Malik Deshawn Cox, known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper. He is best known for his affiliation with fellow New York City-based rapper Jay-Z, with Cox often described as his hype man and protégé. Cox signed with his Roc-A-Fella Records label imprint in the late 1990s, through which he has released four major label studio albums: Coming of Age (1999), The Understanding (2000), M.A.D.E. (2003), and 534 (2005). He has since founded his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016—through which he signed rapper Casanova.
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on September 29, 1998, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It went on to become his most commercially successful album, selling over 6 million copies in the United States. In the liner notes of the album, Jay-Z gives his thoughts on various tracks. The lyrics to the fast-paced "Nigga What, Nigga Who " are also included.
"Oh Boy" is a 2002 Grammy-nominated hip hop single by Cam'ron from his album Come Home with Me, and features Juelz Santana. The single was released through Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records and Cam'ron's Diplomats Records.
"I Just Wanna Love U " is a song by American rapper Jay-Z, released as the first single from his 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It was produced by the Neptunes and features a chorus performed by Neptunes member Pharrell and Pennsylvania rapper Omillio Sparks, both of whom remain uncredited. The video for the song, directed by David Meyers, features cameos from rappers Lil' Kim, Lil' Cease, Damon Dash, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Jermaine Dupri and actor John Witherspoon.
"Nigga What, Nigga Who " is a single by rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It was released on March 1, 1999. The song is produced by Timbaland and features two artists: Big Jaz, who raps one verse and Amil, who speaks the track's chorus.
"4 da Fam" is a song by American rapper Amil, featuring verses from American rappers Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and Beanie Sigel. Ty Fyffe produced the song. It was released on Roc-A-Fella as the second single from her debut album All Money Is Legal. In the song's lyrics, Amil boasts about being the best female rapper, and Jay-Z discusses his fears of becoming a father, which his verse suggests he believed was about to occur at the time.
"Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" is the lead single from rapper Jay-Z's fourth album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. The song features production by Rockwilder, including guest vocals by Amil and Beanie Sigel.
"The City Is Mine" is the second single from rapper Jay-Z's second album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. It was released on February 3, 1998. It features vocals from Blackstreet and production from Blackstreet member Teddy Riley. Riley samples "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" by The Jones Girls for the song's beat, while Blackstreet interpolates "You Belong to the City" by Glenn Frey and Jack Tempchin for the song's chorus. In addition, a young Chad Hugo plays saxophone on this song. The first verse is dedicated to the memory of his friend, The Notorious B.I.G.
"It's Alright" is the only single by Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z that was released from the Streets Is Watching soundtrack for the film of the same name. It was later featured as a bonus track on Jay-Z's third album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It is produced by Damon Dash and Mahogany Music, who sample "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads and "The Hall of Mirrors" by Kraftwerk for the track's beat. Its B-side is "The Doe" by Diamonds in da Rough.
"Change the Game" is the second single from rapper Jay-Z from his 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It features guest raps by Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel, production from Rick Rock and backing vocals by Static Major. Upon release, the song's intention was to promote Sigel and Bleek, but Steve Juon of RapReviews.com considers Jay-Z to outperform both rappers. A music video directed by David Meyers was made for "Change the Game."
"Jigga That Nigga" is a song by the American rapper Jay-Z. It was the third single from his sixth studio album, The Blueprint. It has additional vocals from Stephanie Miller and Michelle Mills but they are not credited as featuring. In the US, the song peaked at #66 on the Hot 100. In recent years, his nickname "jigga" has become synonymous with being "fresh, fly" and "stylish."
"Ruff Ryders' Anthem" is a song by American rapper DMX, released on May 5, 1998, as the third single from his debut studio album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998). In 2008, the song was ranked at number 79 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. In the US, upon the song's initial release it had originally peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, before reaching a new peak of number 16 following DMX's death in April 2021.
"Where the Hood At?" is a song by American rapper DMX, released as the lead single from his 2003 studio album Grand Champ. AllMusic stated "The anthemic lead single, 'Where the Hood At,' is precisely modeled after previous DMX rallying calls like 'Ruff Ryders' Anthem', 'What's My Name?', and 'Who We Be.'"
The discography of American rapper Memphis Bleek consists of four studio albums, twelve mixtapes, seventeen singles and fifteen music videos. An early signing to rapper Jay-Z's record label Roc-A-Fella Records, Bleek appeared on several of Jay-Z's early songs, and collaborated with him on the single "It's Alright" from the soundtrack to the film Streets Is Watching, which peaked at number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Bleek went on to release his debut album, Coming of Age, in 1999, which contained the singles "Memphis Bleek Is...", "My Hood to Your Hood" and "What You Think of That".
"Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)" is the second single from Memphis Bleek's second album, The Understanding. The single version featured Jay-Z and Missy Elliott. The album version featured a verse from Twista and another verse from Jay-Z. The song was produced by Timbaland and was released in 2000. The original version of the song appeared on the European (but not American) version of Jay-Z's Vol. 3...Life and Times of S. Carter. Memphis Bleek later recorded verses for the song, and it was released as the second single from Bleek's The Understanding. In the alternate version the chorus is changed from "Cause that's Jay and them..." to "Cause that's Bleek and them...".
"My Mind Right", released in 2000, is the first single from Memphis Bleek's second studio album, The Understanding and Backstage: A Hard Knock Life. The music video features cameos from Jay-Z, Damon Dash, Caddillac Tah, Ja Rule and Fabolous. Initially, the song was not a major hit and did not receive much airplay. Memphis Bleek recruited Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel to remix the song. This version of the song became a huge hit during the summer of 2000. The single would be Bleek's biggest hit until the next two songs were released from the album.
"Do My..." is a song by American rapper Memphis Bleek, released as the third and final single from his debut album The Understanding (2000). The song features vocals from fellow rapper Jay-Z, with production handled by A Kid Called Roots. It peaked at number 68 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Niggas in Paris" is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song is built around a synth bell loop from the Dirty South Bangaz music library, and contains vocal samples from "Baptizing Scene" by Reverend W.A. Donaldson, an interpolation of "Victory" by Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, and dialogue excerpts from the 2007 film Blades of Glory. On the week of the album's release, "Niggas in Paris" debuted at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at number five. Outside of the United States, "Niggas in Paris" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom. As of 2018, it has sold 6.7 million archetype digital units in the United States. The song won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
The singles discography of American rapper Jay-Z consists of 68 singles as a lead artist, and 51 singles as a featured artist, as well as 14 promotional singles.
