G. Dep recently shared his thoughts on Lil Wayne’s 2018 smash “Uproar,” which famously sampled his 2001 classic “Special Delivery,” and how his feelings about it evolved over time.
During his appearance on Drink Champs, the former Bad Boy Records artist admitted he was initially shocked to learn that producers Swizz Beatz and Avenue had flipped his track for Wayne. He revealed that the first time he heard about it was when someone told him Wayne had hopped on the record, and after listening, he “felt some kind of way.”
G. Dep explained that he was “a little bit bitter” at first that Wayne chose “Special Delivery” out of all the songs in his catalog. But as time passed, he came to appreciate the gesture and recognized the tradition of sampling in hip-hop.
“You think about like the history of hip-hop like dudes do it all the time like and I just like it dawned on me,” G. Dep said. “How many times have people sampled Big Daddy Kane ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin’?”
This shift in perspective led G. Dep to truly appreciate Lil Wayne’s artistic choice. He now feels good about Wayne rapping over his record and praised artists like him for respecting the essence of the original track.
When asked if he’s crossed paths with Wayne since his release from prison in 2024, Dep admitted he hadn’t but said he’d be open to a collaboration, adding that “it would sound like something.”
Interestingly, while “Uproar” and “Special Delivery” sound very similar, “Uproar” doesn’t directly sample G. Dep’s track. Instead, it uses the same source material, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by The Moog Machine. EZ Elpee, the original producer of “Special Delivery,” told HipHopDX that he wasn’t happy when he first heard “Uproar” and claimed he wasn’t credited by Lil Wayne or Swizz Beatz.
“They stole my shit. I went into the comments or whatever, and [Swizz] is trying to downplay it,” Elpee said. “It’s just like if I took ‘Ruff Ryders Anthem’ and did it over and didn’t give him a credit for it.”
He continued, “I know you need a record. I understand that. I know you’re trying to reinvent yourself. That’s dope. There’s nothing wrong with that. But, like, damn, my n***a. You trying to act like you never heard ‘Special Delivery?’”
