Jay-Z Battling on the streets of New York in 1993

[Jimi Swagger]

Nas was recording Illmatic, Big Ready 2 Die, and Pac had already released Strictly for my Nikkas. I can see why it took Jay a while and had to re-release Reasonable Doubt. Dude was 25 in this footage and still hadn't honed flow that other rappers mastered at age 19.

 

[50CentStan]

Jay z really improved a lot as his career went on. Very rare for a rapper

 

[Brosef]

Then Illmatic came out....

:cutwow:

 

[FreshAIG]

The same Em that wrote biterphobia in the early 90s? Cut it out!!

He wrote that in 1995. He dropped crackers and cheese in 1993. shyt was ass

 

[Amor fati]

94 Jay z.

 

[FreshAIG]

Jay z really improved a lot as his career went on. Very rare for a rapper

I disagree. I think Jay’s peak was 1996 and he never got better. He didn’t get worse until post retirement but he never got better imo.

 

[Malcolmxxx_23]

@FreshAIG at the 32sec mark

 

[Take It In Blood]

classic sh1t, classic era in hiphop

when it was all about the artform before businessmen, cacs and capitalism ruined it.

 

[JuvenileHell]

That was common back then

Its common now too (Get that nikka rex, Steams and Chess, all of We Go Hard)

 

[Canada Goose]

Classic footage. I added the video in op and the other two songs to my YouTube favorites.

That understand me song samples Pac

 

[altruicsense]

how can anyone possibly hate on this? old rare footage of an iconic mc doing his thing.

some of u fukks must be angry unhappy suicidal kids.
if u watch this and the first thought on your mind is "EMINEM WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM" or "IT WAS PREWRITTEN!!!" then you're really sick. get help for real.

 

[head shots101]

94 Jay z.

Hard

 

[TooLazyToMakeUp1]

Martin Luther King in the teal shirt looked like he wanted to steal off on Jay

 

[Amor fati]

Hard

Indeed it is even the Pac sample goes hard, I wish there was a CDQ version of this track but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.

 

[OfTheCross]

94 Jay z.

this shyt tough as fukk!