It seems like it was just yesterday when Nas and Jay-Z were involved in the what some may call the greatest Hip-Hop battle of all time. But since then times have changed; people have squashed beef on stage, deals have been sign, and it seems that Jay-Z and Nas have put all of that behind them. Earlier this month when a tracklist for Hova’s The Blueprint 3 was released, fans were excited to see yet another track, “Empire State Of Mind”, with both God’s Son and Jigga featured. Fast forward to earlier this week, and we see that on the “official” tracklist, Nas has been replaced with Alicia Keys. Now, we all love Miss Keys. But you know the real Hip-Hop heads would have preferred Kelis’ baby daddy on the track. But hey, who knows? It could still change. But until we get a final word, let’s look at past Jay-Z and Nas collaborations.

Nas feat. Jay-Z – “Black Republicans”
Album: Hip Hop Is Dead [2006]; Produced by L.E.S. & Wyldfyer
We had already been teased when it was rumored that Jay-Z would jump on the Kanye West/Nas track “We Major”, but the highly anticipated collaboration finally took place on Nas’ Def Jam debut Hip Hop Is Dead. At first listen, I was a little underwhelmed. But what had I expected? The speaker to explode and the world to cease as we know it? Once you get past the impossible expectations, the track more than lives up to the potential (And is one of my all time favorites). Both rappers got one verse each over an epic beat. Plus, that hook was hard.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “Huddlin’ over the oven, we was like brothers then (What?)/Though you was nothin’ other than a son of my mother’s friend/We had governin’, who would of thought the love would end”

*Notable Nas Line: “Just like an acrobat ready to hurl myself though the hoops of fire/Sippin’ 80 proof, bulletproof under my attire”

Jay-Z feat. Nas – “Success”
Album: American Gangster [2007]; Produced by No I.D. & Jermaine Dupri
I guess this was the trade off for “Black Republicans”. Nas returns the favor and does a guest spot on Hov’s 2007 American Gangster. This song also has the distinction of Nas maybe taking a jab at Hov (“Worst enemies want to be my best friends”). I personally think Jay-Z went hard the whole song, but even the biggest Jigga stan will admit that Nas’ Google Earth line killed it. Jay-Z had three verses (Or one long one) and Nas went last. “Let that bitch breath!”

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “Broad daylight I off ya on switch/Ya not too bright, goodnight, long kiss,/Bye-bye, my reply, blah-blah/Blast burner then pass burner, to TyTy/Finish my breakfast, why?/I got an appetite for destruction and you’re a small fry/Now where was I”

*Notable Nas Line: “Old cribs I sold, yall drive by like monuments/Google Earth Nas, I got flats in other continents/Worst enemies want to be my best friends/Best friends want to be enemies, like that’s what’s in/But I don’t give a fuck walk inside the lion’s den”

Ludacris feat. Nas & Jay-Z – “I Do It For Hip Hop”
Album: Theater Of The Mind [2008]; Produced by Wyldfyer
Let me first state that I thought Luda had the best verse but the actually song looks better on paper. It was good to have Jay, Nas, & Ludacris on the same track, but the end results did produce a classic track (Jay’s performance was so-so and this is me saying that). The song still has a great message though.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “The past of time when I was gettin’ it in/Just so happens I’m so illegal with the pen/They ain’t want me to do anything illegal again”

*Notable Nas Line: “That’s who you are so when the cash and cars is gone/The day after tomorrow/Don’t be asking to borrow, ski mask ang it hard/Like the way you rap in your bars”

Young Jeezy feat. Nas & Jay-Z – “My Presdent (remix)”
Album: The Recession [2008]; Produced by Tha Bizness
Okay, so this wasn’t exactly a Nas and Jay-Z collaboration since Hov jumped on the remix version. But it’s still technically a track featuring both rappers. The remix came at the height of the 2008 election and Jay-Z on the remix pushed it over the top (It already was the “hood” Obama them song). I still wished Nas would have redid his verse for the remix.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “My president is black in fact he’s half white/So even in a racist mind he’s half right/If you got a racist mind you’ll be aight/My president is black but his house is all white”

*Notable Nas Line: “For years there’s been surprise horses in this stable/Just two albums in, I’m the realest nigga on this label”

Shaquille O’Neal feat. Jay-Z, Lord Tariq, & Nas – “No Love Lost/Analyze This”
Album: You Can’t Stop The Reign [1996]; Produced by Tone & Poke
Do some of you youngsters even remember when Shaq used to rap? If not you didn’t miss much. But it was on one of Diseil’s album that we actually saw the first Jay-Z and Nas track. Well, almost. It gets confusing here. The original version of the song only had Shaq, Jay, and Lord Tariq (”Uptown baby!”), but somewhere along the line a new Nas verse was added and Shaqillie’s verse was taken off. Even through all that, I think it’s important to see what may have been the first Jay and Nas track together…13 years ago.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “I got mine, your little bit of money couldn’t stop mine/Your block time, too hot, too many hands in your pie/Seventy thirty, the nigga you work for work for me”

*Notable Nas Line: “I flip my loot twice a week/On my most trifest streets/”You got no right to eat/By the laws of life you keep”

Download: A Collection Of Jay-Z & Nas Collabos

A few weeks ago me and the rest of the team were trying to put together a project that had all the best Nas cameos. I say “were” because that piece is now scrapped; there were just too many too name. I wanted to do it because recently Nasir Jones is in the news way more for paying $55,000 a month to Kelis, than his rhymes (Isn’t he dropping an album with Damian Marley later this year?). Let’s not forget this guy still should be in everyone’s Top 5. Which brings me to today’s pick Song of the Week. It’s not a track from Illmaic or God’s Son, but from Nas’ Def Jam debut Hip Hop Is Dead. “Where Y’all At” was the buzz single for the album and for me, it did just that. On top of a Salaam Remi production, Nasty Nas goes in:

“Eat with my elbows top of the table/Street etiquette with speech impediments/And still see presidents, no matter who paid/Cause you ain’t take the last dollar made/Long as they keep printing it, there’s chances of getting it/Money’s my bitch, and we stay intimate/Ask about Nashwan, could ask about Jung/Ask about Bravehearts, and ask where I’m from/Q Boro, specifically The Bridge/Don’t ask no more question, ya know what it is”.

And that why it’s one of my many Nas favorites. Enjoy.

Download: Nas – “Where Y’all At”

By now, you have probably heard The Game go at Jay-Z pretty hard in a freestyle in Madrid, Spain..if not, check out the video. The Game taking shots at Jigga isn’t a new thing, he does it from time to time, but ALWAYS takes it back after throwing a jab or two. So with this latest attack I am skeptical about drinking the kool-aid. Let’s face it, the Game can match bars with Jay. There is no question about that, if you deny it, you are lying to yourself. If Game would go at Jay with the same tenacity that he went at Bleek, Budden, Ja, and 50 with, he might can lay the old man down. The time is now, Jay is ripe for the picking. It is time for one of these new school cats challenge Jay and win. The Game might be the one to do it. The old guard must pass it on to the next generation.

My questions to Game: ARE YOU FOR REAL THIS TIME? By the time I post this I hope you have not  issued an apology and said that you was just playing to the crowd and didn’t really mean it. You did call out the man wife..so I’m expecting Jay to really have something for your ass in the next week or so. BE READY. Second question: WHY DO YOU DO MOST OF YOUR DISSES OVERSEAS? What’s up with that? You talking greasy in Europe, but when you get back stateside, you make it seem like you was just “messing around”. When you get back home, can we expect more disses?

So Game, if you are going to do it…GO ALL THE WAY IN. (PAUSE) Make history, this could be one of the best lyrical battles in a minute. Do it for all those that came before you but came up short. Do it for Jaz-O, who simply was upset because the dude he brought in the game became WAY more successful than him. Do it for Prodigy, while I know you and him aren’t like that anymore, but do it because he put pictures of a “gangsta” rapper in a ballerina suit. Do it for Nas, who was involved in a CLASSIC battle with Jigga,and (depending on who you ask) beat him and to turn around and kiss his ring like Superman did Lord Zod and WORK for him! Do it for Dame. No explanation needed on this one.

