Four years later, Kanye addressed questions over their friendship by allowing Jay-Z to take a remix of “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” hostage with one of his finest ever verses – still a breathtaking moment in both men’s careers. Jay-Z gave Kanye West his first big break when he hired the young Yeezy to produce five tracks on his 2001 album, The Blueprint. Kanye West (feat Jay-Z): Diamonds From Sierre Leone (Remix) (2005)
The single “Numb/Encore” easily hit its target, however, and found Jay-Z performing the song with the group at LA’s Roxy Theater, seeing the hip-hop icon own a stage usually reserved for rock and metal acts. Click to load video Jay-Z/Linkin Park: Numb/Encore (2004)Ĭomfortably dominating the pop landscape, Jay-Z set his sights on the rock world, teaming up with rap-metal crossover group Linkin Park for a fully collaborative EP given the knowing title Collision Course.
