Pre-Reasonable Doubt Hov

[Newark88]

That was the first song that started building his buzz... and it was the version on the video, which was getting pretty regular play when it was out. Wasn't a mega-hit of course, but I don't think it's all that obscure. Although I will say that if it didn't hit your radar at that time, I can see how you don't remember that, because it did kinda get overall "replaced" by the second one.

And yeah man... 'Reach The Top' makes me sad... cause Jay himself prob. doesn't even have a no-DJ quality version of that song, and hearing it made me wish he had put that on Reasonable Doubt, or even a single. That joint deserved way more light than it'll ever get. I've heard most of his pre-RD unreleased stuff, and that song is the only one that makes me think he deserved to get signed.

Right, Dead Presidents wasn't a smash hit but it was getting the standard rotation on the mix shows and mixtapes out at that time. The video was getting BET play. But the B side to DP, Ain't No nikka, definitely was the hit that EVERYBODY gravitated towards. I think his joints before RD dropped, (I'm talking 94/95 era) were pretty decent. Around that time he was more so transitioning from the iggidy, fast rap flow, to the smooth laid rhymes that we've known him for now. The first time I became a Jay fan was when I saw the video for In My Lifetime on Video Music Box with Ralph McDaniels. I've always digged the original and remix (and the remix did get some regional mix show love back then).

 

[DANJ!]

Right, Dead Presidents wasn't a smash hit but it was getting the standard rotation on the mix shows and mixtapes out at that time. The video was getting BET play. But the B side to DP, Ain't No nikka, definitely was the hit that EVERYBODY gravitated towards.

True on all that... I once read something where Jay was laughin' at himself for makin' "Ain't No nikka" the b-side. He said somethin' to the effect of "back then, I was just gettin' the notion of song-making and knowing a hit. Look at that single- we thought 'Dead Presidents' was gonna be the hit!"

 

[Newark88]

True on all that... I once read something where Jay was laughin' at himself for makin' "Ain't No nikka" the b-side. He said somethin' to the effect of "back then, I was just gettin' the notion of song-making and knowing a hit. Look at that single- we thought 'Dead Presidents' was gonna be the hit!"

Yea, DP was basically equivalent to how rappers nowadays put out street singles first THEN drop the actual 1st radio single off the album. That's basically what Dead Presidents was. Only difference was Jay and Dame were trying to work the track as the 1st single off the album. Not just any old street single. I actually remember the night when Flex premiered DP on Hot 97 the first time back in late 95.

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

jay was rockin the ansar (york) vibe..dayumn one would never know..