“Christmas is coming early” - Netizens react as Memphis Bleek claims Jay-Z is working on a new music project

Memphis Bleek recently suggested that Jay-Z might be back in the studio, hinting at the possibility of new music from the rap icon.

Speaking on the podcast Drink Champs, hosted by NORE and DJ EFN, on August 16, 2025, Bleek said he recently shared the stage with Jay-Z in Las Vegas and took the opportunity to bring up the idea of a collaboration, and Jay-Z did not turn it down.

Fans online immediately reacted to Bleek’s comments, with some calling it an early Christmas.

Many others also hoped that the speculation was true.

Fans seemed to be excited at the prospect of new music and collabs.

More on what Memphis Bleek said about Jay-Z's alleged new project

During his appearance on the podcast, Memphis Bleek said he had a conversation with the music mogul while sharing a stage in Las Vegas.

"I just was with him in Vegas. He just came out on the show, and my n***a, they went stupid. I said, ‘Listen, I know you workin’. Save me a verse.’"

Bleek claimed Jay-Z didn’t deny it. Instead, Jay reportedly replied, “All right, I got you.” The exchange has fueled speculation that Jay may be preparing to release his first new project in years.

If confirmed, this would mark Jay-Z’s first full-length project since 4:44, released in 2017. His most recent feature was in 2022 on Pusha T’s Pharrell-produced track Neck & Wrist.

Pusha T and his brother No Malice had hoped that Jay would feature in their 2025 reunion album, Let God Sort Em Out, which featured open verses throughout. According to HotNewHipHop, despite being asked, Jay did not appear on the project.

Memphis Bleek's relation with Jay-Z

HOV and Memphis Bleek on stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2008 (Image via Getty)

Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek’s connection traces back to their childhood in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects, where Bleek lived in Apartment 3D beneath Jay’s family. As reported by HotNewHipHop on August 16, 2025, the rapper would babysit Bleek before later signing him to Roc-A-Fella Records in the mid-1990s.

Their collaborations, including Is That Yo Chick, My Mind Right, and Money, Cash, Hoes, became part of HOV’s catalog. In 2005, Jay-Z gave Bleek the track Dear Summer on his album 534, shortly before announcing his first retirement.

While Bleek talked about a long history of loyalty, he has also spoken about the distance created by the music mogul’s career. In an interview with The Breakfast Club on June 16, 2025, Bleek said Jay’s departure from Roc-A-Fella was necessary.

"For Jay to be where he at, he couldn’t be around us everyday. I’m a liability."

According to Bleek, Roc-A-Fella’s breakup was fueled by widening lifestyle differences, loyalty splits, and leadership disputes. He recalled warning fellow artists to prepare for the rapper and music mogul’s exit, but said many ignored him due to allegiance to Dame Dash’s industry connections.

Tensions also surfaced with Beanie Sigel, whom Bleek advised during the launch of his State Property clothing line. Bleek said Sigel accused him of being a “hater” and questioned his loyalty to Jay, further straining relationships.

Memphis Bleek on the June 16, 2025 episode of the Breakfast Club (Image via YouTube) — Memphis Bleek on the June 16, 2025 episode of the Breakfast Club (Image via YouTube/ @BreakfastClubPower1051FM)

Bleek described the final rupture during the filming of the Change Clothes video, when Dash allegedly threatened to give him his “walking papers.” Bleek pushed back, claiming that Jay had always been the label’s true leader. In his account, this moment marked the symbolic end of Roc-A-Fella as a unified crew.

In 2023, on the show Drinks Champ, Memphis Bleek said he'd seen Jay's exit coming, adding that Jay told him directly,

"The scissors… they coming."

In his Drink Champs interview, Bleek also mentioned having multiple personal conversations with fellow Roc-A-Fella members about a potential split, but that his warnings were ignored.

Jay-Z’s In My Lifetime Vol. 1 re-enters charts after Cardi B's sample

Jay-Z’s 1997 album In My Lifetime Vol. 1 has reappeared on the iTunes Hip Hop charts nearly three decades after its release, following renewed attention from Cardi B’s latest single.

Cardi’s new track Imaginary Players, a remake of Jay’s diss record aimed at Mase, sparked a surge in streams and downloads of the original version. The spike pushed Jay’s 28-year-old LP into the iTunes Top 40 for the first time.

About the author

Devangee Halder is a Food and Pop culture writer at Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in International Studies. A bibliophile and foodie, her academic background, with the intersection of history and cultural studies, has deepened her love for reading and writing.

With over a year of experience, including an internship at Indian Express, which she landed through correspondence with editor Raj Kumar Jha, she transitioned into her current role at this company. As a journalist covering gastronomic trends and other news from the F&B Industry, she veers away from prescriptivism, and instead prioritizes questioning of current narratives, and forwarding relevant news, ensuring they are devoid of sensationalism.

Devangee approaches food with an interdisciplinary lens, locating it vis-à-vis areas such as culture, history, memory, and economics, within which culinary traditions found fruition and subsequently flourished. When not working, she enjoys cooking and reading, alongside her newfound interest in weightlifting. Among her favorite personalities are Sarah Todd and Vikas Khanna, and she admires the late chef Jock Zonfrillo for his work on indigenous food habits and ingredients.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay