Before he became one of Jay-Z’s most loyal protégés, Memphis Bleek nearly went down a very different path. In a candid sit-down on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay, the Brooklyn rapper opened up about a life-changing moment from his youth in the Marcy Houses, one that set him on the path to 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,” Bleek said. “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.’”
When Jay-Z asked to see what he was working with, Bleek showed him his drug pack, proudly pointing to his “hustle.”
“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.”
For Bleek, that $1k symbolized belief and 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 early intervention kept him from spiraling deeper into street life and gave him the chance to focus on music.
Stories like this add to Jay-Z’s reputation as someone who quietly looks out for people. His generosity isn’t confined to his immediate circle. Houston rap legend Scarface 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 Memphis 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.