I would love to see these two go back and forth..could be EPIC, as long as The Game is serious and Jay takes the bait. WE SHALL SEE!

Download: The Game – “I’m So Wavy”

A few Tuesday’s ago (May, 19th to be exact) we saw album releases from Busta Rhymes, Method Man/Redman, & of course, Eminem. This was so far the biggest release date of 2009. All three acts that I mentioned are veterans in the game and well respected by their peers. Another thing they have in common: They’re all over the age of 30. If you think about it, most of Hip-Hop’s elite are over the age of 30. I guess it’s no longer a young man’s game. So I was thinking, since you see a lot of lists with titles such as “25 Hottest Celebs Under 25” or “40 Richest Under 40”, why not The Best 30 Rappers Over 30? But for this list, we got set some ground rules. #1 of course is the most obvious; you gotta be over the age of 30 (That throws out people like Weezy, Lupe, Drake, & T.I.). #2, you have to be 30 as of this list (Both The Game & Joe Budden will be 30 this year, but aren’t as of yet). #3, you got to be active and releasing records with new material that’s relevant (Rakim & Big Daddy Kane are legends but they don’t make this list). Other than that, the only requirement is being 3-0 or older. So, here’s it: The Best 30 Rappers Over 30 (Ordered from oldest to youngest). 30 is the new 20! Did I forget anybody? (Update: Fabolous replaces Beanie Sigel)

Ice Cube (June 15, 1969) – 39
Jay-Z (December 4, 1969) – 39
Raekwon (January 12, 1970) – 39
Q-Tip (April 10, 1970) – 39
Redman (April 17, 1970) – 39
Ghostface Killah (May 9, 1970) – 39
Fat Joe (August 19, 1970) – 38
Scarface (November 9, 1970) – 38
DMX (December 18, 1970) – 38
Method Man (April 1, 1971) – 38
Snoop Dogg (October 20, 1971) – 37
Common (March 13, 1972) – 37
Busta Rhymes (May 20, 1972) – 37
Black Thought (October 3, 1972) – 36
Eminem (October 17, 1972) – 36
Bun B (March 19, 1973) – 36
Nas (September 14, 1973) – 35
Mos Def (December 11, 1973) – 35
Andre 3000 (May 27, 1974) – 35
Styles P (November 28, 1974) – 34
Big Boi (February 1, 1975) – 34
Jadakiss (May 27, 1975) – 34
50 Cent (July 6, 1975) – 33
Talib Kweli (October 3, 1975) – 33
Rick Ross (January 28, 1976) – 33
Cam’ron (February 4, 1976) – 33
Kanye West (June 8, 1977) – 31
Ludacris (September 11, 1977) – 31
Young Jeezy (October 12, 1977)- 31
Fabolous (November 18, 1977) – 31

DJ Drama. Arguably one of the most powerful and well-connected DJs in the game; the mastermind of the Gangsta Grillz series is back again with his new studio offering, Gangsta Grillz Vol. 2.

Diddy may have went overboard on the hype (like usual) in regards to the importance of Drama to the game, but hyperbole aside; the man is important. Drama gets new artists out in the open, brings out things you’ve never seen in some of your favorites (and not so favs), and stamps approval on what should be the new hotness. Gangsta Grillz as a series is the stuff of mixtape legends and a Cadillac standard that other DJ’s aspire to. Have you heard an artist shoot ANY ill will towards the Philly native?

….

…….

-still waiting-

That’s a rarity on it’s own. Aside from getting a little wordy over some of my favorite tracks (which is a cardinal sin amongst DJ’s aside from the DJ echo/echo/echo) Drama manages to put together heat with a seemingly limitless talent pool. The original Gangsta Grillz album had to be seen as an all-star meeting of Hip-Hop heavyweights. However, the album released with a bloated 21 tracks and not all of them as heated as tracks like “Cannon”, “The Art of Storytellin’ Part 4” or “Taking Pictures”. It just was too much and even Drama has acknowledged this, stating that he intended Volume 2 to be a focused, wall-to-wall banger.

So with the sequel on deck and the fat trimmed for this one at a sleek 13 tracks, DJ Drama faces the challenge of improvement (a trend these past few reviews) for Gangsta Grillz as a studio offering. And here…we…go.

1. A-Town
Featuring T.I., Young Dro, Sean P, & Lonnie Mac; Produced by David Banner
I love it when an album gets popping to start off. David Banner lays down a rapid fire drum pattern with his trademark horns and synth, a perfect canvas for our cast of Atlanta natives. T.I. leads the charge (naturally) with a smooth, autobiographical flow into his hustling roots. His company takes the same approach, making sure to shout out various neighborhoods and landmarks; authenticity is a plus on this. Nice to see Sean P still laying down his Southern style bravado; Lonnie Mac threatens to steal the song in terms of engrossing storytelling which I found impressive for my first listen of him. Young Dro is Young Dro, definitely not an insult. Just not show stealing.

Unexpectedly lyrical, with a nice bounce to it. This was definitely a choice track to start the charge and I’d definitely keep the windows down while making that ride on 85, ya dig?

2. We Must Be Heard
Featuring Ludacris, Willie the Kid, & Busta Rhymes; Produced by V12 the Hitman
A lyrical heavy-hitter on an album I wasn’t expecting many on. Not that I doubted him, but Willie (a Gangsta Grillz favorite) really holds his own with two proven lyricists in Busta and Luda. I love this beat and not just for the Godfather sample. This beat seems to be subdued on purpose for the sake of letting the trinity of flows shine as opposed to overpowering what they have to say. Definitely not a trio I was expecting for a track like this, but I love surprises, especially good ones. This track is all about the message here and it’s a well told, gritty one where paper is getting rough to stack. Must listen.

3. Love For Money
Featuring Trey Songz, Willie the Kid, Gucci Mane, La the Darkman, Yung Joc, Bun B, & Flo Rida; Produced by V12 the Hitman
V12 switches gears and unfortunately, takes a step backward with an almost generic synth and drum beat here. You’ve heard one like this beat, you’ve heard em’ all unfortunately.

The wordplay here is fortunately better. I was expecting this track to go epic lengths the likes of “I’m So Hood (remix)” given the feature list, but everyone takes abbreviated verses and it works. They do more with less and get straight to the punches. With some in this cast of characters (*cough*Gucci*cough*Joc*cough*) it’s a good thing. Trey Songz actually sounds motivated for a hook for a change and what a difference that makes. A better track than the sum of its parts. Not a standout, but very listenable.

4. I’m Fresh
Featuring Mike Jones, Rick Ross, & Trick Daddy; Produced by V12 the Hitman
V12 again, and this beat has a bit more meat to it than the previous. It’s like a refined alternate version of the one before; a tad more menacing. Mikes Jones handles hook duty on this one, probably the best place for him given his love of repetition. Trick Daddy hasn’t lost a step and Ross continues showcasing his improved lyrical ability. Even in swagger tracks like this, he’s come such a long way from his Port Of Miami style.

My only complaint lies in the fact that it’s just a good track. Still lacks a standout quality to it despite the participants and how well placed the participants were. [Mike Jones woulda been on my murder list if he had a verse like any on “Happy Birthday”. –readies suicide pill-] Otherwise, another hit for the album, just waiting to be taken back by something since “We Must Be Heard”.

5. Day Dreaming
Featuring Akon, Snoop Dogg, & T.I.; Produced by Drumma Boy
I see why this was a single. Beautiful, well crafted track on all accounts. This was originally set to be a track for Akon’s “Freedom” album entitled “Go-Go Dancer”, but found it’s way here as “Day Dreaming”. Akon’s loss, Drama’s gain. Drumma Boy crafts a synth track the way it SHOULD be done and it is perfectly seductive, how any girl could resist a tease to this song is beyond me.

