"Anaconda" was the song of 2014, but Sir Mix-A-Lot will be the first to say that it wasn't his song of 2014. Even though the classic MC provided the hit's hook, he's quick to pay respects to Nicki Minaj.
According to Mix-A-Lot's episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now?, the rapper didn't exactly see a million dollar payoff from the song that sampled his own iconic track, "Baby Got Back."
"A lot of people think, 'Did Nicki write you a check for $1 million?' Everybody asks me that," he said, according to the Huffington Post. "No. That’s not how it happened."
Mix-A-Lot said he typically prefers getting a smaller check upfront until it's clear how successful a song will be. It worked out that Minaj's intention with "Anaconda" — to cast her curvy, Black body as an American ideal — was in line with Mix-A-Lot's original goal with "Baby Got Back."
"I was humbled by what she did to blow that song up," he said. "She turned the key and all of a sudden, bam! That song cracked."