Memphis Bleek Recounts Jay-Z's Life-Changing Speech: "I'm Rich Already"

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Memphis Bleek was at a receiving end of a mind-altering Hov speech.

Drink Champs is quite possibly one of the best hip-hop podcasts out right now. With DJ EFN and NORE only bringing in elite guests, they manage to get their interview subjects faded while discussing their history. Most recently, Memphis Bleek sat down for the latest episode of the show where he dropped gems on essentially everything you could imagine.

One particularly interesting part of the interview was when Memphis Bleek recounted a life-changing speech made by Jay-Z back in the day. As Memphis told it, he was at his crib with "thots," or better known in those times as "little skeeos," when Jay-Z pulled up and reminded him that he was giving him an opportunity of a lifetime and it was up to him to take it or leave it.

"That's when I was like, 'yo, I'm never going to fall out of line again. You're right,'" he recounted. "He looked me in the eye. That n***a said, 'Yo, I been calling you all day to come to the studio. I'm trying to give you the opportunity to change this. To change your family life out there. This what you want? This what you want? You want to be in the crib with these thots in the hood?'" He added before NORE interjected with a little etymology lesson.

"He was like, 'n***a I'm trying to give you the opportunity to change everybody life in this apartment right now'," Memphis Bleek continued. "He like like, 'Remember one thing, I'm rich already. I don't need you, you need me, n***a.' [Jay] got up out the crib and left."


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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