Some have nicknamed this “I Wanna Fuck You Part 2” and I can see the similarities (especially in regard to two of the players involved, Akon & Snoop), but this I dare say is a better track and I can’t say enough good about it. Snoop turns in the kind of verse you KNOW he can turn in and T.I. continues his hot streak of features with a song stealing verse to bookend this one.

“Hey I sit and gaze hazy eyed as I day dream
Her and n her girls on the stage doin’ they thing
Double D’s full of silicon and saline
She thirty but don’t look a day over 18
Her booty big enough to swallow up a g-string
Hey gon put that ass on me like a bee sting
Hey let the King on, beat it like a tambourine
And peel ya out ya jeans and eat it like a tangerine
You see her face down, ass high

Make everybody throw they cash high
Back in the club already

she been stuck in my head since last night
That’s right
Girl you got my dreams so
Sexy when I sleep
No mo fanatsies
I want the real thing”

Standout by far and a good example of the right kind of single. I’m usually not a stickler for the ladies songs for the sake of them, but when they’re put together as well as this, I’m all for them. We have a winner.

6. Sweat
Featuring Ray J, Fabolous & La the Darkman; Produced by V12 the Hitman
Who knew Gangsta Grillz would have two shining examples of for the ladies/sexin’ (Got reintroduced to that word again recently.) songs done CORRECTLY. I’m shocked. I’m even more shocked that Ray J slays this track. I find him a very hit and miss artist, but he destroys this track and makes you believe he’s after the tenderoni (I’m bringing it back dammit.) in this track. Fabolous turns in his usual reliable feature and listening to it, I can’t understand why he’s left off so many “Best Rapper” lists. Man has got punches for days like Mayweather. Catch his Shawty LO metaphor early in his verse.

La comes through proper on this as well, lending the track the rough edge it needs when compared to Ray and Fabo. This track comes together so well and the V12 beat brings it all together to create a double feature of naughty tracks that wouldn’t be out of place for a business time mix, if you catch my drift. –hint hint-

A surprising winner on an album like this.

7. Ridiculous
Featuring Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac, & OJ Da Juiceman; Produced by Zaytoeven
-Shakes head-
I’m that grown man crying in Scarface’s song when I listen to shit like this. They had the NERVE to make this a single and make this the longest song on the album. The beat is as uninspired as the collection of flows on this track, with Lonnie probably the only one attempting to raise this up to something listenable. Again, I wonder where Juiceman gets all this hype with the stir-fried bullshit he called a verse on this one.

Skip. Please do. Barely listenable and compared to the other things popping on this album, it really points out just how bad this is. This whole track is ridiculous…and by that I mean the dictionary term….meaning it sucks. Thank you.

8. Come Up Boys
Featuring La the Darkman & Willie the Kid ; Produced by V12 the Hitman
I like tracks like this. Two hype MC’s on a star-studded album with a track to themselves. It’s up to them whether they rip it up or not. Fortunately, they make it happen and you may gain further respect for La and Willie after a strong track like this. V12 puts together a focused beat with light guitar samples to give it a sense of urgency and intensity. The kids get 2:27 to make something special and they do just that, but I can’t help but wonder why THEY didn’t get 3 more minutes added to shine; as if the Wack Wonders of the World© needed it on the track before. [Some might say that was harsh, but all 4 have the talent (allegedly) to prove me wrong.]

A winner and unfortunately, too short. Hope both find some new fans after this one.

9. Yacht Music
Featuring Nas, Willie the Kid, Scarface, & Marsha Ambrosius; Produced by DJ Khalil
It’s criminal how laid back this track is. I absolutely love it and DJ Khalil gets props for making a classy beat for all those blessing it. I was excited to see Marsha Ambrosius (formerly of Floetry, miss those dames.) on this, because she had a hand in the hands-down banger of the last Gangsta Grillz album, “Art of Storytellin’ Part 4”. She doesn’t disappoint on this one, a steady voice cooing lightly in the background and adding to the mellow factor when she belts out the hook effortlessly.

Another strange trio is made with Nas, Scarface, and Willie; and again, it works. All three produce subdued flows that still represent their styles, but add to the chill factor of this track. Another surprise on this album and not something I would have excepted to hear, especially the way the last album was crafted. Make sure to give this a listen, preferably after listening to “Yacht Club” by Rick Ross for your sea-based mixtape.

10. Stripper Love
Featuring The-Dream, La the Darkman, & Too Short; Produced by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart
Compared to the other tracks of this type, “Sweat” & “Day Dreaming”, this is decidedly average. It definitely sounds like a Dream track, even produced by his right hand man Tricky Stewart. It just feels out of place on this album and at times, lightweight. La’s verse is probably the weakest of his many on this album and Too Short’s feature is, no pun intended, too short to mean anything really. Yes, he does say “bitch”…but not like we know and love. This saddens me. Regardless, the track is merely okay, just lacks a quality to really add to this album as a whole. Can’t say you’re missing anything here.

11. Smoke
Featuring Gucci Mane, Willie the Kid, & Lonnie Mac; Produced by V12 the Hitman
Not bad here. V12 works overtime, producing his 6th of 7 tracks on this album. He’s in danger of getting exposed unfortunately, given 4 of the 7 come off like alternate versions of each other. Regardless, not a bad track at all here. The young guns take this track over and turn it some heated verses, Lonnie’s being his weakest of the album. Gucci Mane comes with his best of the album, which isn’t saying much, but at least he doesn’t come off like an idiot like on “Ridiculous”. Worth a listen for the sake of Kid and Lonnie. A nice addition to them album, just not among the strongest.

12. Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy
Featuring La the Darkman, Bun B, Styles P, & Jovan Davis; Produced by V12 the Hitman
V12 can finally take a rest after this one, his last beat being one of the better ones of this album. Jovan Davis, doing his best neo-Curtis Mayfield voice to offset the mean-spirit in the beat, hooks this track and it definitely works. Bun B takes honors for best verse, bringing it rough and rugged with the matter of fact metaphors you expect from him. P and La hold up their end as well, making this track an enjoyable mix of production and wordplay from another strange mix of suspects. Thumbs up to this.

13. Gotta Get It
Featuring B.G., Juvenile, & Soulja Slim; Produced by Drumma Boy
B.G. SIGHTING! And he hasn’t lost a step either. New Orleans stand up on this one, with Drumma Boy giving them a beat that’s worth ripping on this one. Haven’t heard from Juvi the Great in a good while either and his flow is more focused than his usual, given the abbreviated time on this track. Again I ask, why are bangers like this shortened, but we got 6 minutes for Ridiculous? -sigh-

Despite that gripe, awesome track and Soulja Slim comes from beyond the grave to put it down with his squad one good time. Banger status for sure, and a great way to close out Volume 2 of Gangsta Grillz. Now bring on the Hot Boyz reunion ASAP!

Bottom Line:
Drama made good on his promise to keep it focused and strictly the music on this one. The skits are packed in with the songs and aren’t long enough to take away from what it’s supposed to be about, hot tracks presented by one of the most respect DJ’s in the game. The formula works, already making this a better album than Gangsta Grillz Volume 1 for it.

I’m impressed with the combinations made for this album as well as the young guns they chose [La, Lonnie, Willie] to shine with established artists on this CD. They more than held their own and I hope nothing but big things for all three in the rap game. “A-Town”, “Yacht Club”, “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy”, and “Come Up Boys” put this formula on display and produce worthy tracks every time. I’m also surprised heavily by “Day Dreaming” and “Sweat”, two tracks that deserve play in the club or in a bedroom near you. They’re both THAT good.

You can see the care taken in crafting this album to be a cut above his last and that is to be commended. Just two issues when it’s all said and done.

