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Jay-Z wrote Still D.R.E.
Dr. Dre brought his album The Chronic 2001 to Jimmy, the Interscope boss, and told him it was done. Jimmy asked what Eminem thought, since Eminem was hot at the time, and kept probing for any crack in Dre's confidence. The questions ended with an agreement to make one more song.
Dre played a bunch of beats for it, and Steve Stoute left with a CD of five. He flew to New York with it and liked one beat but kept quiet. Then he played it for Timbaland, who called it crazy and phoned Jay-Z on the spot.
Jay-Z listened and picked the same beat. Stoute asked him to write the record, and Jay-Z wrote Still D.R.E. Every line Snoop Dogg delivers in the hook is one Jay-Z wrote, with West Coast detail like the 405 and khakis with the cuff in the crease, though Jay-Z isn't from the West Coast. Dre and Snoop did it word for word, and the song became the album's first single.
How do rappers write songs for other artists?
Ghostwriting has been part of hip-hop since its early years. The D.O.C. is credited with writing much of N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton and Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic. Album credits list the writers, which is how a song can carry the names of people who never perform on it.
How did the album 2001 perform?
2001 came out in November 1999 and was certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Its first single was 'Still D.R.E.', and later singles included 'Forgot About Dre' with Eminem. It was Dre's second solo album, following 1992's The Chronic.
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