It's always interesting to hear what legends of the game sounded like before they had their big break. Jay-Z's big break was 1996's Reasonable Doubt, which scored him fame and a record deal with Def Jam.

However, Hov wasn't quite an unknown before that, thanks to his NYC lyrical battles with LL Cool J in the early nineties, and his verse on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane posse cut 'Show and Prove.'

During that period or maybe a little before he also recorded this demo tape, which the website Mass Appeal just unearthed. Take a listen and let us know what you think.