“Ridiculous”, no matter how much (undeserved) hype many of the features had, DID NOT need that much time and arguably didn’t deserve to make the album. It really drags down what he was trying to accomplish here by having banger after banger.

Also, V12 put in some extra work for this one. However, some producers are meant to handle album brunts, others aren’t. I wouldn’t have made him my first choice with how similar some of the beats sounded. Drumma Boy coulda used more to do the way he was creating heat and Drama I’m sure had carte blanche of whoever he woulda’ wanted to use. Just a phone call away like Chingy, ya dig?

Despite all that, the bangers definitely outweigh the average and the bullshit and Drama has got a worthy successor to his previous studio album. Gangsta Grillz Volume 2 is focused, intense, hypnotic, and a look into the possible future of the rap game all wrapped in one. Steer clear of “Ridiculous” and you’ll find an awesome mix of artists and tracks. Definitely not a 4 star affair, a little more clean-up could have got it there, but a worthy addition to any Drama fan’s collection and a worthy banger for your CD or MP3 collection. This grill is gleamin’ and definitely a good look.

nappyPicks: “Day Dreaming”, “Sweat”, “Yacht Music”, “Gotta Get It”, “Come Up Boys”, “We Must Be Heard”, & “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy”

Download: DJ Drama feat. Ludacris, Willie the Kid, & Busta Rhymes – “We Must Be Heard”

Download: DJ Drama feat. B.G., Juvenile, & Soulja Slim – “Gotta Get It”

I will state this now. This column is NOT an issue of color or race. It’s a deeper issue that happens to be rooted in it, unnecessarily I might add. I debated writing this a number of times, but I feel somebody needs to say it; and if it gets through to one, maybe the effort was worth it.

First, my reason for writing this. I think back to a trip to Alabama with a good friend of mine for a wrestling show [Youtube “Kareem Abdul Jamar”, check my pedigree :p] and I find myself rattled by some commentary he made about what I was playing at the time. Gym Class Heroes was in the CD player, the track was “New Friend Request”.

I’m grooving and he’s laughing, so of course I want to know what the joke is.

Friend: “Man, why you listening to this white people rap?”

Me: “White people rap? Didn’t buy this CD in THAT section. Must’ve missed it.”

Friend: “Pssh. Even my SON knows that’s white people rap.”

I was willing to write it off. I’ve come under fire all my life for my musical tastes, dreams, style, and grammatical syntax [peep the grammar]; often being described as being the “White Black Guy”….I fucking hate that. I’m always black enough when I get pulled over, and my interests aren’t color-coded; open your mind.

I digress, my friend is a grown man with his own thoughts and Lord knows, that’d be a task to change. His kid though? It bothered me all day. His child is going to view music as white, black, and whatever else instead of what it should be at the end of the day….

Good or bad.

Not to sound like the older cat at the barbershop where everything was better in “his day”; but in what I’d consider the golden era of rap, 1980-1992, you had EVERYTHING. Experimentation, storytelling, mashing, consciousness, raw styles, flash, trash talk, and so much more. Everything was done just enough; not too excessively. Rap from the early 80’s to the early 90’s had to be the most exciting genre to watch unfold, because it was open to being whatever you needed it to be. There were no definitions. The most creative musical form out there.

Now, it seems like the artists that still believe in that notion are pushed to the backburner and considered irrelevant. Trap-stars, self-proclaimed killers, and hood figures are the order of the day. They all boast about the same things, their stories an unoriginal tapestry of uninspired wordplay. A dark society demands dark figures to place on a pedestal, AND OUR CHOICES ARE ENDLESS!

What people are failing to understand is that your soundtrack, the music you take in, has a huge effect on who you are and what you think. Especially in the case above where it molds our youth. African Americans already have a complex where ignorance is glorified and education/outside the box thought is considered weak or selling out. What other culture do you know where you’d gain more widespread respect holding a glock then cradling a schoolbook?

Ludacris wants to tackle serious issues in Release Therapy, wins a Grammy, and gets called a sellout for his troubles.

Wayne, wants to add a little rock to his sound and he’s already got people saying he’s “gone white”. At least he’s trying something different, whether it will be good remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, OJ Da Juiceman and Gucci Mane receive praise for wearing ignorant values on their chest; lacking the talent and creativity to make their stories worth a damn. Their stories used as motivators for people with no idea what that life is truly like. They see the flash and hear their boasts and think that’s the way to escape mediocrity and poverty. All they find for themselves is a trap more expensive then whence they came. The streets are harsh. The means to survive them are even worse and I ask this question to any fan of rappers who love to tout their body count or total bricks sold.

If that life was so good, so awesome; why not do that instead of schmooze at label parties and pop expensive collars? Why grind so hard to sell rhymes to get out of the hood in the first place? They’d still be there.

Have we grown so callous that we can’t appreciate the steps The Beastie Boys, 3rd Bass, Pharcyde, Tribe, Run DMC, and so many others tried to do to make hip-hop not only innovative, but an outlet for all? By definition, the white/sellout rap that some would say Lupe, Gym Class, and others do is the true essence of the art. Unfortunately, not enough hate or guns or drugs to make it relevant to an age where vice and violence aren’t just the answer…

…it’s the punctuation.

I can’t recall when struggle and hardship was just a “black or white” thing. I’m thrown off that you can’t be real talk or create something unique without being scrutinized by masses who choose to be so closed minded, accepting of the fact that they don’t want better. Music often times is a reflection of the times. And if the music is any reflection, then we’ve grown as uninspired and cliché as ever. It’s really sad.

There is a place for the subject matter. There is not a place in thinking that’s all there is to my beloved Hip-Hop. I find myself looking to her and asking what happened? Like a relationship gone sour, but you’re still locked in. When did she let ANYONE define what she was. All Hip-Hop had to be was possibility. Much like life, possibility makes it so worthwhile.

Much like life unfortunately, you have too many who’d rather take the easy way and not blaze their own way. It’s easier to be a killer, a pusher, a follower. So they set their soundtrack to that and pray it’s not too complicated for them to understand.

Do we fear better? Fear something new and exciting? Brave? Do the masses hate on Release Therapy because Luda because he sold out for a Grammy, or because it was harsh truths we weren’t ready to hear? Is it easier to turn your swag on; while turning off issues that still plague us as spit by Nas or K’Naan? How long are we going to be mad for no reason? Hurt others and us for no reason? Believe that hood fables are all we should aspire to learn?

These questions rattle through my brain 24-7 while I defend who I am and what I listen to. The art is on the verge of collapsing under the weight of sheer ignorance and it’s the few who still realize what Hip-Hop is that keep it going. I never thought I’d see the day I’d have to defend liking Andre 3000, as if he isn’t as real as the rap game could be; with the talent to match. Too bubblegum I guess, despite FEATURES that have been more raw then whole albums of his contemporaries. Since when did a man who blends everything that rap could be and then some have to come under fire for being too watered down for Hip-Hop?

It makes me wish I could stop the madness and give up. Then I realize all I can do is keep my ears open, accept all styles and flows, and remember that it can be only good or bad. That’s my responsibility to Hip-Hop.

What are you doing to make sure it survives another day?

Or perhaps I’m just being too white for you?

But since when was having a voice, being white? Or black? I thought intelligence was human. I suppose to enjoy Hip-Hop these days; I should just stop with that, right?

Right?

Rick Ross hit the studio and returned with his third offering titled Deeper than Rap. This is coming off the heels of a “feud” with 50 Cent that turned your typical rap battle into a scene from MadTV. Putting all of that to the side, Ross is focusing on making the best music to date and getting his credibility back. He didn’t leave the “battle” with 50 unscathed, but the lumps he took he brushed them off and came even harder. Will this be enough to sway the listeners in the middle? Let’s go Deeper than Rap.

