The saga began in 1996 when Nas allegedly missed a recording session for JAY-Z’s track “Bring It On” from his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” In Nas’ absence, the producer Ski Beatz sampled a line from Nas’ “The World is Yours” (Pete Rock remix) for another song on the album, “Dead Presidents II.”
Nas released his second album, “It Was Written,” a month later. The opening track, “The Message,” contained subtle jabs at JAY-Z with the line, “Lex with TV sets the minimum.” This reference related to JAY-Z’s frequent mentions of luxury cars, particularly the Lexus. Nas later confirmed that this line was inspired by JAY-Z’s own Lexus with TV screens.
In 1997, JAY-Z sampled Nas’ voice in “Rap Game/Crack Game” as a friendly nod. However, things escalated when JAY-Z dropped a line in “Where I’m From” that many saw as his first direct shot at Nas. This marked the beginning of their feud.
Memphis Bleek, a protege of JAY-Z, got involved by releasing a track with similarities to Nas’ “Nas is Like.” The tension continued with Bleek’s track “What You Think of That.” Nas responded with “Nastradamus,” referencing Bleek’s lyrics.
The feud intensified when Bleek released “My Mind Right,” directly targeting Nas. Nas countered with “Stillmatic,” referencing JAY-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Memphis Bleek. JAY-Z then performed a freestyle at Hot 97’s Summer Jam, taking jabs at Nas and Mobb Deep’s Prodigy.
The climax came with JAY-Z’s “Takeover,” where he heavily criticized Nas, suggesting his career was washed up. Nas responded with “Ether,” a legendary diss track that hit JAY-Z on multiple fronts, including his music and personal life.
After “Ether,” JAY-Z retaliated with “Supa Ugly,” where he claimed to have had an affair with Nas’ girlfriend. This move was controversial, and even JAY-Z’s mother called for an apology.
New York radio stations stoked the feud, with many listeners favoring “Ether.” The beef continued with JAY-Z’s references to Nas in “The Blueprint 2” and Nas’ response in “Last Real N**** Alive.”
The reconciliation came in 2005 during JAY-Z’s ‘I Declare War’ tour, where they performed together and declared the feud over. They later collaborated on “Black Republican” and moved on.
In recent years, they’ve put the past behind them, and Nas and JAY-Z’s collaboration has shown that the beef is firmly in the past.
