THIS DAY IN HIP-HOP... JAY-Z - "DEAD PRESIDENTS"

On this day in Hip-Hop history, Jay-Z released the promotional single "Dead Presidents."

On this day in 1996, Jay-Z released his promotional single "Dead Presidents" on Roc-A-Fella/Priority.  It was the first single released for his upcoming debut album Reasonable Doubt, although it did not appear on the album, instead an alternate version "Dead Presidents II" was featured.  The track was produced by Ski and contained samples from Lonnie Liston Smith, A Tribe Called Quest, and Nas.  It was certified gold by the RIAA in June 1996.

---

Also on this day...

1996 - Lord Finesse released his third and final album The Awakening on Penalty Records.

2015 - Chris Brown and Tyga released their debut studio album Fan of a Fan: The Album on RCA.