiety. Furthermore, Carey’s unusual request presented a daunting task for him.

Pulling back the curtain on the vocalist’s bizarre demand, Dupri told the hosts that when he walked into the session, the ‘Oh Boy (I Need You)’ singer asked him to make a beat similar to the Wu-Tang Clan.

Delving into the specifics, the producer recalled, “She came in the studio, and she was like, ‘I want to make a record like this.’ And I’m like, ‘What do you want me to do with this?’ She said, ‘I want to sing over this.’ And it was ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ Wu-Tang Clan!”

It was strange to envision Carey’s silky vocals on such an aggressive backbeat. Still, Dupri insisted that the singer was adamant about the direction she wanted to go in. Of course, the producer accepted her request and attempted to make a hip-hop-infused R&B track. Recalling how he proceeded after Carey made the strange demand, Dupri reflected, “I started following her lead, and she was like, ‘You know, I need something like ‘Just Kickin’ It.’ But I want it to be pretty, but I wanted to have that ghetto shit on it that y’all got on ‘Just Kickin’ It.'”

Jermaine was working in tandem with Manuel Seal, and together, they cooked up the beat for what would become a hit. ‘Always Be My Baby’. Although it was released as the fourth single of Carey’s 1995 project, Daydream, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became a platinum-certified track.

Dupri even told Tank and J. Valentine that Carey pioneered the soul-hip-hop sound. However, many would point to Teddy Riley as the creator of the sonic and Mary J Blige as the vocalist who popularised it.