This story is an example of why it is imperative to have peers who see things in you that you cannot see.

Besides being one of the greatest rappers to ever touch a mic, Jay-Z means a lot to the culture for various reasons, depending upon who you ask.

Today, he has become what one would consider an O.G. and continues to lace us with good advice while reminding us to keep going.

A Whole New World

For Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z unlocked him to a whole new world of getting money. Prior to meeting the rapper, the fellow New York native was making ends meet by hustling.

“I’m in the building hustling. And I swear I’m getting money, and he pull up, you know, Lexus, you know, they got their jewels on,” Bleek recalled on an episode of “The Justin Credible” podcast. “He was like, ‘Man what are you doing over here?’ I’m like, ‘I’m getting that money man, you kidding me?’ I’m in the building, this my strip. This is what it is. And this is my building where we live at so he like, ‘Word? Let me see what you got.’”

From there, Bleek handed him a pack of drugs worth $1,000.

What Jay-Z did next completely blew his mind.

The “Hard Knock Life” emcee threw the package down a trash chute, leaving Bleek both startled and confused.

“He threw my pack in the incinerator. Like this, ‘Yo man, don’t let me catch you hustling like this.’ So, now I’m like wait a minute: ‘that’s a G-pack fam,'” Bleek explained. “You just threw $1,000 away. He gave me two grand and he was like, ‘Man, for you I see bigger things in you.’”

Continued Success

The rest is what they call “history.”

From there, Bleek became the first artist signed to the 52-year-old rap legend’s Roc-A-Fella Records. His debut into the rap game was on the “Coming of Age” track from the critically acclaimed, “Reasonable Doubt” album.

Jay-Z commemorated 25 years of his debut album and the longtime friendship with Memphis Bleek by gifting the rapper with a blinged-out Roc-A-Fella chain last year.