Last night saw Jay-Z partake in his first ever webchat – a conversation which resulted in a crucial rarity finally entering the public domain.

‘Dead Presidents’ is an important song for Jay-Z: the 1996 track was the breakthrough single from his breakthrough album. When Reasonable Doubt actually hit shelves, however, it came with an altered version of the joint, titled ‘Dead Presidents II’. A decade later, Hov laid down a new interpretation of the track during the American Gangster sessions; although the song was never completed, a rough version hit the web in 2007.

During the Twitter Q&A, one fan asked whether Jay-Z would be releasing a final version of ‘Dead Presidents III’. Jay’s response: “Just [Blaze] or [Young] Guru has it I give them Twitter permission to GO.” Young Guru subsequently obliged, slinging the track onto Soundcloud. The expanded version, which features more polished production and extra bars, is available below.

According to Just Blaze’s Twitter, those still holding out for a more expansive version will remain disappointed:

Hey guys. Sorry to crush your dreams but…All you’ve heard of DP3 is all that exists. To clarify: DP3 had 2 verses, one of which got used on another record (can’t remember, (Blk Albm maybe). So there’s only that 1 verse. Sorry. That being said, The one verse version is out. Has been for years.  Was on a @DJGREENLANTERN mix tape. Google is your friend.

Other highlights from the intermittently entertaining Q&A: Jay-Z admitting Magna Carta Holy Grail “can fight for fourth” behind Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint and The Black Album; the affirmation that “MILEY IS A GOD”; and news of what’s currently on Jay-Z’s stereo (“James Blake and some Gonj-  I  can’t spell it, so ” [ed: he means Gonjasufi]) [via Complex]

Latest

Latest



		
	
Share Tweet