Thirty years after Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z’s original “Dead Presidents” finally returns in its rare DP1 form, closing a decades-long gap between vinyl collectors and the streaming era.
On Thursday, Roc Nation announced the official re-release of the original version of Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents,” colloquially known as DP1. The drop arrives as 2026 marks the 30-year anniversary of the Brooklyn rap artist’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt. It also serves as a limited-edition anniversary release, available on CD, cassette, vinyl, and now streaming platforms.
For the first time, “Dead Presidents” is available across all major streaming platforms, including Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Bandcamp, and more.
“Dead Presidents” was the promotional single Jay-Z released in 1996 ahead of his debut album Reasonable Doubt, built around the now-classic line, “I’m out for presidents to represent me,” lifted from Nas’ “The World Is Yours (Tip Mix),” the Q-Tip–mixed version.
According to the Roc Nation announcement, the re-release is being hosted on the website JAYZ30.com. Perhaps what stands out most is the single’s updated cover image: Hov’s name appears with the letter “y” marked by a diaeresis, and the song title renders the final “s” in “Presidents” as a dollar sign—just as it did on the original single artwork.
At first, the original “Dead Presidents” functioned as a hip-hop enthusiast’s collector’s item, a rarity to own in its original form. The 1996 promo single did not make the final cut for Reasonable Doubt, instead, a revised version, “Dead Presidents II,” was included on the album. The differences between the two are subtle but significant, primarily in the lyrics and structure. The more widely recognized second version contains three verses, while the original featured only two.
Stylistically, fans remain divided over which version delivers the stronger performance. Some argue the second showcases a more elevated flow and tighter rhyme schemes, while others maintain the first captures a hungrier, more lyrically raw Jay at his sharpest.
Prior to the 2026 re-release, the only way to hear the original promo version was to own it on cassette or CD, or stumble across an upload on YouTube.
The re-release is likely the result of a long-awaited clearance and licensing agreement for streaming among the various publishers involved. In 1996, streaming wasn’t even a consideration, so digital distribution was never factored into the original publishing contracts. Once streaming became the dominant format, many agreements from that era had to be revisited and renegotiated. This is a process that can stretch on for years.
On the composition side of the record, five publishing stakeholders are tied to the track. Jay-Z and the song’s producer, Ski Beatz, anchor the core publishing, with Jay credited as a principal writer and Ski as the primary producer.
“Dead Presidents” is built around three key samples, whose rights holders also maintain publishing stakes: Lonnie Liston Smith’s 1983 funk composition “A Garden of Peace” under Cosmic Echoes Publishing; A Tribe Called Quest’s “Oh My God (Remix)” under Jazz Merchant Music and Zomba Enterprises, Inc.; and Nas’ “The World Is Yours” (Tip Mix) under Ill Will Music and Pete Rock Publishing.
Reasonable Doubt peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and is currently certified platinum by the RIAA, with more than 1,514,000 units sold.
The website JAYZ30.com will likely serve as the central hub for all content tied to the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, originally released in June 1996. Given the domain name, there’s a strong chance more commemorative material will roll out in the months ahead.
