When did Jay-Z release the song Dead Presidents? Jay-Z released ‘Dead Presidents on February 20, 1996
When Jay-Z and Nas had beef, the song Dead Presidents was a topic that came up a lot. Released as a single in February of 1996, the song samples Nas from his debut Illmatic and a line from the song “The World is Yours.”
“So yeah, I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong
Jay-Z
You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song”
The track was a stand out from Jay’s debut Reasonable Doubt and has spawned countless freestyles over the years. The original was a deep cut and a re-recorded version is known as “Dead Presidents II” made the album tracklist. The beat and chord progression is undeniably great. The video features AZ, Biggie, and Dame Dash playing Monopoly with real money.