In the hip-hop community, beefing is a typical occurrence. The world’s top rappers have been involved in a number of bitter feuds during their careers, some of which have resulted in tragedy and others in the rekindling of old friendships. Imagine the rivalry between 50 Cent and Ja Rule and Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. Even people who are not well-versed in hip-hop are aware of these feuds since they have grown so large.
The public may have paid greater attention to no other fight than Nas and Jay-protracted Z’s conflict. The two rappers, who are regarded as the best in the business, once harboured animosity toward one another to the extent that they made personal remarks about one another in their songs. According to Clash Music, it appears that it all began in the middle of the 1990s when Nas was unable to attend the recording session for Jay-album Z’s “Reasonable Doubt.” The team behind Tidal’s creator had to use a Nas sample at the time, but Nas reportedly took issue.
His second album’s opening track, “The Message,” featured a jab at Jay-Z as payback. It said, “Lex with TV sets the minimum,” which Nas subsequently clarified was a reference to Jay-Z. “I observed Jay Z operating a Lexus equipped with TVs. At that time, I sold my Lexus and began searching for the ideal alternative “”Complex,” he said. When Jay-Z responded forcefully with a diss track that jeopardised Nas’ entire career, things took a new turn.
Jay-Z and Nas wrote each other diss tracks
When he released the song “Takeover” in 2001, Jay-Z escalated his feud with Nas by disparaging his ability to produce high-caliber music. The lyrics are “That’s a one hot album every ten years average / And that’s so (lame),” according to Genius. With the lyrics, “Switch up your flow, your s*** is crap / What, you trying to kick knowledge?” he also mocked Nas’ rhyming manner. He even used a sample from one of Nas’ songs and boasted that he improved it. I sampled your voice because you were misusing it; you gave the line a catchy line, and I gave the tune a catchy hook.
Never one to back down, Nas retaliated with his own diss single, “Ether,” which was also released that year. He rapped, “I got this, locked since ’91 / I am the truest, name a rapper that I ain’t influenced,” in response to Jay-allegations Z’s that he had established himself as the dominant figure in the business. He also made jokes about Jay-Z allegedly copying his style and how the creator of Roc Nation sold his morals for cash.
On later songs, the two rappers traded jabs, but in “Supa Ugly,” Jay-Z allegedly got so crude that his mother urged him to apologise. He said to Hot 97 through Hiphop DX, “That went too far, Mom called in to say. She has also never once phoned me to discuss music. I responded, “Okay, okay, okay.” I’ll turn it off now.”
Are Jay-Z and Nas finally friends?
After a few more exchanges of diss songs, Jay-Z and Nas decided to put their disagreement behind them when they shared the stage in 2005 for Power 105.1’s annual performance, according to XXL. The two rap titans used the opportunity to make up on stage by singing “Dead Presidents” and “The World Is Yours” together, despite the fact that the event was called “I Declare War.”
Looking back, Nas claimed he didn’t regret his involvement in a dispute with Jay-Z. He recalled the battle on the “Broken Records” podcast: “It was like, if you’re in the rap game, this could happen.” “This rap thing is real, it was like. Battles could actually occur. As a result, I felt proud to have that experience in my life as I seen the greats doing it in their formative years. I witnessed several legends perform it.”
Even in the song “Thun,” he made mention of their previous conflict and rapped about how they now joke about it. According to Genius, the lyrics are “No beef or rivals, they playin’ “Ether” on Tidal / Brothers can do anything when they decide to.” Dissecting “Takeover” lyrics in a Range Rover. Sometimes I text Hova, laughing, “N****, this ain’t over.”
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