S2-EP. 8 - “A Conversation with Jay-Z Circa 1997”

From 1995-2002, I hosted/produced Time Travel Radio on WNUR FM in Evanston/Chicago. One part of the show was regularly doing theme shows telling the history of various artists. In 1996, I did a spotlight show on The Jaz (a.k.a Big Jaz, Jaz-O) and his partner Jay-Z. Then, a year later, as he was promoting his second solo album, I did aTime Travel radio spotlight show on Jay-Z. I was able to interview Jay-Z to get some historical info to use bits and pieces on the show, but I never shared the full interview until now. In this 20 minute interview, at a critical turning point in his career, we have a candid conversation that covers a range of topics, including; early inspirations, battling LL Cool J, decoding hidden lyrics in his music, his relationship with Notorious B.I.G, what happened with his deal with Priority Records, his primary goals with his music, and more! This interview also reveals where the idea for Jay-Z releasing acapellas of his music originated. Be sure to listen to the previous two episodes, which tell the story of The Jaz & Jay-Z. I guess it’s the Time Travel Radio spotlight update… This clips captures Jay-Z giving me props for giving him the idea to start including acapellas….you catch the full story on that in last week’s episode! But hear it from Jay-Z himself in this interview….