Earlier this year, embattled rap legend DMX gave fans a small but long awaited taste of optimism when he hinted at dropping an album in 2017. Rumors like that have been swirling for years but the one time biggest star in rap substantiated the nugget of hope the following week when he dropped the single “Bane Iz Back.” Not a bootleg track released by a sketchy so-called label owner. A real, mastered song produced by none other than Swizz Beatz. During a January 2017 trip to the City of Angels, X popped up for an unlikely performance.
With comedian Jay Pharoah.
The former SNL funnyman was at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA filming a segment for Comedy Central’s new show The Comedy Jam, created by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. The show is based on comedians and entertainers telling a story of a song that has a special meaning to them, followed by their own performance of the song. For his part, Pharoah, performed “Party Up” and to the surprise of the audience was even joined on stage by the Dark Man himself. The two took turns spitting bars back-and-forth.
In a December 2016 interview with HipHopDX’s Editor-in-Chief Trent Clark, Pharoah expressed how he was a comedian who rapped also, opposed to just being a comedian rapper.
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“Over the summer, I was working with Musiq Soulchild on one of his projects that I don’t think he put out yet,” he explained, citing his upcoming album. “I’m working with some underground folks that you all are about to know. I’m almost finished with this project. I want to do something really epic, conceptual with videos and everything tied together. So I’m working with Myles Williams. He’s worked with T.I., Iggy Azalea, Lil Wayne, Drake, Rick Ross, etc. And my cousin produces as well. Shout out to Andrew Hypes — I’m working with him.”
“I’m trying to be that serious … that Will Smith thing but have people like, ‘He got serious bars.’ It ain’t no, ‘Uh! “Summertime”‘ [Laughs]. It ain’t that. More like, ‘These songs are dope! Y’all sleeping on Jay Pharoah!’ Ain’t no Nick Cannon bars, nigga! You stay away from that. [Laughs!]”
X wasn’t the only Hip Hop surprise guest appearance for the night, either. The Michael Jordan of MCs with the last name Jordan – Montell Jordan also came out to perform “This Is How We Do It” with Real Husbands of Hollywood star James Davis. The Comedy Jam premieres on March 22 10pm ET/PT
on Comedy Central.
