According to Erick Sermon, Q-Tip (from the group A Tribe Called Quest) was instrumental in Redman's obtaining a record deal. Q-Tip had been in the Rush Management offices, and after hearing Redman's song "Jam 4 U", tried to persuade Lyor Cohen and Big D (tour manager) to give Redman a deal. Initially, Sermon stated that Cohen wasn't too interested in the material, stating "We had "Hardcore", the teaser, and then when an early bootleg of "Head Banger" came out, they were like, 'we made the right choice.'"