If you google "Jay Z .vs. DMX" or "DMX .vs. Jay Z" hundreds of pages are displayed talking about an infamous extremely embellished Hip-Hop battle that took place in the borough that birthed Hip Hop. If you believe what the Internet provides about this battle you would be just like the millions of web surfers who believed that Jay Z and DMX battled for hours at a small poolroom in the Bronx. From MTV News, Complex magazine, XXL and BET, all have reported this story wrong... But it's not their fault. Some of the people that were involved did not recount the story truthfully.

At the center of this famous rap battle were THE HARLEM KNIGHTS. Comprised of MC WEN and GOD ORIGINAL, the Knights have been making music together since their teens. Wen and God mastered their flow by battling rappers around the New York City area. Known for their distinctive flow and compelling tales of street life, their style caught the attention of a fledgling Ruff Ryders camp. The Ruff Ryders were present when THK went head to head against Jay-Z, Source Money and Original Flavor, inside a small poolroom in the Bronx. Coming to support The Harlem Knights was a young hardcore rapper who went by the name "Darkman X" better known today as DMX. The fact that two of Hip Hop's future elite (Jay-Z and DMX) was in that poolroom on opposite sides has made some people delusional about the events that happened that night. Make no mistake; it was the Harlem Knights battle, a battle many have said they won. It was their moment in Hip Hop history.

Who knows why Dame Dash, Waah Dean, Irv Gotti (who wasn't present at the battle) Source Money and Ski Beats won't give the recognition that this great group deserves.

The one person who came close to the truth without letting the cat out the bag was DMX. "We had a group under Ruff Ryders called The Harlem Knights. DMX remembers. “They were suppose to battle Original Flavor... Jay Z did songs with Original Flavor and you know, I was the top dog in double R, so I'm like I'm going to be there... I was just there for support..."

The Harlem Knights took an unprecedented break from the industry to focus on family and life, getting things back in perspective. Unhappy with the direction that Hip- Hop is heading, MC Wen and God Original returned with their EP "The Harlem Knights Rises". THK is ready to unleash their uncompromising brand of hardcore Hip-Hop music. Politics, capitalism and street life are worthy subjects for them to take on. It’s only right that credit is given to The Harlem Knights whose time in the limelight is long overdue.