Jay-Z Drops OG 'Dead Presidents'

- The original "Dead Presidents" was the first promotional single for Jay-Z's 1996 debut album, *Reasonable Doubt*, but it was not included on the final album. Instead, a version with the same beat and chorus but different lyrics, titled "Dead Presidents II," appeared on the official release. - The track was produced by Ski Beatz and is built around several samples. The iconic chorus, "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me," is a sample of Nas's voice from his 1994 song "The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)". - The melody is a sample of Lonnie Liston Smith's "A Garden of Peace," while the percussion is from A Tribe Called Quest's "Oh My God (remix)". - The use of the Nas sample is considered by some to be an early seed of the infamous rivalry between the two New York rappers. Jay-Z later referenced this on his 2001 track "Takeover," rapping, "I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong/ You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song." - Prior to its 2026 release on streaming platforms, the original version of "Dead Presidents" was a collector's item, only available to those who owned the original cassette or CD single. Its official digital release is part of the 30th-anniversary celebration of *Reasonable Doubt*. - The music video for the original "Dead Presidents" features cameos from notable figures in 90s hip-hop, including The Notorious B.I.G., Damon Dash, AZ, and Lil' Cease. - An unfinished third version of the song, "Dead Presidents 3," was recorded around the time of *The Black Album* and was leaked online in 2007. In 2013, Jay-Z gave permission for the track to be officially released on Young Guru's SoundCloud account. - The title "Dead Presidents" is slang for money, a reference to the portraits of deceased U.S. presidents on paper currency.