Watch A 19 Year-Old Kanye West Freestyle Rap In 1996

Long before he paired his pink-ass polos with fuckin’ backpacks, Kanye West wore white ones just like the rest of us. DJ Eclipse recently found this footage from the opening of Fat Beats in New York City. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s a then-unknown Yeezus rapping about (among other things) Alanis Morissette’s propensity for irony. (It was 1996, it was culturally relevant back then, okay.) It’s raw 90s rap at its best, and — wait, wait. If you close your eyes and listen to the flow, you can almost see the motorcycle revving and wild horses rearing to take Kanye into the future that is ‘Bound2.’ Because you know even 18 years ago, Kanye sure as hell loved Kanye as much as Kanye loves Kanye.