A Rare, Unreleased Version of a Jay Z Classic Surfaces

This is the hip-hop equivalent of unearthing a rare, prized artifact. Initially released back in 1999, Jay Z‘s “This Life Forever” was debuted as one of the standout selections on the Black Gangster soundtrack. A few years later in 2003, Jay Z included it on a project of his own. Today, a very rare, alternate version of the track has surfaced. Released as the latest entry in DJ Absolut’s #DJAbsolutMixtapeMondays series, Absolut himself bills this as being better than the original. “You know you got something special when Tha #DJabsolutMixtapeMondays version Surpasses the Original,” reads DJ Absolut’s caption on SoundCloud. Rechristened as “The Black Gangster,” this Jay Z track is pretty much a part of history. You can give it a spin below.