There’s something that’s been bubbling under the surface, and I wasn’t gonna say much. But now that the cat’s out of the bag, I might as well speak on it.
Nas and Raekwon are a dynamic duo that Hip-Hop needs. They never miss. Every time they link up, it’s magic. Honestly, if they ever decided to do a joint album, it could be legendary.
Raekwon just dropped his latest album, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and it’s fire. It hit right after that new Clipse release, and it’s continuing the great year for the culture. But you know how it goes… whenever something dope drops, there’s always a little mess in the mix.
Nas appears on a track with Raekwon, “The Omereta,” and that song alone is already a standout. When I first heard it, I was floored. But then another Nas verse surfaced. This one was vicious, full on fury. It started spreading fast. And as it made its rounds online, people started dissecting it, speculating that Nas was throwing shots at Jim Jones.
Now, as you probably remember, Jim had a lot to say about Nas earlier this year. That’s a whole other story. But Nas never responded, at least, not publicly. So naturally, folks thought this unreleased verse was a delayed haymaker aimed at the Harlem Diplomat. The internet led with it being a shot.
But let me set the record straight. I’ve got trusted sources who made it clear that this was not a diss to Jim Jones. Nas wasn’t trying to start anything messy. That’s not the space he’s in right now. According to people close to the situation, including Scram Jones and song’s producer Nottz, the innanet is all wrong. The verse was recorded way before Jim made his comments. It just happened to resurface after all that drama, which made it look like a response.
Well, because of the perceived beef, that powerful verse didn’t make the final cut. Which is a shame, because what we heard was raw, unfiltered Nas. This is the kind of verse us fans live for. Still, the version that did make the album is dope in its own right. The project as a whole is phenomenal too. Shout out to Rae!
Not everything needs to be a diss. Sometimes rappers are just rapping. As a community, maybe we need to stop jumping to conclusions and let the music be the music.
Nas knew how things might be interpreted. That’s why he didn’t want that verse out there in the first place. And yet, it somehow leaked. (That’s another story for another day.)
There’s been a lot of quiet damage control behind the scenes to make sure this doesn’t spiral into some unnecessary crap. And while we all love a good lyrical war, this just ain’t that. So let’s not turn it into something it’s not.
Let the art speak. Peace to Nas. Peace to Rae. And peace to Jim.
Hip-Hop Lives!