This Video Of A 19-Year-Old Kanye West Rapping In 1996 Is Incredible

18 July 2014, 10:00 | Updated: 18 July 2014, 10:32

This is what happened when Kanye West took the mic at a 1996 Fat Beats shop opening party.

A video has surfaced online of a baby-faced Kanye West rapping back in 1996, when he was just 19-years-old.

The video was taken at a Fat Beats shop opening party in New York, where a then unknown 'Ye was performing. DJ Eclipse, the then manager of the store, was converting old video tapes to DVD when he came across the footage.

"What took me by surprise was the appearance of this 19 year old kid who at that time nobody knew" he wrote.

"It's pretty crazy to see this footage in '96 and think 'damn, this dude was in my house then?' and not even know."

Watch 'Ye drop an impressive verse in the throwback video above. (Warning: the video contains strong language that some people may find offensive.)