Sibling duo Play-N-Skillz scored their first Grammy last year for best rap performance by duo or group for their production on Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’.” But for Play, this week’s album of the year nomination for Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” is by far the “biggest accolade you can receive.” The pair produced the album’s third single, “Got Money.”
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“This was a little bit more shocking than the last one,” Play tells Billboard.com. “I wasn’t as surprised for ‘Tha Carter III’ to be nominated for best rap album, but album of the year? That’s like the biggest accolade you can receive. Of course, for the song to be nominated itself was shocking. But, at the same time, it justifies all the hard work.”
“Got Money,” featuring T-Pain, is nominated for best rap/sung collaboration. The track reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The nomination is extra sweet for Play-N-Skillz because not only was the original version of “Got Money” lost after an engineer mistakenly erased it, but the track wasn’t even meant to appear on Lil Wayne’s album.
“After we remade the song, which is tough to do, we laid the chorus idea and gave it to Pitbull, but it didn’t make it to him in time,” says Play. “T-Pain ended up singing the chorus, he put it in Wayne’s hands, and the rest is history.”
As a result, “Got Money” became another radio smash in the wake of “Ridin’.” “I think it’s a big statement. Sometimes record companies don’t give us credit, or even a shot. But this is what usually happens when we get on an album — we make the biggest record on it radio wise,” says Play.
The producers, who recently worked with Hurricane Chris, Yung Joc, Slim, Cassidy, Slim Thug and, of course, Lil Wayne’s upcoming project (“I don’t know the title or when it’s coming, but we’ve sent him plenty of music so far and he’s definitely been recording,” says Play), are now trying their luck with their own music
Titled “Out the Box,” the set is slated to drop the summer of 2009 via their independent label, G4 Recordz. Promotional single “Checking My Fresh” samples Jay-Z’s “Swagga Like Us” and was serviced to radio last week. The first official single, “Angel Eyez,” featuring Akon, will be released in the coming weeks.
Talib Kweli, Bun B, Slim Thug, 112, Yung Joc, Tego Calderon, Pitbull and Maino are all set to make appearances. Play-N-Skillz will also release a mixtape in the next few months leading up to the album.