Coming Of Age

But it all began in 1985.

A young Jay-Z was in a group called Hypoten who released a song called HP Gets Busy.

The track was recorded by Tom Webber at Ralston Recording Studio on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and released through Get Live Records.

One member of the group was a hip hop legend, Jazzo.

He explains how the crew initially came together.

In 1985, Jay-Z, myself, two brothers, Arm & Joy and EZLD, we did a song called HP Gets Busy.

That was when people first really heard like the triplet style of rhyming.

Jay-Z was like... yo you know you should do that more and he's the first one who actually coined the originators like we the originators of this thing and rightfully so because even though i was the first one to do it he actually coined it you know and i mean we talking about 80 86 we had a mission and the mission was to make great music to continue putting out the music that we put in the street that didn't get that type of, you know, because there were no deals involved or like the only other person who had a major record deal up until that time was myself.

Before Jazzy's deal, he was revered as the nicest MC in the Marcy Projects.

After dropping out of college, he came home to the news that there was a new kid on the block who could also rock some rapping rhymes.

Through a mutual friend, a battle was set up to see who could take

the crown.

It was Big Jaz versus Shaun E.D. who later became known as Jay-Z.

First, let me give credit to a brother who everybody thought was my actual physical brother, Clyde, who is also known as Nike.

I came home from college and not bragging, but I was already a legend in the street as far as the rhyme game.

So when I came back to Brooklyn and Nike found out, Nike got into a discussion with somebody else around his weight.

So the subject was...

You know, who's the best in Marcy.

And then, you know, somebody was like, yo, it's this young kid, Shawnee D. Yo, he nicer than everybody.

And then, you know, Nike, he was like my number one advocate.

And he was like, yo, Jazz is back on.

And ain't nobody better than Jazz.

He was like, yo, let's get them together.

So, you know, people, they so rah-rah.

So everything is supposed to be like a battle or a fight.