Rappers are hoarders. It’s hardly a secret that artists have vaults packed with old music that we might never hear. Whether faith is lost in the songs, they become too old or they’re simply forgotten about, years can fly by without them being mentioned and we’re expected to forget all about their existence and move on.
We decided to compile a list of songs which certainly exist and almost certainly will gather dust without ever seeing the light of day.
Jay Electronica – ‘New Illuminati’ (Feat. Kanye West)
Recorded: 2009-2012 (Source)
It’s officially cliché to identify Jay Electronica with music that hasn’t been released. An eternity ago in 2012, he tweeted out a tracklist which has been the most promising thing to happen with regards to Act II: Patents Of Nobility. Take your mind back far enough and you’ll remember that the song from the list which caught most people’s attention was one of the two Yeezy features, ‘New Illuminati’. A few of those tracks are available online, authorised or otherwise but very little details are known of this one. If we ever are lucky enough to hear it, let’s hope the Ye feature isn’t just a sample like Jigga on ‘Road To Perdition’. Speaking of Kanye and Jay…
Jay Z & Kanye West – ‘Livin’ So Italian’
Recorded: 2011 (Source)
To say that Kanye West is a perfectionist is a serious understatement so it’s no surprise that his name appears more than once on this list. However, we’re unsure about the exact reason that ‘Livin’ So Italian’ never made its way to the Watch The Throne final cut. Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Con Te Partiró’ is sampled with barely any additions to the instrumental so maybe there was some legal trouble. Maybe it wasn’t good enough. Maybe it’s being saved for something special (do I hear a Watch The Throne 2?). The one thing we do know is if those stories about Young Guru, Mike Dean and others receiving custom Rolexes as incentives to stop music leaking from the LP are true, it probably won’t surface on the internet anytime soon.
Drake – ‘The Luckiest People’ (Feat. J. Cole)
Recorded: 2010 (Source)
There’s a whole bunch of J. Cole collaborations with other huge rappers that we could have picked. From ‘Temptations’ and ‘Shock The World’ with Kendrick Lamar to a song with Meek Mill, French Montana and Wale, Cole’s got an extensive list of features under his belt that the general public are unaware of. One of the lesser known tracks is one which was talked about on only one occasion, but that’s enough for us to remember. Back when Elliott Wilson was with RESPECT Magazine in late 2010, J. Cole spoke with him briefly on a song which he was sent by Drake called ‘The Luckiest People’. “That sh*t is dope. I’m recording my verse”, he said. One can only imagine what this sounds like. ‘In The Morning’ wasn’t the lyrical slugfest that fans around the World had hoped for when they found out a Drake and J. Cole collaboration was in the works but it served its purpose. ‘Jodeci Freestyle’, amidst controversy, put them 2 for 2. Assuming this was ever finished, it’s a hidden gem.
Jay Z – ‘?’ (2Pac Diss)
Recorded: 1996 (Source)
This song’s existence was reintroduced to the World weeks ago but has been confirmed for years. If it were performed at any point in today’s day and age, clips would inevitably be on social media within seconds. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. At The Apollo in 1996, Jay Z touched the stage and performed a diss track firing at Pac for the 2,000 people present. Not one piece of footage exists from the night. The main reason we’ll never hear this is out of respect, but it’s not too farfetched to assume that the record has likely been lost. A piece of history never to be uncovered.
J. Cole – ‘Night Rider’
Recorded: 2007 (Source)
We’ve heard the story a hundred times by now, so I’ll skip ahead a little. When Jay Z first heard J. Cole’s music through Mark Pitts, he was played some songs that were yet to be heard by the public. ‘Lost Ones’ was one of them and another was a song called ‘Night Rider’, “an ode to Nas” as described by the man himself. Considering Jay heard this song and it helped influence him to sign Cole as the first artist to Roc Nation, we’re guessing it’s pretty good. For those complaining that Cole’s lost his hunger and his mixtape music is his best, it could satisfy that need. If this does ever see the light of day, expectations are high, especially after the elevation of Cole and Nas’ personal relationship through Born Sinner‘s ‘Let Nas Down’. Don’t let us down, Jermaine.
Drake – ‘Blue Bugatti’
Recorded: 2011 (Source)
2011 has been dubbed the ‘Take Care era’ for Drake. He was coming off of a lukewarm and rushed debut album and went off the radar for a short while. His return would mark the start of something special, releasing songs like ‘Dreams Money Can Buy’, ‘Club Paradise’ and ‘Free Spirit’ which were amazing but still not making the cut for Take Care. Cryptic OVO blog posts during the time consisted of studio flicks and random photos of the crew in their comfort zone of Toronto. One of the shots was what looked like a tentative tracklist for the then-upcoming album and if you squint, you can make out the words ‘Blue Bugatti’. Just aesthetically, that looks impressive. The sombre tone of Drizzy’s music at the time mixed with the inevitable braggadocio a song with that title must contain is an interesting combination which unfortunately, running with the theme of everything on this list, we’ll probably never hear.
Lil Wayne – ‘?’ (Feat. Bono)
Recorded: 2009-2015 (Source)
Simply put, Lil Wayne is a Rock star. Rebirth aside, the man tours non-stop and records like he’s broke. His collaborations range from Madonna to Lil Mouse with pretty much everything in between so it’s safe to assume he saved some pretty prestigious features for Tha Carter V. Despite the fact that (just like Wayne) he’s not on the best terms with Birdman at the moment, producer DVLP let it slip to Rob Markman last year about a song he’s done for Tune which features U2 front man Bono. Very few Hip-Hop acts have collaborated with any Rock artist with a globally accepted and successful result, so the idea of Wayne and Bono is interesting to say the least. But of course, there’s little to no chance the song is ever available for the public so I guess we’ll just have to count on Wayne’s Bono shout out on T.I.’s ‘Yeah’ to hold us down. “Fuck them and fuck you too (U2), now go tell that to Bono”. Vintage Wayne.
Kendrick Lamar – ‘Make My City Proud’
Recorded: 2010 (Source)
Prior to it being the name of his first major label album, “good kid, mad city” was just the perfect phrase for Kendrick Lamar to capture his innocence in a destructive environment. Although he had (and still has) his sentiments on the attitude amongst the youth in Compton, never has he disrespected them or shown them spite – his only wish has been to inspire and make them proud. Before even the release of Section 80, Kendrick spoke of a song called ‘Make My City Proud’ which caused him to shed tears in the booth. The only other time we’re aware that this happened for him is during the recording of ‘The Heart Pt. 2’ and just look at how that turned out. We’ll take this along with all the other good kid, m.A.A.d city leftovers, please.
– by Akaash Sharma