In My Lifetime Vol.1 – November 1997 “The City Is Mine”, “Where I’m From”, “Rap Game/Crack Game”
On “The City is Mine” Jay-Z comes right out and declares his intent to replace B.I.G. at the top of the Hip Hop food chain.
“You held it down long enough, let me take those reigns/And just like your spirit the Commission remains…I’m the focal, point like Biggie in his prime/On the low though, shhhhh, the city is mine”
On “Where I’m From”, Jay-Z brilliantly inserts himself into Nas and Biggie’s class with these simple bars:
“I’m from where niggas pull your card/And argue all day about who’s the the best Emcees/Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas”
Jay-Z shows Nas even more deference on wax by once again sampling a classic line then titling his song after it. On “Rap Game/Crack Game” Jay-Z samples this classic Nas line:
“Somehow the Rap Game reminds me of the Crack Game”
This marks the third time Jay-Z has shown some sort of love/respect for Nas on wax without getting any acknowledgement in return. Nas’ silence is beginning to speak volumes.
I Am: The Autobiography Bootleg- January 1999, I Am Official Album-April 1999 – “One Love Part II/We Will Survive”
Nas’ third LP, I Am: The Autobiography was originally conceived to be a double album. This idea was scrapped because of one of the first instances of MP3 pirating and arguably the most egregious case of bootlegging in Hip-Hop history. About one full disc worth of songs from the double album was leaked several months before its release. The name “Roscoe” will live forever in infamy for Hip-Hop heads who snatched up the I Am bootleg. The bootleg features a track entitled “One Love Part II/We Will Survive” in which Nas speaks directly to the ghosts of B.I.G. and 2Pac. To Biggie, Nas raps:
“What up B.I.G.? You know shit is rough after you slid/You in God’s hands now, keep a place for me kid/Ain’t nuttin changed/Still Party and Bullshit/We used to Fuck R&B Bitches and see who rhyme sickest/For every hit you made, more rappers afraid to come out/ Machine Gun Funk/From Queens I came through to smoke blunts/You came to my hood, we was broke/I wonder if we stayed that way, would there have been gunsmoke?/Still on the block around fiends numb from coke, I guess so/Cause now with paper, shit is still ghetto/But fuck it black, you livin your life, though your loved ones/Peace to your daughter and your newborn son/It used to be fun, making records to see your response/But, now competition is none, now that you’re gone/And these niggas is wrong — using your name in vain/And they claim to be New York’s king? It ain’t about that/It’s more serious, I plan to toast it up with you/Joke with you, happy we on top, the most official/Ain’t too many real ones out there; I feel some/But doubt they’re, capable, to take it where you took it to/I missed your wake/Not cause I’m fake/Cause I hate to see somebody so great in that way/I woulda stayed so long with so much to say/I had to put it in writing to keep me and Brooklyn from fighting/Telling me to pay my respects and move to the side/But I probably wouldn’t have got off my knees to let people by/You can’t kill nothing that’s Ready to Die/You was like God to us in the form of Allah”
This is the first time Nas mentions Jay-Z on wax and it is in a decidedly very negative light. Nas essentially calls out Jay-Z for paying homage to Biggie while rejecting his assertion that he has replaced B.I.G. on the throne as blasphemy. This is effectively the first shot fired in the battle.
Coming of Age – August 1999 – “What You Think of That”
Memphis Bleek Feat Jay-Z-What You Think of That
Upset with Nas’ slight, Jay-Z responds to “One Love part II/We Will Survive” months later on “What You Think of That?” from Memphis Bleek’s debut album, Coming of Age. On his verse Jay-Z menacingly raps while mocking Nas’ “Nas is Like” rhyme structure spitting fiery bars like these:
“Round here fronting LIKE my shit don’t sound LIKE nothing/LIKE I ain’t got the crown or something/LIKE I ain’t the nigga you based your life on/I guess I ain’t the reason you got that ice on…LIKE I ain’t 5 mil and what did your joint go?/Excuse me, nigga don’t confuse me/I ain’t one of you rappers who got a deal/I’m one of the few niggas spitting it that got it for real/And even if you hating gotta knock it in your wheels/ And the day that I stop it, ILL”
By this point, Jay-Z had become arguably the biggest name in rap, replacing B.I.G. just as he said he would. It seems he had finally grown tired of Nas refusing to show him the mutual respect he felt he was due. He also did not take kindly to the fact Nas was implying Jay-Z was being self serving and not truly honoring his friend’s memory.
Nastradamus- Late November 1999 – “Nastradamus”
It didn’t take long for a response. Just months later, Nas references the refrain of “What You Think of That” on “Nastradamus” when he retorts:
“You wanna ball till you fall I can help you with that/ You want beef I could let a slug melt in your hat”
Many have wrongly claimed Nas was taking aim at Memphis Bleek on this track but Nas was actually responding to the subliminal shots Jay-Z fired in his direction.
In My Lifetime Vol. 3 Bootleg- December 2009 – “Is That Yo Bitch”
Memphis Bleek ft Jay-Z, Twista and Missy Elliot – Is That Yo Bitch
Nas’ baby mama claims Jay-Z was taking subliminal shots at Nas with this track, originally included on the bootlegged In My Lifetime Vol. 3 then later left off the official release. There’s no real way to confirm this without taking the baby momma’s word at face value. But since we know there was a relationship taking place between them around this time it is worth noting Jay-Z’s following verse from “Is That Yo Bitch”:
“There’s no respect at all/You betta check her dawg/She keep begging me to hit it raw/So she can have my kids and say it was yours/How foul is she? And you wifed her/Shit, I put the rubber on tighter/Sent her home/When she entered home/You hugged her up/What the fuck is up?/She got your whip/ Got your kids, got your home/But that’s not your bitch/We share that girl/ Don’t let him hear that he’ll hurl/It’ll make ’em sick that his favorite chick/Ain’t saving it unfaithful bitch”
Some of these graphic details are a precursor to Jay-Z’s “Super Ugly” form. This may not be entirely coincidental but this is something only Jay-Z can say for certain.
Lovely analysis.
Good stuff. But no mention of The Message, We Will Survive, What You Think Of That, My Mind Right, Nastradamus and The Bridge 2001. I think The Bridge 2001 was the reason the Rocafella artists were freestyling over Queens instrumentals. Nas had dissed the whole Rocafella click subliminally on that record while bigging up Queens.