Over two decades after it took place, new footage of Jay-Z performing at Hot 97 Summer Jam in 2001 has been unearthed.
The rapper’s set at New York’s Nassau Coliseum was legendary, featuring surprise guest appearances by Missy Elliott and Michael Jackson. He also unveiled his Nas and Moby Deep diss track ‘Takeover’ ahead of its inclusion on The Blueprint a few months later.
While performing the track, an image of Mobb Deep’s Prodigy taking part in a dance class as a child was projected onto the huge screens behind him. Jay would later reference the moment on the studio cut of ‘Takeover’, spitting, “Don’t be the next contestant on that Summer Jam screen”.
Audio of Jay’s set has always been available but video hasn’t been as readily accessible until this week thanks to HipHopVCR: the YouTube channel uploaded the entire performance, clocking in at just under one hour.
The new camera angle comes from the top of the Coliseum and offers a wonderful view of the rapper’s powerful set. While footage of Jay introducing the King of Pop has been seen before, these new better camera angles of the pair chatting it up as MJ waves to screaming fans are still interesting. It’s unclear who exactly shot the new footage but hip hop fans owes them a debt of gratitude.
In 2022, Jay is still going strong. He recently featured on ‘Neck & Wrist’, the latest Pusha T track to be released from his forthcoming album It’s Almost Dry. It was their the pair’s first collaboration since 2016’s ‘Drug Dealers Anonymous’.
Jack White also said last week that he’s been working with Jay, revealing that unreleased music the pair have made could “see the light of day.”
Love Hip Hop?
Get the latest Hip Hop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
For more on this topic, follow the Hip Hop Observer.
Check out Jay-Z at 2001 Hot 97 Summer Jam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v48TghihAM
