Road To The Roots Picnic: JAŸ-Z’s History With Philly

Before JAŸ-Z became a billionaire mogul, stadium-selling superstar, and one of the greatest MCs to ever touch a mic, he was a hungry artist trying to make people believe in his vision.

Some of those early moments happened right in Philadelphia. As part of The Backstory Podcast’s exclusive “Road To Roots Picnic.” Reflecting on Hov’s longtime relationship with the city of Brotherly Love, Backstory Podcast host and SVP of programming for Radio One, Colby Colb explains Philly has always held a special place in JAŸ’s journey.

“Philadelphia was one of the first cities outside of New York to truly embrace JAŸ-Z before the world fully understood who he was becoming. Through these rare interviews and moments, you can actually hear the evolution from a hungry young artist building Roc-A-Fella from the ground up to one of the most influential figures in music and culture. It’s the quintessential Philadelphia story, underdog comes of age with limited resources. The Roots Picnic feels like a full-circle moment because JAŸ-Z and Philadelphia have always shared a unique connection rooted in respect, hustle, ambition, and growth.”

The journey starts in September 1995, nearly eight months before Reasonable Doubt dropped. A nervous but confident young Hov sits down for his first radio interview in Philly during his first East Coast promo run. At the time, Roc-A-Fella was still just an idea fighting for space in Hip-Hop, but even then, the hunger stood out.

By 1996, “Dead Presidents” was already making noise and JAŸ-Z was beginning to break down the creation of Reasonable Doubt, discussing everything from the iconic video working alongside The Notorious B.I.G., Ski, and Irv Gotti.

The Backstory Podcast will show how Philly has been part of JAŸ-Z’s story from the jump. From intimate radio freestyles to sold-out arenas, the city watched the evolution of Hov happen live.