We Gonna Make It
{{Short description|Single by Jadakiss featuring Styles P}}
{{Infobox song
| name = We Gonna Make It
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Jadakiss featuring Styles P
| album = Kiss tha Game Goodbye
| released = 2001
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = East Coast hip hop
| length = 3:33
| label =
| writer =
| producer = The Alchemist
| chronology = Jadakiss
| prev_title = Fast Lane (Remix)
| prev_year = 2001
| next_title = Knock Yourself Out
| next_year = 2001
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Styles P
| type = singles
| prev_title = Banned from T.V.
| prev_year = 1998
| title = We Gonna Make It
| year = 2001
| next_title = Good Times
| next_year = 2002
}}
{{External music video|{{YouTube|p6TrQzNTrRA|"We Gonna Make It"}}}}
}}
"We Gonna Make It" is a song by American rapper Jadakiss. It is the lead single from his debut studio album Kiss tha Game Goodbye (2001), and features American rapper Styles P. The song was produced by The Alchemist, and contains a sample of "My Music" by musician Samuel Jonathan Johnson.{{Cite web|last=Chery|first=Carl|date=September 22, 2011|title=Production Credit: Alchemist Recalls Shopping Jadakiss's "We Gonna Make It" Instrumental - XXL|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/production-credit-alchemist-recalls-shopping-jadakisss-we-gonna-make-it-instrumental/|website=XXL|language=en}}
The official remix of the song was released later in 2001, and features American rapper Eve.{{Citation|title=We Gonna Make It Remix|url=https://www.amazon.com/We-Gonna-Make-It-Remix/dp/B009DKHUF6|work=Amazon Music}}
Background
When the Alchemist finished producing the instrumental of the song, he first played it for DJ Premier, who liked it. Rapper Nas was originally intended to record a song with the instrumental, but he did not. Jay-Z also heard the beat, but passed as well.{{Citation|last=|first=|title=#1: (The) Alchemist|url=https://soundcloud.com/awasteoftime/1-the-alchemist|work=A Waste Of Time with ItsTheReal|language=en}} In 1999, the Alchemist supplied the beat to rapper Ras Kass and claims he was paid for the first half of the money for the instrumental.{{cite web|title=Alchemist Responds To Claims Of Double Dealing|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1443801/20010516/alchemist_1_.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114175749/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1443801/20010516/alchemist_1_.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 14, 2009|access-date=March 14, 2016|work=MTV News}}
=Controversy=
The Alchemist claims he later attempted to receive the second half of his payment, but Ras Kass's record label Priority Records was not responding to him, so he began showcasing the beat to other artists (which he later informed Ras Kass about). Jadakiss had expressed interest in rapping to the beat, and recorded "We Gonna Make It". When the song was released, Ras Kass took issue with The Alchemist selling the beat to Jadakiss, since he had already recorded his song "Home Sweet Home" over it, leading to a feud between Ras Kass and The Alchemist.
Live performances
On November 11, 2021, Jadakiss and Styles P joined Alicia Keys at the Apollo Theater and performed the song with her.{{Cite web|last=Elibert|first=Mark|date=2021-11-12|title=Jadakiss, Styles P & Alicia Keys Join Forces For Apollo Rendition Of 'We Gonna Make It'|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.65810/title.jadakiss-and-styles-p-join-alicia-keys-at-the-apollo|website=HipHopDX}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2001)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{singlechart|Billboardrandbhiphop|53|artist=Jadakiss|rowheader=true}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardrapsongs|5|artist=Jadakiss|rowheader=true}} |