Instagram/@jeezy
Still in the golden era, these streets just never forget about him. Lamenting the forever imprint of his classic Trap Or Die mixtape/TM101 era, Jeezy flicked the nostalgia switch for his fans on Instagram. Through a heartfelt video, he said the music will be relevant until 2025. “When we do these ballrooms, when snow is in front of 10, 15, 20,000 etc… really people are singing every line back with the music, as if it was just recorded yesterday. You don’t see this sht every day,” he marveled in the clips.
Advertisement
The post with a simple caption, “20 Years Later‼️,” included tickets to his TM101 Live tour and stirred one massive wave of appreciation from the fans. One user said exactly what many felt: “Trap or Die Mixtape Still Gets Played Till This Day.” That comment section turned into a time machine as if debating the golden era of trap and the true artists who defined the sound.
The comparisons to T.I. started flowing, with one commenter saying “T.i jeezy era is RIDICULOUS 🔥” and then others started debating as to which rapper really did have the better catalogue and better live shows. Things got spicy when one user dropped a diss on Gucci Mane, saying, “Luv to Gucci but just saying he aint doing this.” Ouch. But for the most part, the discussion turned into some heartfelt appreciation for the legacy of Jeezy, with fans sharing how his music had saved them in dark times. “Through every late night and early morning Jeezy was in the background reminding me to keep pushing,” one user recalled emotionally.
The merch tributes began coming to life with another fan detailing that they named a hoodie “The Jeezy” on their clothing line, while someone else threw back to reminiscing about buying the Trap Or Die CD in a strip club on homecoming weekend of ’04. “Had the city on 🔥 that weekend and it had sold out! Hardest mixtape ever by far,” he recalled. It was so easy to breathe in the nostalgia rolling around.
What makes this moment so special is that Jeezy’s music has famously transcended seasons. As one fan put it, “Timeless music has become a lost art,” meaning today’s artists don’t really know how to make something that stands forever. The rapper, himself, rekindled a wave of emotions when he stated that the connection between him and the people was “a very special feeling and very special moment.”
As some sites went on to dissect and argue the technicalities of trap music history and artist comparisons, a more general voice came through that from that moment downstairs, forty years in the making, there hasn’t been a single hip-hop artist that can take so much credit for hip-hop culture other than Jeezy himself.
The whole conversation also points out the fact that Jeezy’s music was the soundtrack to hustle culture before that phrase even existed. Many of the commenters remembered working in the streets or moving somehow up the grind while listening to his music during their years of come-up. And it’s this realness that connects with the audience, which is precisely what separates a temporary hit from an actual lifeline. Even that one playful throwing of shade toward DJ Drama’s insured beard (literally, somebody wrote that) tells you that everything from that era is etched deeply into the collective consciousness of every single fan.
Meanwhile, before creating a moment of that magnitude, the spotlight was somehow steering back towards literal trap.
Advertisement
As Jeezy gets ready to bring the TM101 experience across the country, this viral moment stands as proof of the drawing power that never died down. This music dictated an entire generation mentality; it never signified a moment. Twenty years later, the mover is still upon you. According to the comment section, twenty years from now, the Snowman will mature with new fans.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
