Jay-Z Urged Rapper Canibus to Think Twice Before Entering Music Industry
Grammy-winning rapper Jay-Z has been in the music industry for over a quarter of a century. Throughout that time, the “Big Pimpin'” rapper has seen the rise of many hip-hop artists, including “Second Round K.O.” rapper Canibus. When Jay-Z got to know Canibus as he was on the come-up, Hov gave Canibus some words of advice to think about.
Jay-Z has been in the music industry for nearly 3 decades
Jay-Z first burst onto the scene in 1996 with his debut album Reasonable Doubt. His debut came in the wake of The Notorious B.I.G.’s stardom, Jay-Z’s friend and former classmate from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He went on to release the album trilogy In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, and Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter. He released his landmark album The Blueprint in 2001.
Jay-Z planned to retire from music with his 2003 LP The Black Album, but returned three years later with a new project. His success continued through the late 2000s with his 2009 album The Blueprint 3 and his smash single “Empire State of Mind,” which became his first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as lead artist.
Hov continued his legacy in the next decade with his albums Magna Carta… Holy Grail and 4:44 and hit songs like his Justin Timberlake collab “Holy Grail.” 4:44 marked a personal album for Jay-Z, as he rapped about his marital problems Beyoncé had sang about the year before on Lemonade and his relationship with his mother.
Jay-Z’s advice to Canibus before joining the music industry
Hov has come a long way in the nearly three decades he’s been in the public eye. But fame was more exciting — and at times overwhelming — when he was just starting out.
In a February 2023 appearance on the Outside with Gorilla Nems podcast, rapper Canibus looked back on when he crossed paths with Jay-Z at the opening of Diddy’s restaurant, Justin’s in 1997. At the time, Canibus was an upcoming rapper himself, and Jay-Z was one of the hottest new names in town.
“He says, ‘Yo Canibus, man… I like yo s***. You ready for what this game about to do to you?,” real cool,” he remembered. “And me being young and ignorant, I said, ‘Hell yeah, I’m ready!’” He went on to say he didn’t understand what he was being asked and, as a result, missed out on the chance to forge a stronger connection with Jay-Z.
Canibus’ career
Canibus, like Jay-Z, has continued releasing music since he first emerged on the scene. He released his debut album Can-I-Bus in 1998 and followed it up with 2000’s 2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus), 2001’s C! True Hollywood Stories, and 2002’s Mic Club: The Curriculum.
Since the turn of the 2020s, Canibus has remained a prolific rapper. He released two projects in 2022 alone: the solo album One Step Closer to Infinity and the collaborative project with Pete Rock, C.
