Ja Rule Reposted His 2015 New York Anthem, But Fans Prefer ‘New York’

There are no shortage of anthems honoring the NBA world champion New York Knicks these days. From the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ apropos 2009 epic “Empire State of Mind” — which Keys will sing at today’s ticker tape parade honoring the champs in Manhattan — to Frank Sinatra’s “Theme From New York, New York,” Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” and Jesse Itzler’s “Go Ny Go,” it seems like the soundtrack of the summer is anything Gotham-related.

One artist who already had a quintessential homage to the city just shared another anthem in time for today’s victory parade, but, honestly, from the sounds of it, some fans would like to hit rewind instead. “Ja, ‘New York’ is literally the best anthem in Ny history already you don’ gotta do nothing else,” wrote one commenter under a video posted by Ja Rule of what sounds like a resurfacing of his unreleased 2015 jam “New York Giants.” The “New York” the commenter referenced is the MC’s iconic 2004 track of that name featuring Jadakiss and NBA Finals courtside staple Fat Joe.

“34th Street off the West Side / I see your big sign that says ‘New Yorker’ / What New York got to offer? / Big money, big cars, I’m all for it,” the 2015 track begins. With a spare, grittier arrangement than 2004’s beloved, bouncier “New York” track, “Giants” bops along on a shuffling beat and gothic keyboards, with Hollis Queens-bred Rule shouting out the refrain “Queens get the money” on the refrain.

At press time a spokesperson for Ja Rule had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on “Giants” and it did not appear that it was available on any major streaming platforms.

The comments on Rule’s Tuesday (June 16) post — which featured Ja posing on the floor next to a replica of the NBA championship trophy in front of a window while wearing a jacket that reads “New York to the World” in script on the back — were not kind to the resurfaced track.

“Can we do a new music video and remake of ‘New York,’” wrote one, while another suggested a more uplifting anthem might have made more sense. “Can we get A New York song that actually feels good????,” they wrote. “What’s with all the gangsta references all the time ?????? The Knicks can’t party to this, celebration can not be had to this man smhhhhhh,” they wrote.

Mostly, though, they just gave props to the original, suggesting it might have made more sense to update “New York” with a remix featuring some fresh collaborators as a way to celebrate the Knicks’ first NBA title in 53 years. “New York” has long been a favorite of Knicks fans and it’s often played at Madison Square Garden. And, not for nothing, fan footage from Thursday’s parade showed Ja performing the song atop bus crawling through the jam-packed streets of the city as fans waved and sang along to the song’s iconic refrain: “I got a hundred guns, a hundred clips/ N–ga, I’m from New York, New York.”