Kanye West wasn't always the controversial pop star he is today.

Well over a decade ago, the hungry Chicago producer moved to the East Coast to pursue his dream. As he made his bones under Bad Boy's Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie's tutelage, 'Ye also connected with other upstart MCs like Nelly. Now a multiplatinum star in his own right, Mr. Pimp Juice recalls first working with an ambitious no-name kid named Kanye.

"I think my favorite Kanye moment is watching him work his way into becoming the artist that he is," Nelly told BET.com. "I say that because it’s just not one moment with him. I had the pleasure of knowing Kanye before he was Kanye in like ’98."

"Kanye was one of the first beats I ever rapped off of when I came to New York trying to get a deal," he continued. "I rapped on a Kanye beat. It was me, him, Cardan and a young lady by the name of Gangsta Boo, who some people may know, some people may not know. And ‘Ye had did the track and this is like ’98. You know he was a real quiet guy. I think just watching him achieve and set out to do it because he was a determined dude then, a determined cat now, overwhelming amount of talent and determination."

Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is in stores now.