The Nas versus Jay-Z battle was epic on so many different levels. I remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard about Nas’ “Ether” track. Me and a few of my friends were standing outside of a dorm on the campus of UNCG and one of my boys drove up asking us if we had heard Nas’ track. He said he had just left North Carolina A&T State University and that he heard the track over there. Before the battle began, I wondered why Nas and Jay-Z had never collaborated on a track. After Biggie and Tupac’s untimely deaths, Jay-Z and Nas were widely considered to be the best emcees in the game. Both emcees are from New York City, yet they never worked together. I always thought there was something more than met the eye. Sure, Jay-Z sampled Nas’ voice on his song “Dead Presidents” but that is not a true collaboration. Many people never want to see top players or emcees align because they feel that it will remove the competitive nature naturally felt amongst top players/artists. This theory is the same one that plagues Lebron James and Dwayne Wade’s relationship. I think people feel it is unfair and just do not want to see the top talents on the same team, so to speak. I am a huge fan of both Jay-Z and Nas and I believe their battle was one of the best in hip hop history. Most importantly, the battle remained “friendly” and to my knowledge, there we no violent episodes as a result of the battle.
There are many theories as to why the fued began between Nas and Jay-Z. I do not know the truth, but I do know Jay-Z went public with the feud at Summer Jam 2001. I am not from New York, but I know Summer Jam is a major event where thousands of people come out to hear good music. Jay-Z performed “Takeover” on stage and he attacked both Nas and Mobb Deep on the song. To me, this song symbolized Jay-Z’s proclamation to the world that him and his crew ran hip hop and that he would destroy anyone who attempted to get in his path. In the last line of the song, Jay-Z rapped “ask Nas he don’t want it with Hov.” He rapped about Nas having one hot album every ten years. He jabbed at Nas stating that Nas created his persona on wax and that he never lived the life he rhymed about. He talked about Nas having the worst flow on “Oochie Wally.” He bragged that he sampled Nas’ voice and that Nas did not get a dime from the deal. He said that Nas made it a hot line and he made it a hot song. He went below the belt and alluded to sleeping with Nas’ baby mother while they were still together. The song was classic because Jay-Z made statements that were factually accurate or easily verifiable. I love the beat and I’m a fan of “Takeover” being one of the greatest battle songs ever recorded. Check it out.
In 2001, Nas released “Ether” off his critically acclaimed album, Stillmatic. Before he released this song, he released a freestyle over Eric B and Rakim’s Paid in Full record dissing Jay-Z. I think the freestyle was a warning shot but he really went for Jay-Z’s juggler vein on “Ether.” On “Ether,” Nas rapped about Jay-Z being his son and he accused Jay-Z of being a misogynist. He claimed that Jay-Z stole his style from him. The beat moved me and exuded “this is war.” He jabbed at Jay-Z and stated that Jay-Z gets noticed by women because of his money and status and not because of his looks. He blatantly stated that Eminem outrhymed him on “Renegade.” His all out attack on Jay-Z’s credibility did not stop and he even rapped that Jay-Z stole rhymes from the late, great Notorious B.I.G. “Ether” attacked Jay-Z on many levels and was a dope song and one of the best battle records ever released. Check it out.
I like the fact that throughout the battle, the two sides remained peaceful which was great for hip hop. Before their battle, the last time two rap giants who battled were killed. The death of the Notorious B.I.G and Tupac is still being felt today and it was good to see two artists battle and live to survive it. Jay-Z also released “Got Yourself a Gun” freestyle that was aimed at Nas and he also addressed Nas on a track on Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse. On Stillmatic, Nas recorded a track entitled “Last Real Ni**a Alive” where he dissed Jay-Z. In my opinion, the battle between the two rap giants inspired some of the best music the two emcess have produced to date. Jay-Z’s Blueprint album is a classic and is one of the best albums of all time. Nas’ Stillmatic is also a classic album and one of his top three albums ever released. In the end, Jay-Z and Nas displayed to the world that healthy battles are still good for hip hop. Eventually, after the battle was over, Nas and Jay-Z worked together at Def Jam and even appeared on stage together on tour. This battle was a win for the fans and a win for the hip hop culture.
Jay-Z's "Super Ugly" Diss
Nas' "Stillmatic" Diss
Who do you think won the battle?
Peace
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