Ne-Yo Says He Tried To Add 'Hotness' To 50 Cent's 'Baby By Me'

Before I Self Destruct track will have an alternate version with vocals by JoVan Dais.

One more for Ne-Yo's impressive résumé. The singer/songwriter can add 50 Cent to his list of superstar collaborators after singing the hook on his new single, "Baby by Me."

"He reached out," Ne-Yo told MTV News. "I always say he did the majority of the heavy lifting. [The song] was pretty much done by the time he sent it to me. He said, 'I just need you to put something on it.' He gave it to me, I wrote my part, sent it back and the rest is history."

Ne-Yo says he was surprised that 50 asked him to be on the song, because it sounded great already.

"When he first sent me the joint, I was like, 'You don't need me for this,' " the singer said. "I thought the beat was hot, what he was talking about was hot. I just tried to add to the hotness."

50 Cent says Ne-Yo and R. Kelly are the only other artists on the album, and that there is an alternate version of "Baby by Me" with up-and-coming singer JoVan Dais.

"The album version of the song was the one where you don't even know the singer," 50 told DJ Whoo Kid over the weekend on Sirius Satellite Radio. "I did the reference in the studio. It's a little more visual. Ne-Yo lightened it up a little bit and made it ready for radio. It works. I gotta sift through and see what I'm gonna put on the album. The Ne-Yo record is a stronger radio version."

"Baby by Me" is the latest single from 50's Before I Self Destruct, which lands in stores November 17.