Mafia Music
Produced by The Inkredibles
The album starts off over some dark production and Ross spitting some “real life” lyrics that gives you the backdrop to his life. This is the song that started all the “beef” with 50. Even after listening to this song numerous times, I still think that Ross is spitting some FIRE on this track. BLAZING!

Maybach Music II
Featuring T-Pain, Kanye West, & Lil’ Wayne; Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League & Kanye West
This is the sequel to the original, this time no Jigga, but he did add Weezy, Kanye, and T-Pain on the hook. This song didn’t grab me like the original, but that is not a knock at the song. I just HATE sequels, because it will always get compared to the original. All three of the artists on the track brought it, and if you love collabos…this is one for you.

Magnificent
Featuring John Legend; Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League
Ross smoothes it out on this one with John Legend crooning the hook over some Cognac smooth production provided by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League. What I really love is the way he made Special Ed relevant again by using his “I’m the magnificent with a sensational style”. Check for the remix featuring Special Ed on it coming soon! HOT!

Yacht Club
Featuring Magazeen; Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League
Four songs in and I think this might be my song for the summer. I said earlier that the production on this one puts you in the mind of the original “Maybach Music”. The production is so CLEAN and Magazeen on the hook goes well with the vibe and Ross’ lyrics. BANGING. When I get my first yacht…this song will be the first one I play.

Usual Suspects
Featuring Nas & Kevin Cossom; Produced by The Inkredibles
Ross and Nas on a track? That is what I was thinking before I heard it. Nas has surprised me lately, jumping on a lot of high profile southern tracks. On this track both artists seemed comfortable and the collab didn’t feel forced. For Ross to hold his own with a living legend showed his artistic growth since Port of Miami. This is that HEAT.

All I Really Want
Featuring The-Dream; Produced by C “Tricky” Stewart
After five songs that were BANANAS, Ross goes club on this one featuring “The Radio Killa”. Once you get into the song, it really isn’t bad at all. Once the song grows on you, you will find yourself bobbing your head to the beat.

Rich off Cocaine
Featuring Avery Storm; Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League
What? You thought because of his admission to being a C.O that he would stop making songs like this? NOPE! Ross goes so hard over the stellar production provided by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League. But what really stands out to me is the hook sung by Avery Storm. CHECK FOR THIS ONE!

Lay Back
Featuring Robin Thicke; Produced by The Runners & Eric Hudson
At first I thought this was Usher, but then I read the credits and found out that it was Robin Thicke. This sounds like Ross’ version of “Whatever You Like”. I’m not mad at the dude for making this kind of song, because he didn’t go all girly with the beat. I can see this one playing in the club and I could see this one playing while you are with your shorty. The two made for a good collabo.

Murda Mami
Featuring Foxy Brown & Magazeen; Produced by Bigg D
Ross and Foxy got together and made a BANGER! Foxy held it down, but the track kind of swallowed her a bit. Ross continued to spit some of the illest bars of his career. The production on this one was gangsta and the reggae at the end sealed the deal.

Gunplay
Featuring Gunplay; Produced by The Inkredibles
This sounds like a beat that Jay used on “All I Need”, but Ross took it and put his touches on it. The street dudes will love this track, just off the title alone. The hook is what I like about the song so much. CHECK FOR THIS ONE.

Bossy Lady
Featuring Ne-Yo; Produced by The Runners & Ne-Yo
Ross went and got Ne-Yo to croon on this track aimed at the ladies. This one might be aimed at the ladies but Ross kept it “G” on the track. Fellas, you don’t have to feel bad about bumping this one loud.

Face
Featuring Trina; Produced by Drumma Boy
Ross and Trina link back up for old time’s sake on this track produced by Drumma Boy. Trina’s rhymes aren’t as raunchy as usual, but she is still “the Baddest Bitch” on this track. The beat is nasty on the track, and the 305 duo doesn’t let the city down on the song.

Valley of Death
Produced by DJ Toomp & Gorilla Tek
Toomp lends a hand to the Boss on this one and the results are CRAZY. Ross throws some shots at 50 in the first verse, but he doesn’t waste too much time beating a dead horse. He also goes in on the controversy of the C.O debacle that he was involved in. Ross got personal on this song, which is a side we never have seen from him. BANGER.

In Cold Blood
Produced by The Runners
In the beginning the song sounds like “Money Make Me Cum”, but they switch it up a little bit. Ross knows what to do with a hot beat when he gets it. Ross is clearly feeling himself, and it shows by the way that he is spitting on this song. HOT.

Bottom Line:
Rick Ross clearly shows that Curtis “Curly” Jackson doesn’t have the same pull that he used to have when he was the career killer. To steal a quote I read about the album: “Rick Ross did not make one single redeeming positive word, line, couplet or theme in the whole damn thing. It’s negative, nihilistic, self absorbed, hyper violent utterly amoral rap (not Hip-Hop) about selling drugs, killing people, hating people and taking other men women, fucking them and discarding them like trash” ©Binlahab. And that is exactly why I love this album. Ross stuck to the script, upgraded his rhymes, and upgraded his production and came away with what may be considered album of the year. Ross keeps getting better with every album, and if this is a sign of things to come, the Boss could become “the Down South Biggie”.

nappyPicks: GO COP THE WHOLE ALBUM.

Download: Rick Ross – “Valley Of Death”

It’s Jadakiss. I don’t need to give you a big build up to this review. A lot of folks have Jada in their top 10 lists and about the same amount of folks put him in the “talented but” category. On the heels of one of the hottest mixtapes, Jada drops the last in his Kiss trilogy. Let’s get it in.

1. Pain & Torture
Produced by Buckwild
You can lead the troops with this battle themed track. Buckwild goes hard on this track and gives us some mean instrumental drama here. Jada…look….”Me vs. any rapper is slaughter”. Jada is doing his thing on this one, and if this is any indication of the rest of the album, I don’t know if I can disprove that statement.

2. Can’t Stop Me
Featuring Ayanna Irish; Produced by Neo Da Matrix
Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt, this one being all Ruff Rider’d out. Neo provides a head nod for Jada to lyrically step to, and he does a great job. Ayanna’s vocals do well, but I think it may be overused on this track, but this is still a good song.

3. Who’s Real
Featuring Swizz Beatz & OJ Da Juiceman; Produced by Swizz Beatz & The Individualz
No surprise about how this one sounds….it’s Swizzy with horns, clap, and chant, all in tow. Why is OJ on here though? Not feeling his verse at all…it doesn’t even fit the song. Jada doesn’t falter though, “We ain’t hustlin’ no more we doin’ gymnastics/couple’a flips then stash it, bastid”.

4. Grind Hard
Featuring Mary J. Bilge; Produced by The Inkredibles
This will probably be the next single unless “Smoking Gun” is, more on that later. Typically, I don’t get down with Mary J. singing the hooks, it’s so cliché nowadays with everyone trying to catch that feel from “All I Need” with Method man…but I can’t front on this song. The Inkredibles hit us with an anthem style beat and Mary laces the hook on this one. Jada, seemingly unstoppable at this point, does his thizzle once again.

5. Something Else
Featuring Young Jeezy; Produced by Don Cannon
Damn Cannon, this track is nice. So far it seems like this roster of producers is serving the purpose. I don’t really dig Jeezy’s flow, but the lyrics weren’t bad. This is another dope song on the album.

6. One More Step
Featuring Styles P; Produced by Poobs
The track is simple, but Hip-Hop personified. Very minimalist, but the little things and the layering make this track pretty catchy. Styles and Jada trade bars in this lyrical tango and handle business.

7. Stress Ya
Featuring Pharrell; Produced by The Neptunes
No shock, I don’t think Jada has done an album without at least one Neptunes song. I don’t think this one is nearly as successful as the last collab from Kiss of Death, matter of fact….I don’t like this one at all. Jada’s lyrics keep this one from being skipped.

