Jay-Z has revealed that he upped the level of his performances after watching DMX on stage early on in his career.

Discussing his own stage presence, the rapper said, "In hip-hop, there's not many great performers. I look outside the genre, measuring myself against others. I look at Madonna's production and envy that, " Jay-Z told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

Although he is considered at the top of his game now, Jay-Z admits that he wasn't always such a great performer. "My early years? Forget it. I was horrible," he said. "DMX tore me to pieces. I remember being stunned. (He) had me really working. But I had to figure this out. If you want to be a headliner, you better put on a headline show."