The crowd had no idea they were watching the future of music
Before he called himself Yeezus, Kanye West was just another rapper and producer cutting his teeth in the music business.
Recent video has surfaced of a 2003 performance of a very young West, alongside recent Oscar winner John Legend, performing a very early version of “Gold Digger,” a song that would help propel West into the musical stratosphere. The final version of “Gold Digger” featured Jamie Foxx and would go on to sell three million copies in the U.S. alone.
In the video, West raps on a tiny stage wearing a Reese’s Pieces T-shirt, a Louis Vuitton backpack and bright orange cap, a far cry from the New York Fashion Week show he just put on in collaboration with Adidas.
The early presentation of “Gold Digger” which at the time was called “18 Years” was done at the Dynamic Producers Conference, a year before the final version would appear on West’s acclaimed 2004 debut, The College Dropout.
Felisha Booker of Channel Dynamic told INSIDE EDITION she had the performance on a VHS tape for years before opting to upload it. She said she met West in 2002 and asked him to perform and speak at the Second Annual Dynamic Producer Conference.
