"30 years ago today, JAY-Z released the Nas-sampling "Dead Presidents" as the first single for his classic debut, Reasonable Doubt, presaging his future claim as the King of New York. To celebrate the anniversary, the Roc Nation owner has brought the track to streaming services for the first time. Stream it below. Produced by Ski Beatz, "Dead Presidents" was released independently through Roc-A-Fella Records in 1996."
"Buy JAY-Z Vinyl "Dead Presidents" is built around a sample of Nas' "The World Is Yours," looping the line, "I'm out for presidents to represent me" from Q-Tip's 1994 remix of the song. By some accounts, this planted the seeds for the on-and-off-again rivalry between the New York rappers that came to a boil in 2001, when Jay rapped on "Takeover": "I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong/ You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song.""
JAY-Z released the Nas-sampling "Dead Presidents" as the first single from Reasonable Doubt thirty years ago and has now placed the track on streaming services. Produced by Ski Beatz and issued independently on Roc-A-Fella Records in 1996, the original version did not make the album; "Dead Presidents II," with different lyrics over the same production, was included. The single is built around a sample of Nas' "The World Is Yours," looping Q-Tip's 1994 remix line "I'm out for presidents to represent me," which contributed to the on-and-off rivalry between JAY-Z and Nas. The track is available on vinyl, CD, and cassette alongside the Foxy Brown collaboration "Ain't No N***a." Reasonable Doubt appears on Consequence's list of the 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of All Time.
Read at Consequence
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