8. What If
Featuring Nas; Produced by Chophouse
We get a decent track for this one; Chophouse does ok. I think some songs are better left alone. This is basically “Why Pt. 2”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad song at all, but it doesn’t move me. I think the hardest line from the song is “What if Peyton was fighting dogs instead of Mike Vick”.

9. Things I’ve Been Through
Produced by Mr. Devine
SON. They got Loofah (Luther Vandross) singing on a Jada song. This sample and simple loop job is fantastic. Kudos to Mr. Devine. Just like the song says, Jada gives us some storytelling on his-story in the game. This is one of my favorite songs on the album.

10. I Tried
Featuring Avery Storm; Produced by Baby Grand
Normally, I don’t rock with extra synth tracks but Baby Grand laces us with a pretty good one this time. Per usual, Jada melts this track verbally. I’m not such a big fan of Avery Storm on this track. I think he could have used a different singer here.

11. Rocking With The Best
Featuring Pharrell & Bobby Valentino; Produced by The Neptunes
I’m trying to be open, but I don’t have a natural aversion to Neptune tracks…just happens that a lot of the tracksI end up not feeling are made by them. This one is boring to me from tracks to lyrics. I think I will delete this song from the iPod. SKIP.

12. Smoking Gun
Featuring Jazmine Sullivan; Produced by Denaun Porter
As I mentioned before, this may be the next single….should at least be up for consideration. The story is one that is all too familiar in our community, abuse and the issue of our lost young black girls. The track reminds me of “Where Is The Love” by Black Eyed Peas and has the same operatic sensibilities in it. Jasmine, my boo, blesses the hook and I wonder how she would have sounded in Mary J. Blige’s place earlier in the album. This is another one of my faves on the album.

13. Cartel Gathering
Featuring Ghostface Killah and Raekwon; Produced by Swiv B & DJ Eddie F
DJ Eddie F has been in the game damn near since there has been a game to get into, and he’s still good. I don’t have to go into too much detail outside of that. This shit is pure heat and one of my favorite Hip-Hop songs this year.

14. Come & Get Me
Featuring Sheek Louch and S.I.; Produced by Neenyo
From track to verses, this is probably the grimiest song on the album. Sheek & Jada keep it dark and murky on this one, but alas, the hook is TERRIBLE. I’d rather there was no hook, just music. The song is otherwise, dope as hell. It doesn’t fit the album at all though.

15. By My Side
Featuring Ne-Yo; Produced by Eric Hudson
You can try and deny this track if you want, but some radio friendly/ready tracks are actually good, and this is one of them. Ne-Yo & Jadakiss are at their best on this offering. I really dig this one and can see some real commercial appeal for this song as well.

16. Letter To B.I.G.
Featuring Faith Evans; Produced by Needlz
We’ve all heard this song, no need to go into detail. This is another solid song from Jada.

17. Something Else (remix)
Featuring Young Jeezy, Snype Life, Bully, AP, Boo Rossini, & Blood Raw; Produced by Don Cannon
I thought when you do a remix, there should be something different. There are a lot of rappers I don’t know and that are, at sometimes, indistinguishable. It’s essentially the original with a few more bars. This could have been left off the album.

18. Death Wish
Featuring Lil’ Wayne; Produced by Alchemist
Another darker, grittier track for the album, this one is produced by Alchemist. I’m not in love with it, but it’s not bad, just not my thing. You know how Jada does, but Weezy…I don’t have a CLUE what he was talking about on this one. I’ve always said that 90% of Wayne’s appeal is his delivery. As far as I can tell on this one, he proved me right…he didn’t say anything, but it sounded like he was.

Bottom Line:
The main criticism about Jada is his ability to make an album. This is a business, so as much as we’d like to see him get a grip of Premier tracks and sit down and go at it, he has to sell music to eat, and the majority of us that want to hear that kind of album, don’t buy albums. So, you get some radio songs, the required song to the ladies, the cameos, etc. My issue with this is that some of these cameos are useless or could be greatly improved. Lyrically, he stands his ground. Like he said, “I’m an impeccable lyricist, and with the right mechanics, I can take over, be clear of this.” Well, the mechanics on this one stop it short of its greatness. A closer eye to selection and sequence and we’d be looking at a classic.

BONUS – Some reader is going to say “You said it would be classic, but you only gave it a 4.” More specifically, he could easily cut 5 songs, change some of the cameos, etc. That amount of work a 4.5 doesn’t make. He has some solid material here, damn good even, but there are some modifications that need to be made to get to a 5.

nappyPicks: “Pain & Torture”, “Smoking Gun”, “Cartel Gathering”, “By My Side”, & “Things I’ve Been Through”

Download: Jadakiss feat. Ghostface Killah & Raekwon – “Cartel Gathering”

Damn, I was thinking about doing something like this, but I doubt it would have been half as good as this. Thomas over at KevinNottingham.com wrote up an extensive (And I mean extensive) write up about the whole beef between Nas & Jay. It has the year, songs, and even lyrics. You probably should head over there because they also got a compilation of all the tracks too (Original article). - B-Easy

Any one who has visited KevinNottingham.com knows that I’m a huge fan of both Jay-Z and Nas. I’ve always wanted to put together the musical history of the tracks that may have started the beef. From what I’ve found neither Jay or Nas have ever discussed the beginnings of the beef or discussed the perceived shots at one another over the years.

I present my interpretation of the The Genesis Of Beef. I referenced wiki for the song list and OHHLA for the lyrics.

*Artist: Jay-Z
Song(s): “Dead Presidents” (Original)
Year: 1996
Lyrics: “Presidents to represent me/Get money!/I’m out for presidents to represent me…”
“I’m out for dead *fuckin* presidents to represent me”
Interpretation: Jay wanted Nas on the track, but used his vocals from “The World Is Yours” (Q-Tip Remix) instead. I’ve always thought Jay caught feelings behind the snub.

*Artist: Jay-Z
Song(s): “The City Is Mine”, “Where I’m From”, & “Rap Game/Crack Game”
Year: 1997
Lyrics: “Don’t worry about Brooklyn I continue to flame/Therefore a world with amnesia won’t forget your name/You held it down long enough, let me take those reigns…/I ain’t a player get it right, I’m controllin the game/From now until they blow holes in my frame/I’ma stand firm, holdin my aim, feel me?/I’m the focal, point like Biggie in his prime” (”The City Is Mine”)”.
“I from where niggas pull your card, and argue all day about/Who’s the best MC’s, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas” (”Where I’m From”)
“Somehow the rap game remind me of the crack game” (”Rap Game/Crack Game” vocal sample from “Represent” by Nas)
Interpretation: The city of New York was up for grabs once B.I.G. died as he was hailed as the King of New York by many in the Hip Hop world (July 1995 Source Cover). Jay wanted the crown and boldly stated on “The City Is Mine” that he was taking the “reigns” from B.I.G.
Jay makes another reference about Nas in “Where I’m From” and samples his voice again for “Rap Game/Crack Game”.
In My Lifetime…Vol. 1 also marks the first time Jay starts using B.I.G. lyrics: See “Friend or Foe 98′” and “Real Niggas”.

*Artist: Nas
Song: “We Will Survive”
Year: 1999
Lyrics: “It used to be fun, makin records to see your response/But, now competition is none, now that you’re gone/And these niggaz is wrong — using your name in vain/And they claim to be New York’s king?/It ain’t about that”
Interpretation: This joint was off of Nas’s third album I Am, which dropped April 6, 1999. Straight forward shot at Jay. By this time Jay was in full superstar mode especially after the commercial success he garnered from Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life. Jay wasn’t shy about acknowledging he was the King of New York. Obviously Nas didn’t think so. Nas was acknowledging Jay wasn’t on his or B.I.G.’s level with these lines.

*Artist: Memphis Bleek feat. Jay-Z
Song: “What You Think Of That”
Year: 1999
Lyrics: “I’ma ball till I fall what you think of that?” (Memphis Bleek) – Line from the chorus of “What You Think Of That”..
“Round here frontin like my shit don’t sound like nuttin/Like I ain’t got the crown or suttin/Like I ain’t the nigga you base ya life on” (Jay-Z)
“I guess I ain’t the reason you rhyme the way you do” (Jay-Z)
“Like I ain’t 5 mill, and what do ya joint go?/Excuse me? Nigga don’t confuse me” (Jay-Z)
Interpretation: Memphis Bleek dropped Coming of Age on August 3, 1999 with a buzz worthy single (”Memphis Bleek Is…”), but everybody from what I can remember was talking about the track he had with Jay: “What You Think Of That”. Bleek doesn’t go at Nas, but Jay takes exception to Nas questioning his “King” status of New York. Obvious answer to Nas’s lines on “We Will Survive”.

*Artist: Nas
Song: “Nastradamus” and “Come Get Me”
Year: 1999
Lyrics: “You wanna ball till you fall, I can help you with that/You want beef?/I could let a slug melt in your hat” (”Nastradamus”)
“You don’t like me clown? Now you wanna take me down?/If I bring my face around, you gon’ do what?/You butt/Your crew knew I blew up, I been shinin – baseball diamonds…” (”Come Get Me”)
“You make hot songs, but she know you steal from me/Who ill as me?/I wild on haters in album three” (”Come Get Me”)
Interpretation: The “ball till you fall/slug melt in your hat” is a play on words from the sung Chorus” by Memphis Bleek on “What You Think Of That”. Memphis Bleek wore a tilted hat on the cover of Coming of Age, thus the “slug melt in your hat” line. “Come Get Me” was all over the place, with with lines like “you steal from me” and “your crew knew I blew up…” screams subliminal at Jay.

*Artist: Jay-Z
Song: “Come and Get Me”
Year: 1999
Lyrics: “I got, shots to give come and get me nigga/Y’all wanna rob the kid? Come and get me nigga/I won’t, part with this come and get me nigga/I worked, hard for this come and get me nigga/I got, shots to give, COME AND GET ME../COME AND GET ME..”
Interpretation: The song itself is Jay talking to rappers in general, but the chorus is a play on Nas’s “Come Get Me”. I’ve never thought the song was about Nas because Jay doesn’t believe Nas is a street dude or did any street dirt. He wouldn’t give Nas props with lines such as “I’m a crook like you, I took like you/I disobeyed the law threw out the book like you”

*Artist: Memphis Bleek
Song: “My Mind Right”
Year: 2000
Lyrics: “I’ma make you understand why I do what I do/Why I keep my hat tilt, and my doorag too”
“It’s beef I’ma see you, and bang til you hang up/Your life a lie, but here’s the truth/You aint hype to die, but you hype to shoot”
“And only a few fit in, your lifestyle’s written/So who you supposed to be, play your position”
Interpretation: Memphis Bleek addressing Nas and questioning the truthfulness of his rhymes.

*Artist: Nas feat. Various
Song: “Da Bridge 2001″
Year: 2000
Lyrics: “Oh no you didn’t, wanna know whose life Was Written/The life I’m livin/The ice the women/The kites that sendin to lifeless biddin/The streets to prison/I touch you then buck you/Heats be spittin/La-ser, AR fifteen doors come down/Jaws is broke, your whole crew is/coffin bound/Your hoe, your man, lieutenant, your boss get found”
Interpretation: Nas addressing Memphis Bleek’s shots on “My Mind Right”. Nas is not only going at Bleek, but the whole Roc fam with the last couple of lines in his verse.

*Artist: Nas
Song: “Eye 4 An Eye Freestyle”
Year: Circa 2000-2001
Lyrics: “You’re on top — WHAT?/Copy and fuck, I said it first, you repeated/Your false crown covered in dirt – defeated/Y’all niggas all hail, the King is dead/He running like a bitch with his tail between his legs/’Stillmatic’, still eye 4 an eye, wanna be God/You’re just the next rapper to die, fucking with Nas”
Interpretation: Not sure when this came out (from Clue’s – The Great Ones Pt. 2). Nas going directly at Jay about his assumption of being the King of New York.

*Artist: Nas
Song: “Stillmatic (Freestyle)”
Year: 2001
Lyrics: “N Y City, grab a hold and ride with me/ Rip the FREEWAY, shoot through MEMPHIS with money bags/Stop in Philly, order cheese steaks and eat BEANS fast/And bring it back up top, remove the fake king of New York/You show off, I count off when you sample my voice/I rule you, before, you used to rap like the FU-SHNICKENS/NAS designed your BLUEPRINT, who you kidding?/Is he H TO THE IZZO, M TO THE IZZO?/For shizzle you phony, the rapping version of SISQO/And that’s for certain, you clone me, your wack clothes line/I’d rather wear Sean John, you bore me with your fake coke rhymes/And those times, they never took place, you liar/UN was your first court case, you had no priors/You master fabricated stories of streets and sound slick/Have you surrounded, you and the faggots you down with/While they riding NAS, trying to boost their careers”
Interpretation: Nas went at the whole Roc fam by name saying most of his verbal onslaught for Jay. Called Jay “fake”, “teh ghey”, questioned his street credibility, and hinted that he fathered Jay’s style. Nas went in on this joint.

*Artist: Jay-Z
Song: “Takeover”
Year: 2001
Lyrics: “I know you missin all the (FAAAAAAAME!)/But along with celebrity comes bout seventy shots to your frame/Nigga; you a (LAAAAAAAME!)/Youse the fag model for Karl Kani/Esco ads/Went from, Nasty Nas to Esco’s trash/Had a spark when you started but now you’re just garbage/Fell from top ten to not mentioned at all/to your bodyguard’s “Oochie Wally” verse better than yours/Matter fact you had the worst flow on the whole fuckin song/but I know – the sun don’t shine, then son don’t shine/That’s why your (LAAAAAAAME!) – career come to a end/There’s only so long fake thugs can pretend/Nigga/you ain’t live it you witnessed it from your folks pad/You scribbled in your notepad and created your life/I showed you your first tec on tour with Large Professor/(Me, that’s who!) Then I heard your album bout your tec on the dresser/So yeah I sampled your voice, you was usin it wrong/You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song/And you ain’t get a coin nigga you was gettin fucked and/I know who I paid God, Serchlite Publishing/Use your (BRAAAAAAAIN!) You said you been in this ten/I’ve been in it five – smarten up Nas/Four albums in ten years nigga? I can divide/That’s one every let’s say two, two of them shits was due/One was – NAHHH, the other was “Illmatic”/That’s a one hot album every ten year average/And that’s so – LAAAAAAAME! Nigga switch up your flow/Your shit is garbage, but you try and kick knowledge?/(Get the fuck outta here)/You niggaz gon’ learn to respect the king/Don’t be the next contestant on that Summer Jam screen/Because you know who (who) did you know what (what) with you know who (yeah) but just keep that between me and you for now”
Interpretation: “Ask Nas, he don’t want it with Hov’, nooooo!” When this joint dropped as the freestyle from the Summer Jam concert it had everybody open and wanted to hear what Jay had next.
Jay’s verse summed up the criticism Nas was receiving after Illmatic dropped. “Nasty Nas to Esco’s trash”, “…Fake thugs…”, “fell from top ten to not mentioned at all”, etc was what fans and critics were saying about Nas…that he fell off. Jay was the first to put it in a rhyme.

