S. Samuel
While The Commission may have never taken off, fans can get a glimpse of the late Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z rapping together in new rare footage released this week.
In the previously unreleased footage, B.I.G. and Jay rock the crowd during their live performance.
A rare clip has surfaced from 1996 which features one of the only live performances of Notorious B.I.G. with Jay-Z. The pair teamed up at Video Music Box creator Ralph McDaniels‘ birthday party to perform “Get Money.” Fuse has the video, along with the following story from McDaniels: “Every year, I had a birthday party,” said Ralph McDaniels. “I wanted to get B.I.G. to host [it], but really I wanted him to perform. Jay-Z came with the whole Roc-A-Fella crew and they got on stage. I told the DJ, ‘If Biggie gets on stage, play a Biggie song and we’ll get him to perform.’ DJ Ace threw on ‘Get Money’ and the whole crowd went crazy. B.I.G. looks at me like, ‘I guess I’m supposed to perform now, right?’ Jay-Z plays hypeman to B.I.G. on ‘Get Money.’ That just rang through the hood forever.” (Prefix Mag)
This new footage is the latest since an archived Notorious B.I.G. interview surfaced last month.
“I was in the chicken spot around my way and me and my boys, we was hustlin’ and I heard the “Real Love” remix. I was buggin’. We was buggin’. It ain’t nothing. I don’t even need to be trippin’ off that as long as my peoples is with me, my peoples is having a good time, my moms is alright, my daughter’s alright, it’s all good. That fame, I leave that alone. That’s where the ego starts. They start hating you and they really wanna stick you for your paper for real.” (Video Source)
Back in March, Notorious B.I.G. protege Lil’ Kim talked about his friendly rap battles alongside Jay during their pre-fame days.
On “RapFix Live,” Lil’ Kim spoke on the Notorious One’s relationship with Jigga. “He and Jay-Z just had this adorable friendship — it was the cutest,” she said. “They were so competitive with each other, but it was such a friendly competitiveness, and I loved it, because that’s how it’s supposed to be when you like somebody.” (RapFix)
In 2010, Young Hov credited B.I.G.’s emcee talents and expressed how the late artist was one of his all-time favorite rappers.
“I guess I would choose B.I.G. [as one of my favorites] because of his ability to tell stories to be humorous, to be dead serious, he just had it all,” Jay said. “Just [B.I.G.’s] voice alone. I would choose Pac because his fire will overcome, what he doesn’t have in technical skills will be overcome by passion. If you listen to that ‘Tunnel’ [freestyle] verse where B.I.G. is saying ‘MC Hammer and them 357 women’ and then you hear how [Pac] comes on, he just screams on the track, his passion could put a lot of guys to sleep. I guess Kool G Rap and KRS-One would be on there. I need more emcees. Y’all got Eminem and Nas…” (YouTube)
Check out the performance footage below:
