Jay Z has always been ahead of his time. He couldn't get a deal so he started his own label. His ear for beats launched the careers of Just Blaze and Kanye West. And he was one of the first, if not the first, East Coast rappers to see the value in making music with Southern acts. During the late '90s, Master P's No Limit Records went mainstream when they signed a distribution deal with Priority Records. But it was Cash Money Records that really took Master P's blueprint and perfected it, catapulting the label into rarified platinum air it's yet to come down from.
Jigga noticed this trend and decided to jump on Juvenile's "Ha," which just so happened to be the hottest record of 1998. He was featured on Jermaine Dupri's "Money Ain't a Thing" in the same year, and featured Juvenile on the hook of "Snoopy Track" a year later on Vol. 3...Life and Times of S. Carter. "Big Pimpin" featuring the legendary UGK was also on Vol. 3.
That song, along with tracks like Master P's "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" and B.G.'s "Bling Bling" helped shoot underground Down South acts into the mainstream. And the South really hasn't looked back since. Check out Every Time Jay Z Went Down South Before It Was Cool.
Angel Diaz is a staff writer for Complex Media. Follow him @ADiaz456.
Juvenile f/ Jay Z “Ha” (Remix) (1998)
Juvie's "Ha" was tearing up the East Coast streets when it first dropped. Jigga, being the smart business man that he is, decided to hop on the remix. The rest is history as Cash Money eventually became the premier Southern label during the late '90s and beyond. This was one of the first times an East Coast rapper of his stature collaborated with a Southern rapper.
Jermaine Dupri f/ Jay Z “Money Ain't a Thing” (1998)
In hindsight, I kinda don't fuck with this song like I used to. The video is still cool, though. This was big money here. As a matter of fact, Jermaine had artists from multiple regions on that Life in 1472 album. Dupri was always a clever when it came to the music business.
Silkk The Shocker f/ Jay Z & Master P "You Know What We Bout" (1999)
Entrepreneurs in their own right, it only made sense for the No Limit and Roc-A-Fella bosses to collab in '99. Jigga rapped about still being hood, Master P talked big money, and Silkk rapped off beat like always. Beats By the Pound went in on the beat, though, and the hook is pretty dope.
There was no way Jay was turning this opportunity down when No Limit called in the favor, especially after Master P put "What The Game Made Me" on the I Got the Hook-Up soundtrack a year prior.
Jay Z f/ Juvenile “Snoopy Track” (1999)
For Vol. 3...Life and Times of S. Carter—Hova's third best album (fight me)—he linked up with Juvie once again to give us one of the album's standout tracks. Juvenile rode the beat like his name was Max B. It's unfortunately followed by the unfathomable tracks "S. Carter" and "Pop 4 Roc," though. We can all thank bootleggers and Un Rivera for that.
Jay Z f/ UGK “Big Pimpin'” (1999)
This was the track that ultimately helped Southern rap acts cross over to the mainstream. So much so that Pimp C wanted no parts of the collaboration initially because he feared UGK would lose their well-earned street credibility. However, it worked out because this song introduced the legendary Texas duo to another audience while also allowing Jigga to reach the South.
Scarface f/ Jay Z “Get Out” (2000)
Come on, these two have some of the best chemistry of any two rappers in history. Off of Face Mob's sixth solo effort, The Last of a Dying Breed, "Get Out" is a gem of an album cut. Both of them going back and forth about a robbery job is classic material that should be appreciated more.
Jay Z f/ Beanie Sigel and Scarface “This Can't Be Life” (2000)
One of Kanye's greatest creations, "This Can't Be Life" is one of the realest rap records ever recorded. Scarface's verse always gets me choked up. The beat also brings tears to my eyes. This song is just perfection.
Scarface f/ Jay Z, Beanie Sigel, and Kanye West “Guess Who's Back” (2002)
Another Kanye masterpiece, this song had the streets on fire when it dropped. During its release Scarface's follow-up to The Last of a Dying Breed was and still is considered a classic. And I think having this track on The Fix had a lot to do with it. Cats were just starting to realize what Jay was doing by continually collabing with Southern acts. It helped that they were legends in their own right, too.
Jay Z f/ Killer Mike, Twista & Big Boi "Poppin' Tags" (2002)
This was around the time the South was really starting to bubble, and it gave the East Coast one of it's first introduction to Killer Mike. "Poppin' Tags" immediately became the soundtrack for when you tore the mall up during the early aughts.
OutKast f/ Killer Mike and Jay Z “Flip Flop Rock” (2003)
I would like to go on record by saying I lowkey hate this OutKast album. But this song is one of my favorites off it. This was around the time Young Jeezy and T.I. started to pop, hence making East Coast acts collabing with Southern acts the thing to do. Jay Z was always ahead of his peers in all aspects.