*Artist: Nas
Song: “Ether” & “You’re Da Man”
Year: 2001
Lyrics: “That this Gay-Z and Cockafella Records wanted beef” (”Ether”)
“When KRS already made an album called “Blueprint”/First, Biggie’s ya man, then you got the nerve to say that you better than Big/Dick suckin lips, whyn’t you let the late, great veteran live” (”Ether”)
“My child, I’ve watched you grow up to be famous/And now I smile like a proud dad, watchin his only son that made it” (”Ether”)
“All I did was gave you a style for you to run with/Smilin in my face, glad to break bread with the god/Wearin Jaz chains, no tecs, no cash, no cars/No jail bars Jigga, no pies, no case/Just Hawaiian shirts” (”Ether”)
“You a fan, a phony, a fake, a pussy, a Stan” (”Ether”)
“Shaun Carter to Jay-Z, damn you on Jaz dick/So little shorty’s gettin gunned up and clapped quick/How much of Biggie’s rhymes is gon’ come out your fat lips?/Wanted to be on every last one of my classics/You pop shit, apologize, nigga, just ask Kiss” (”Ether”)
“I don’t kill soloists only kill squads” (”You’re Da Man”)
“Now you wanna hang with niggas I hung with/Fuck bitches I hit, it’s funny I once said…” (”You’re Da Man”)
Interpretation: Check out Sean’s take on “Ether” on his Top 10 Diss Records of All Time.
Nas dedicated a whole song to Jay this go around. Once “Fuck Jay-Z” is heard you knew it was on. Nas gets a lot of digs in at Jay: Called him a Stan, questioned his street credibility, said he gave him (Jay) a style, addressed Jay’s insistence of using B.I.G.’s rhymes, questioned he loyalty to B.I.G., but now claiming to be better, biting KRS-One’s album title, etc.
“You’re Da Man” addresses Jay bangin Nas’s “baby mama” and Jay’s relationship with Steve Stoute. I believe during this time Nas and Steve Stoute had a falling out….or definitely after the “Hate Me Now” controversy.

*Artist: Jay-Z
Song: “Super Ugly”
Year: 2001
Lyrics: “With Queens niggas you know how I do/Look, I got more shooters in Queensbridge than you”
“Nigga never sold aspirin how you Escobar?”
“I came in your bentley backseat, skeeted in your jeep/Left condoms on your baby seat”
“And since you infatuated with sayin that gay shit/Yes you was kissin my dick when you was kissin that bitch/Nasty shit, you though I was bonin Vanette/You callin Carm a hundred times I was bonin her neck/You got a baby by the broad you can’t disown her yet”
Interpretation: Jay finally letting us know “…Because you know who (who) did you know what (what) with you know who (yeah) but just keep that between me and you for now”
As crude, vugar, and disrespectful as you can get on a record. Admitted Jay stan that I am….just wasn’t Jay’s style. Jay is a calculated person and this record (funny and informative as it was) screamed of knee jerk reaction. My take is all of the the gay references made by Nas made Jay goes this route…thus the apology after the track dropped.

*Artist: Nas
Song: “U Wanna Be Me”
Year: 2002
Lyrics: “I think of kings who died and rappers out to dethrone me”
“And show you how to stay off my dick/That’s the thing I hate the most, can’t even call you a man/When you gotta call out my name to get you some fans”
“Realize, how many classics I gave you/Perhaps if you think back you’ll realize that I made you”
“And understand, to battle Nas not in your plan…… And you my offspring, the boss sting”
“Play me a gangster’s theme, while you entertain me/If I ain’t cryin laughin, to the lions, throw your ass in/What the fuck was you niggaz thinkin?/Guns’ll clutch if I get a inklin that you comin for the kingpin”
Interpretation: Nas isn’t calling Jay out by name, but if he isn’t talking about Jay then who….? Definitely wasn’t Cam/Dip Set or N.O.R.E.

*Artist: Jay-Z
Song: “Blueprint 2″
Year: 2002
Lyrics: “But you can’t give cred to anything dude says/Same dude to give you ice and you owe him some head”
“Can’t y’all, see that he’s fake, the rap version of T.D. jakes/Prophesizing on your CDs and tapes”
“Cause the nigga wear a kufi, it don’t mean that he bright/Cause you don’t understand him, it don’t mean that he nice/It just means you don’t understand all the bullshit that he write”
“Is it “Oochie Wally Wally” or is it “One Mic”?/Is it “Black Girl Lost” or shorty owe you for ice?”
“Since I will not lose, they try to help him cheat/But I will not lose, for even in defeat
There’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me”
Interpretation: The mature answer from Jay that again attacks Nas’s creditability and the contradictions in his rhymes. I definitely enjoyed this better than “Super Ugly”.
After Nas dropped “Ether” and Jay came back with “Super Ugly” many claimed Nas the winner. Hot 97 in New York had a vote on the air and the listeners crowned Nas the winner of the battle. Jay had a good understanding that Goliath (Jay) wasn’t going to beat David (Nas) in the eyes of the public. The underdog is always cheered on.

*Artist: Nas
Song: “Last Real Nigga Alive”
Year: 2002
Lyrics: “Jigga started to flow like us, but hit with ‘Ain’t No Niggaz’/Had much Versace swagger B.I.G. admired the Brooklyn knight and it took him in as Iceberg the rapper/Today don’t know nothing, about this bullshit/There’s more shit than wanting to be this King of New York shit”
“She hit the streets, later on she hittin the sheets/With a rapper who wanted me on his songs, thinking he strong”
“The Gift and The Curse? Fuck that shit, the first shall be last/I’m the man’s man, a rapper’s rapper/G-O-D S-O-N, they’ll be none after/I was Scarface, Jay was Manolo/It hurt me when I had to kill him and his whole squad for dolo..”
Interpretation: What I respected about Nas through this whole “beef” was he went at Jay (and the Roc) and Cam (Dip-Set) dolo. None of his crew (not that Jungle or Grand Wizard could help him lyrically) stepped up to go to battle with him. Nas addresses Jay sleeping with his “baby mama”, but hints that he only did it to get closer to him. Nas has always claimed throughout this beef to have “fathered” or “designed his Blueprint” and the Scarface/Manolo analogy sums that up perfectly.

*Artist: Nas (with Bravehearts)
Song: “Quick to Back Down”
Year: 2003
Lyrics: “First of all this is Nas I’ma Braveheart veteran/And y’all already know who I’m better than”
Interpretation: By this time the beef had died down, but Nas got a quick stab in on this joint.

*Bonus Tracks*

These songs and lines could be interpreted as disses or subliminal.

*Artist: Jay-Z
Song: “Don’t You Know”
Year: 2002
Lyrics: “Young’n, you are my hijo/My son dula/I clean the cess pool up/Rap stinks/You cats are the sphinx/You cut off your nose to spite your face/Bet you like it that way don’tchya?’

*Artist: Nas feat. Jay-Z
Song: “Black Republican”
Year: 2006
Lyrics: Nothing obvious or subliminal, but historic in the sense that two MEN that went at it can put differences aside and do business today and publicly reconcile differences.

*Artist: Jay-Z feat. Nas
Song: “Success”
Year: 2007
Lyrics: “Worst enemies wanna be my best friends/Best friends wanna be enemies like that’s what’s in/But I don’t give a fuck walk inside the lions den”

*Artist: Ludacris feat. Jay-Z & Nas
Song: “I Do This For Hip Hop”
Year: 2008
Lyrics:
Nas – “Pardon the rest of my niggaz…but I’m the best who’s ever did it!”
Jay-Z – “That’s why I took the number one slot/The realest shit in rap comes from my voice box”

I know what you thinking. A remix of a song that came out in 1996? But understand, this shit is kinda hot and I’m always up for ready to check out some new Nas (Big up to Marsha Ambrosius too). I still remember how hyped I was when the original came out (Checks to see if It Was Written is certified Classic Material…it is). Smirnoff Signature Mix Series is back this year and this is the first offering (You may remember last year’s Just Blaze & Common’s “The Light 2008″). Check out the official site to check out a new tracks by Buckshot + Kardinal Offishall & Nice & Smooth Pac Div. As always, tell us what you think.

Download: Nas feat. Marsha Ambrosius – “If I Ruled The World (remix)”