" Tilt Ya Head Back " was written by Nelly , Dorian Moore , Tegemold Newton , Curtis Mayfield and produced by Doe Mo ' Beats . The producer of the song confirmed that it was originally meant for Nelly and Britney Spears , however Spears ' record label Jive Records rejected the idea because they thought the song was " too urban " , even though Spears wanted to do it . A snippet of Britney 's version was premiered at Singaporean radio Gold 90.5 the 22nd March 2016 . Following Spears , Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera were approached to appear on " Tilt Ya Head Back " , and the final choice was Aguilera . " Tilt Ya Head Back " is a pop and hip hop number , which features elements from jazz and soul . The song is written in the key of F major with a moderate fast tempo of 116 beats per minute . It features " blasts " of brass and a bassline sample of Curtis Mayfield 's " Superfly " , and thus Mayfield was credited as a co-writer of the track . Joe Muggs from '' The Daily Telegraph '' noted that the duo 's vocals are similar to " old-school soul voices of Ron Isley and Anthony Hamilton . " On August 29 , 2004 , Nelly and Aguilera performed " Tilt Ya Head Back " at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards . The performance was praised by media outlets , Brian Hiatt from '' Entertainment Weekly '' praised Aguilera 's new look with blonde curly hair , which was different from her previous image during the promotion of '' Stripped '' , and called it the " Best Makeover " of the awards . Reporting the ceremony , James Montgomery wrote , " As she warmed up her pipes , the power of her vocal exercises caused people standing outside her dressing room to jump . Her performance partner Nelly lounged nearby , trying to decide which afterparties to attend . After they finished their duet , fellow St. Lunatics ' Murphy Lee congratulated them , yelling , " That sh -- was hot ! " John Walker from MTV Buzzworthy appreciated the 1920s-inspired theme of the performance and listed it as one of Aguilera 's best performances on the MTV Video Music Awards as of 2013 . A music video for " Tilt Ya Head Back " was directed by Little X . In the video , Nelly acts as a 1940s gangster , while Aguilera portrays Marilyn Monroe . During the making of the clip , Nelly gifted Aguilera US$ 55,000 worth jewels as a parting present , resulting a rumor that the duo were in a date
2004 MTV Video Music Awards
2004 MTV Video Music Awards
Tilt Ya Head Back