So last week, the good folks at Genius came to me with an idea to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Jay-Z’s classic debut “Reasonable Doubt.” The seminal piece by one of our generation’s most important and heralded emcees, it’s celebration is nothing short of well deserved. In light of that, Genius.com approached me with a concept based on the project:
“Hey Sky, what would happen if you wrote a song based on ‘Friend or Foe,’ where you’re the son of the hustler who Jay-Z killed in the story? What if the out-of-town hustler who was killed in the hotel room had an infant son back home, and now after 20 years he’s seeking vengeance on his father’s murderer: Jay-Z. What if you told the story, not as Skyzoo, but as the 20 year old son”?
I thought it was brilliant. Needless to say, I picked up the pen and got right to it. And thus, here’s “Friend or Foe pt 3”. For the record, this is not a Jay-Z diss by any means. We all know Jay is one of my favorite emcees of all time. This is a creative take on a fictional story told from the point of view of a fictional character. Enjoy it in the essence of what it is. And happy anni’ to “Reasonable Doubt,” a timeless piece for the ages.
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