Had he not become one of Jay-Z’s most loyal protégés, Memphis Bleek’s life would have headed down a very different and bleak path. In a candid sit-down with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, the Brooklyn rapper opened up about a life-changing moment from his youth in the Marcy Houses that set him up for a life in music instead of the streets.
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Bleek recalled how, as a teenager, he was chasing quick money and fantasizing about living like Nino Brown, the drug kingpin from New Jack City. “I remember a day I was in the building, actually thinking I was gon be Nino Brown,” he said.
Enter Jay-Z. “And Jay came through like, ‘Yo, what you doing?’ And I’m like, ‘You know, I’m trying to get money… lights off in the crib. I gotta make sure mine is straight,’” added Bleek.
When Jay-Z asked to see what he was working with, Bleek showed him his drug pack, proudly displaying his “hustle.” Of course, Jay-Z wasn’t impressed.
“He took it and threw it [down the incinerator]. So I’m like, ‘Yo, bro, I needed that. That was a thousand-dollar pack. I need it.’ And he was like, ‘Man, don’t be out here.’ Then he gave me $1,000 out of his pocket and said, ‘I better not catch you in the building selling drugs no more. You got a better future than this.’ Straight up,” added Bleek.
That $1k represented belief for Bleek, and also guidance from someone who saw his potential beyond hustling. It also marked the beginning of a brotherhood.
Bleek stressed that while he and Jay-Z aren’t related by blood, he was raised under Hov’s wing alongside Roc-A-Fella pillars Dame Dash, Biggs, Clark Kent, and his cousin Bee High. That intervention from Jay-Z kept him from spiraling deeper into street life. Also, it gave Bleek the chance to focus on music.
Stories like this add to Jay-Z’s reputation as someone who looks out for people. His generosity isn’t confined to his immediate circle.
Houston rap legend Scarface once revealed that both Jay-Z and DJ Khaled helped him financially and emotionally while he battled COVID-19 and kidney failure. Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, has also praised Jay-Z for the unpublicized ways he helps others, saying, “People really have no idea what Jay-Z does on the regular to help others.”
For Bleek, that moment in the Marcy projects was the spark that changed his future. What could have been another story of a promising kid lost to the streets became a story of loyalty, mentorship, and lifelong brotherhood.
