Montell Jordan began singing in his hometown of Los Angeles in talent shows, church choirs, and later nightclubs. After graduating from Pepperdine University, he spent seven years looking for a record deal, finally getting an opportunity through Paul Stewart, the president of PMP Records. Jordan and Stewart flew to New York, where Jordan sang for Russell Simmons and was promptly signed to a contract. For his first album, Jordan heavily sampled B.B. King tracks (the first to do so), and took his lyrical inspiration from the more positive side of life in his native South Central L.A. in an attempt to balance the negative pictures coming out of most SoCal gangsta rap. Jordan was rewarded with a massive number one smash in the party anthem "This Is How We Do It," which sold over one million copies; More to Tell followed in 1996. Although it didn't match the success of This Is How We Do It, it was nevertheless a hit. In the spring of 1998, Jordan released his third album, Let's Ride; Get It on Tonite followed a year later.