Going by the official Coli Calendar we're in 1996 and the year never endsThis nikka is making threads about 1996
Some of y'all nikkas are stuck 30 years in the past trying to relive your glory days
Jay-Z was a nobody in 1996
- Thread starter Cloud McFly
- Start date
It was just a simple question sir. Strange how he wasn’t on their level and didn’t get to their level until after Pac and Big passed. Makes you wonder what would’ve happened had they lived.
We might need to have a convo about Jay-z rise in popularityOutside of the tri-state area and DMV area, Jay-Z was a nobody to the world in 1996.
The masses in the midwest, west coast, nor deep down south bumped anything by Jay-Z until Big Pimping heavily, I take that back, Can I get a What, and Jigga Who got played along with the Hard Knock Life Single.
Jay-Z's singles wasn't in nobody's TOP 10 rap radio countdown on the AM stations at 8 or 9 in any of the regions I've named in 1996
The masses in the midwest, west coast, nor deep down south bumped anything by Jay-Z until Big Pimping heavily, I take that back, Can I get a What, and Jigga Who got played along with the Hard Knock Life Single.
Jay-Z's singles wasn't in nobody's TOP 10 rap radio countdown on the AM stations at 8 or 9 in any of the regions I've named in 1996
Cloud McFly
All Star
From Detroit, and it’s been my fav album since my cousin came through with the cassette in 96.
Album got major play around my way, along with The Hall Of Game, The Ice Cream Man, Ridin’ Dirty, Hell On Earth, and All Eyez/7 Day Theory.
It bothers Hov Stans that during the Golden Era of Hip Hop (1988-1996) Jay Z was completely irrelevant 
You really a plastic cup boyIt’s a fascinating case study into the ‘underdog’ brain. They feel threatened
Literally the exact same dynamic as Katt Williams and Kevin hart
When Jay z rises up slowly, it means he was a lame
When another artist does it, it’s a badge of honor that he’s one of us and it’s trendy to be underground. Like no one would ever disparage a Sean Peice bc he didn’t sell.
But then when he DO sell they use that against him too
Heavy_Handz
Superstar
Can’t even respond to overly emotional boys
Heavy_Handz
Superstar
Lyrically you’re hard pressed to find a better 6 track start to an album ever. If you don’t remember listening to these tracks in 1996 with theHow small was the bus you rode to school @FunkDoc1112 and how close was your classroom to the radiator?
This Camel Cum Guzzler came out the jump saying album was an instant classic, when NOBODY felt that way at the time. RD became more revered many years later, in part thanks to a lot of juelzing by Hov and goalpost moving by his stans because one of the talking points for him not being the NYC GOAT was that out of the big 3 (Biggie/Nas/Jay), he was the only one WITHOUT a classic debut album.
Can’t Knock The Hustle
Politics As Usual
Brooklyn’s Finest
Dead Presidents II
Feelin’ It
D’evils
It didn’t take me years to realize what a remarkable album this was. The Source gave this album 4 Mics when it released but The Source was notorious for being stingy on giving out mics. Ready To Die 4.5 mics, OB4CL 4.5 mics, Liquid Swords 4 mics. All clearly universally praised as classic 5 mic albums. Reasonable Doubt just the same as The Source revised the review and gave the album 5 Mics years later. What I’m telling you is that REAL heads was praising Reasonable Doubt as a crazy album and lyrically elite right off the bat. Period.
Taadow
The StarchBishop™️
Tbh I never knew Jay existed until “Money Ain’t a Thing”. I’m from the South tho
This.
I knew him from "Who You Wit'", but that was right before that, and that was '97.
Just being honest.
I can only tell it how I remember it. In 96 I was 7/8yrs old (I have a late birthday so I was 7 longer than I was 8)
I remember can't knock the hustle as the Mary J Blige song with some rapper on it. I remember aint no nikka more for the sample than the actual rapping. Brooklyns finest was a Biggie song to me.... and I vaguely remember dead presidents... truthfully I remember it for Nas voice.
I really wasn't consciously aware of Jay Z until 1998. And then I was able to connect the dots on all of those other songs on some weebey shyt
I remember can't knock the hustle as the Mary J Blige song with some rapper on it. I remember aint no nikka more for the sample than the actual rapping. Brooklyns finest was a Biggie song to me.... and I vaguely remember dead presidents... truthfully I remember it for Nas voice.
I really wasn't consciously aware of Jay Z until 1998. And then I was able to connect the dots on all of those other songs on some weebey shyt
But …nowhere else mattered back then
That’s like saying outside of Broadway no one saw your play ….or a few years ago saying ‘outside of the SEC they were the best football team’
It’s completely revisionist. No one gave a fukk about those regions as a whole, let alone individual artists
The west coast—-hell not even the whole coast, just Compton and Long Beach—-were the only exception. And even that was a bit segregated and media favored NY
