There have been a multitude of studies and stories done on the connection between geography and success. In the history of hip-hop, one of the most fertile grounds for superstars has been Brooklyn. For proof, think about the fact that Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G. and DMX all went to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School together.
Watch Busta explain it here from a 2014 episode of The Combat Jack Show:
Here are some (and not all) connections:
- Busta and B.I.G. appeared together on posse cuts for Heavy D:
Craig Mack:
and they both appeared on Puff’s debut:
- Jay-Z and B.I.G. had each other on their albums:
and were also featured together on Puff’s first LP:
Busta and Jay both appeared on posthumous B.I.G. albums, but they don’t count.
- Jay-Z and DMX have also featured one another:
an also did four songs with Ja Rule (with whom they nearly formed a supergroup):
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- and many other times, like the
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legendary pool hall battle and backstage of the Hard Knock Life Tour:
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- Busta and DMX have worked together many times on each other’s albums:
and both spit over the “Otis” beat:
Because of B.I.G.’s death in 1997, the four never worked together, but three of them did when Jay and X popped up on Busta’s 2000 album Anarchy:
That’s four rap superstars that walked the same halls. Most of the people I went to high school with have never left our hometown.
Christopher Pierznik is the author of eight books, all of which can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, and many more. He has been quoted on Buzzfeed and Deadspin. Subscribe to his monthly reading review newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
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