‘Creepin” Became the Biggest Hit Off Metro Boomin’s ‘Heroes & Villains’ — But It Almost Didn’t Make the Album
Written by djfrosty on October 2, 2023
“Creepin’” by Metro Boomin with The Weeknd and 21 Savage — a remake of Mario Winans’ 2004 R&B smash “I Don’t Wanna Know” featuring Diddy and Enya — became the biggest hit off the superproducer’s latest solo album, Heroes & Villains. The song spent the entire first half of 2023 in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3.
But getting the green light from those credited on “I Don’t Wanna Know” proved to be quite the feat, Metro tells Billboard during his latest cover story interview that was published Monday (Oct. 2).
“[Amir ‘Cash’ Esmailian], one of my managers, [and I] were figuring out what songs Abel [Tesfaye] and I would do for Heroes. Cash had mentioned, ‘Yo, between me and you, [Abel] always wanted to do something with “I Don’t Wanna Know.”‘ One day, I just presented the idea to him and he was like, ‘Hell yeah, I been wanting to do that!’” Metro recalls. “We both f–k with Mario hard; he’s served like a mentor [to me]. So he did the background vocals. And it was always in my mind to put Savage on it, ‘cause I know [him and Abel] have never had a song before and he’s nonchalant, like how Puff’s verse was back in the day.”
Diddy had no issue clearing “I Don’t Wanna Know,” which samples Enya’s 1987 track “Boadicea,” but the Irish singer did. She didn’t sign off on Metro’s original working title, which abbreviated the original hit to “IDWK.” “I tried to call it something else, and she wasn’t with that,” he says.
“That’s one of them ones that almost didn’t make it just ’cause the process of trying to get it cleared was so much,” adds Ryan Ramsey, another one of Metro’s managers.
Since he was cutting it too close to his album release date, Metro suggested Enya send over a list of acceptable song titles that he could pick from. That list included “Undecided,” “Creepin’,” “Don’t Come Back to Me,” “Better Off That Way” and “Wanna Let You Know.”
“‘Creepin’’ was the one. I was like, ‘F–k, why didn’t I think of that?’” says Metro. “It ended up being a blessing because it’s the best name for it.”