D’Evils

A meditation about how the desire for money and power corrupts the ghetto and all of its inhabitants, leading to violence and betrayal.

The song title means “da evils” but is spelled similar to “devils,” emphasizing that the temptation of money is similar to the temptations of Satan.

DJ Premier samples “Go Back Home” by Allen Toussaint for the beat, along with vocal samples from Snoop Dogg and Prodigy of Mobb Deep. Jay says this is possibly his favorite song, and he likes how they sampled a gospel record on a song about devils and temptation, saying:

I guess it’s fitting that it’s a gospel record, because it’s almost a religious experience

In an interview with Complex, Premier recalled how Jay picked the samples you hear on the hook:

That’s totally personal and dear to him. He called me and told me how important this record was…

He told me all the scratches he wanted me to cut. I don’t think he spins, but just the fact that he was able to come up with that hook, I guess Jay-Z has a little bit of DJ in him too. I just had to convert it to the Premier style. He said, ‘I want minor keys, almost sad.’ He just came here, laid it out, and never wrote it down.

Roc-A-Fella artist Memphis Bleek talked about how “D'Evils” impacted him:

My favorite song on the album had to be “D'Evils.” Hands down. I stole a copy of the song, I liked it so much, to where Jay and B-High came to my apartment, like, ‘Yo, I heard you giving out copies of the song, the word came back to you.’ They was ready to beat me up, drop me from even hangin' with them ‘cause they like 'you a thief.’ But they didn’t understand, I needed that record for my soul. I need it. You’re talking to me.