The '99 Problems' hitmaker admits he was in awe of the late rapper after watching the latter's live performance during the 'Hard Knock Life' tour years ago.
- June 1, 2021
AceShowbiz - Jay-Z was stunned the first time he saw DMX perform, admitting he was nervous about following the late rapper's emotional set.
Jay invited DMX to join him for the "Hard Knock Life" tour, alongside Method Man, Redman, and DJ Clue, back in 1999, without ever seeing the MC perform live - and he admits the first night knocked him backwards.
"X is about to go on, and I'm like, 'I wanna see,' " Jay told LeBron James on the basketball star's "The Shop: Uninterrupted". "X is going before me... And then he goes (growls), and the f**king arena goes crazy. First of all, it's deafening, and I'm like, 'Oh s**t!' "
"He has a thing, like an Alize and Hennessy mix - it looks like blood, like he's drinking blood - and he's running back and forth... Halfway through the show, he takes his shirt off and the whole crowd goes crazy..."
"He's going nuts, right? And I'm like, 'S**t...!' First the guys are going crazy, now the girls are going crazy. And then he gets to the end, and he starts a prayer. And now they're crying, the whole arena is crying... And they're like, 'Hey, on you go'... I'm like, (high-pitched voice), 'It's a hard knock life... Put your hands up people...' I was like, 'We've got 56 dates of this s**t...!' "
"He improved my stage show."
