Montell Jordan attended Pepperdine University in California, where he received a bachelor's degree in communication and joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Jordan's first single was the 1995 #1 hit single "This Is How We Do It", and defined his hip hop soul musical style. "This Is How We Do It" and its follow-up, "Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz", show a strong hip hop influence, and Jordan's material fit alongside the rest of Def Jam's output. Future hits would include "Let's Ride" with Master P in 1998 and "Get It on Tonite" in late-1999.

Besides crafting his own material, Jordan has written and produced for a number of outside artists, including Christina Milian, 98 Degrees, Deborah Cox ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", 1998), and Sisqó (the number-one hit "Incomplete", 2000). The singer has had cameo roles in the films The Fighting Temptations and The Nutty Professor. Jordan left Def Soul in 2003 and released the album Life After Def on Koch Records. A Christian, Jordan now appears on TBN.

In April of 2006, in response to a question about his next album; Montell Jordan was quoted as saying "Album and First single are complete. "Pressure” due out June – September 2006."

Interview:

Q: Montell, thanks for the interview. I have to ask: what have the past 6 years of your life been like?

A roller coaster ride with no brakes. I am coming up on five albums now, and there have definitely been some highs and some lows... some peaks and some valleys.

Q: I can imagine. Give us one example of a peak or a valley?

One valley would be releasing a song that I loved, that I worked on for so long. It was very creative, sung both in English and Spanish, called "Once Upon a Time," about my trip to Cuba. But it was not acceptable for an R&B song at the time with my fan base.

Q: Why was it not acceptable at the time?

Well the industry has changed and public taste has as well. Today, if Ja Rule wants to sing on a rap record, he can, this would not have been acceptable in the late 1990s. There is also more melody in rap these days. Nelly sings on his songs, even Bone Thugs-N-Harmony got some slack when they came out; they took some scrutiny. But all of this means that it's now possible to venture off a bit. But yeah, at the time, the Latin sound was not exactly accepted, even though that was my reverence to the culture and the country.

Q: And this was upon your return from Cuba. What did you think of the country?

It was amazing, quite an experience. What we usually read in the news is just one side. But I found the people very endearing; they have tough skin because of what they go through, given their deprived situation with the embargo, but people are people and the Cubans are definitely one of a kind.

Q: But when I think of Montell, I think of good times and smiles... tell us about the peaks?

Well, "This is How We Do It" was definitely what launched everything. It allowed me to travel to Milan, Sevilla... there are no words to describe those cities. Simply amazing. Music has allowed me to travel through my work, and live some great experiences, like going to Australia. Have you ever had Morton Bay Bugs? They are bigger than shrimp but smaller than lobster. And the shopping...