Three decades after his debut, Jay-Z is revisiting key chapters of his catalog with a measured sense of occasion.

On March 2, he reissued “N***a What, N***a Who (Originator 99)” on streaming platforms and as a vinyl single, part of a broader acknowledgment of his 30 years in music. The track, produced by Timbaland, first appeared on 1999’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life and featured Amil and Jaz-O, the Brooklyn rapper who played a formative role in Jay-Z’s early career.

Its subtitle nods to “The Originators,” a 1990 collaboration between the two that predated Jay-Z’s commercial breakthrough.

The new vinyl pressing includes “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” as a B-side, linking different eras of his output.

The release also invites a renewed look at his complicated history with Jaz-O, a relationship that has moved from mentorship to estrangement and, eventually, reconciliation.

In his memoir Decoded, Jay-Z reflected on their early days in the Marcy Houses: “I connected with an older kid who had a reputation as the best rapper in Marcy,” he wrote. “Jaz was his name—and we started practicing our rhymes into a heavy-ass tape recorder with a makeshift mic attached.”

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