Rappers have an extensive past.

Roc-A-Fella Records, an imprint established in 1996 by JAY-Z, Damon Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, initially enlisted Kanye West to produce tracks subsequent to his contribution to the self-titled track featured on Beanie Sigel’s The Truth album in 2000. The Chicago rapper was enlisted by the founders to produce “This Can’t Be Life,” the fifth track from Jay’s 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, after the sample impressed them. This marked the beginning of Jay and Kanye’s collaborative partnership, which is further documented on Kanye’s “Last Call” outro from The College Dropout.

Although Kanye West desired to become a rapper, Roc-A-Fella Records did not sign him as an artist for some time. Since he was primarily regarded as a producer in 2002, he was reluctantly inked to the label; this led to rumors that Jay Z did not wish to sign Kanye. In 2009, Jay responded to the rumors: “I wasn’t suggesting that you not sign Kanye; rather, I suggested that, if possible, you keep the beats in-house.”

Eventually, the professional association between Kanye and Jay transformed into a companionship, a development that Kanye detailed in his 2007 single “Big Brother.” The song describes a relationship that is both difficult and tender, much like the bond between siblings. Kanye West raps on the refrain, “My older brother was B.I.G.’s brother/Used to be Dame and Biggs’ brother.” Additionally, he describes a time when he requested two Madison Square Garden concert tickets from Jay, only to be instructed to purchase them himself. The rapper sings: “Only thing I wanna know is why I get looked over /I guess I’ll understand when I get more older /Big brother saw me at the bottom of the totem /Now I’m on the top and everybody on the scrotum.”

At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West infamously interrupted Taylor Swift as she won the award for Best Female Video for “You Belong with Me” over Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” Swift was a country singer. The rapper stated, “I am ecstatic for you; I will allow you to conclude. “However, Beyoncé’s video was among the greatest of all time.”

“Watch the Throne,” a 2011 collaborative album by Kanye and Jay, produced breakout singles including “No Church in the Wild” and “N——s in Paris.” Kanye West documented the experience in a now-deleted tweet from a year ago: “As I sit in the studio two hours outside of London, the reality that I’m actually working with Jay-Z on a rap album is truly sinking in.”

Despite expressing condolences via Instagram on the day of Kanye and Kim Kardashian’s 2014 wedding, Beyoncé and her rapper-husband did not partake in the ceremony. When queried about their conspicuous absence, Kanye West responded to GQ: “I would not even touch upon that. It makes no difference in the world to me who shows up. Since, in my opinion, Kim was the most crucial individual present. Furthermore, nothing else matters to me.”

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