How did an obscure song that was languishing on YouTube for two years suddenly capture the interest of music journalists? Two words: Jimmy Page.

Here’s the scoop: on November 15, the guitar god shared via Twitter a cryptic message about legendary rapper Biggie Smalls, aka Notorious B.I.G., with a link to Page’s website, jimmypage.com. Visitors to Page’s website encountered a new song streaming: “Ramblize,” which is a mash-up of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” and Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On.” The song, which combines bits of Page’s acoustic guitar, Notorious B.I.G.’s rap, and some snatches of Robert Plant’s vocals, created an instant sensation, with publications such as Rolling Stone, Ultimate Classic Rock, and XXL writing fairly gushy articles about its emergence on Jimmypage.com. Rolling Stone asked, “Who knew Jimmy Page was a hip-hop head?”

But who actually made the mash-up and when is unclear. A version dated May 2011 appears on YouTube and was uploaded by YouTube user @theLionsRampant. In the comments field, one user Continue reading →