's 2001 comeback album Stillmatic is widely regarded as a return to form for the artist, blending socially conscious themes with iconic production and tracks. The album is available for digital purchase and download from reputable sources.
He responded not with a press release, not with a radio interview, but with a nuclear bomb of a diss track: "Ether."
Stillmatic and its zip file invented a playbook:
Compare the two:
Artists from Kendrick (the untitled leaks before TPAB) to Chance the Rapper (the Acid Rap zip drops) owe a debt to that unassuming file from 2001.