http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/15/jay-z-pre-reasonable-doubt-demo-tape_n_6479732.html

this is pretty cool. A few of the cuts have been floating around
the net for years now, but some of this stuff has definitely not
been heard by most of the public.

Understand Me? Classic 95 - 96 Jay.
On the PRhyme Juan Ep or Combat Jack or both, Preem talked about
how Jay would already have full concepts for songs, how he wanted
beat made, the scratches, breakdowns, etc...
So not surprising there's that Pac (what's that Pain?) sample for the hook.

Sauce Money a major player on this demo.
Jay using the pre RD / Jaz-O, Original Flava flow on some of the songs.

Lots of sampled hooks.

Writing this as I listen.
Some of the songs have that In My Lifetime flow, the bridge between the super fast flow and the Reasonable Doubt beginning of the conversation flow.

Some songs better than others.

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Cameo
Soundshape Records

But yeah, all of these songs (except "Behind The Ropes" and "What's In a Name") are from a 2002 DJ Rhude mixtape called DJ Rhude Presents Jay-Z: Before The Roc.

Here's the tracklist:

01) Original Flavor - Can I Get Open (feat. Jay-Z)
02) Jay-Z - Broken English (feat. Sauce Money)
03) Jay-Z - Pass The Roc (feat. Sauce Money)
04) Jay-Z - Get Off My Dick (feat. Sauce Money)
05) Jay-Z - Rippin' It Up (feat. Sauce Money)
06) Jay-Z - Nuthin' But Love (feat. Sauce Money)
07) Sauce Money - Ain't No Thing
08) Sauce Money - Serious
09) Sauce Money - Check Out The Horns
10) Jay-Z - Under Pressure (feat. Sauce Money)
11) Jay-Z - Understand Me
12) Jay-Z - The Greatest MC
13) Jay-Z - Can't Get With That (Original Version) (feat. Sauce Money & Jaz-O)
14) Jay-Z - In My Lifetime
15) Jay-Z - In My Lifetime (Remix)
16) Mic Geronimo - Time To Build (feat. Ja Rule, Jay-Z & DMX)
17) Jay-Z - Can't Knock The Hustle (Demo Version)
18) Jay-Z - Dead Or Alive Pt. I (feat. Sauce Money)
19) Jay-Z - What The Game Made Me (feat. Memphis Bleek & Sauce Money)
20) Jay-Z - Wishing On A Star (feat. Gwen Dickey)
21) Jay-Z - This Life Forever (Unreleased Remix)

"This Life Forever (Unreleased Remix)" sounds like someone just took the vocals and made a remix to it. Doesn't sound official at all.

Jay's actual demo tape featured a song called "Reach The Top", which was produced by Clark Kent and had an ill Marvin Gaye sample:

http://youtu.be/4XxiiiLQwCI?t=37s

mind
--------
matter

this mix is better than the one I've heard over the years.

Thanks for this.

-----
Cameo
Soundshape Records

love that pre RD flow Jay had and i love everything about these beats.

i checked this out too. Sound quality was bad but you can definitely hear Jay's skill on these tracks. We also got to hear the track where he got his verses for the freestyle he did with Big L. Sauce was spittin too. it was pretty dope overall.




http://theReferralpay.com/?ref=37359 This is something new I found out about. Check it out and see what you think.

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

... makes me thing an album is on the horizon and just drops ala the D'angelo album.