Jeezy First Met Nas In a Bathroom
Jeezy and Nas are two iconic rappers, each with a unique sound and history in the music industry. Nas is considered by many to be an elder statesman of hip-hop, while Jeezy rose to prominence in the 2000s. But their relationship has run deep from the start.
Nas rose to fame in the 1990s
Raised in the projects in Queens, New York, Nas had to grow up quickly as a child. In 1994, he released his debut album Illumatic, considered by many to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. In the mid-’90s, he joined the hip-hop group The Firm, which included future female rap star Foxy Brown.
Jeezy launched his career as a rapper after the turn of the century. He secured a record deal and released his major label debut album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 in 2005. The album was eventually certified Platinum with over 1 million copies sold.
Jeezy met Nas as a young rapper in the early 2000s
When Jeezy was an independent rapper in the early 2000s, he looked up to artists like Nas for their contributions to hip-hop. For Jeezy, getting recognition from the “N.Y. State of Mind” rapper was the blessing he needed to take his career to the next level.
In 2021, Nas launched a new podcast called The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip-Hop. On it, he speaks with guests and looks back on the history of hip-hop as the genre prepares to celebrate its 50th birthday in 2023. In December 2021, Jeezy appeared as a guest on the podcast and spoke about the first time he met Nas. The two crossed paths at Club 112 in New York and had a less-than-conventional meeting.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Jeezy reminisced. “I think it was like ’02 or ’03 and I got on about 20 diamond chains, a big Rolex watch, a Lexus GS 400 outside, and I’m in there poppin’ bottles.”
“I go to the bathroom and the guy next to me in the stall is Nasty Nas,” he continued. “I’m like ‘Yo! I’ma be big!'” He told Nas he planned to be another big rapper like him, and received a confirming nod from the Illmatic hitmaker.
Jeezy and Nas collaborated for the song ‘My President’
Just a few years later, after Jeezy became one of hip-hop’s hottest new names in the mid-’00s, he linked up with Nas to collaborate on a song that many remember to this day. “My President” included the now-iconic line “My president is Black / my Lambo’s blue” and celebrated the Democratic presidential nomination of Barack Obama in 2008.
“You sent me this legendary verse back. It was so legendary, my man Jay-Z hit me about a remix,” Jeezy told Nas on the podcast. Jay-Z himself was an avid supporter of the Obamas, and President Obama has also spoken about his love for Jay-Z’s music.
