It was written by Jazmine Sullivan, Jay Jenkins (at the time Young Jeezy, now simply known as Jeezy), Andre Lyon, and Marcello Valenzano and produced by Lyon and Valenzano under their production moniker Cool & Dre for her third studio album So Amazin' (2006).

The song features additional vocals by Jeezy and is built around a sample of "Clean Up Your Own Yard" (1973) by American soul singer Jackie Moore.

Due to the inclusion of the sample, its writers Bunny Sigler and Phil Hurtt are also credited as songwriters.

It reached the top five in the Wallonian region of Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

A music video for "Say I" was directed by Norwegian photographer Ray Kay and filmed over the weekend of February 16, 2006 in Los Angeles.