Dame Dash has always been outspoken about rap battles, and recently, he shared his thoughts on some of the big ones, including the Jay-Z vs. Nas feud. Unlike the intense Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar showdown, which left Dash surprised by the harsh words exchanged, he was never worried that the Jay-Z and Nas beef would escalate to violence.
During a recent appearance on the ‘Moguls In the Making’ podcast, Dash reflected on the heated exchange between Jay-Z and Nas. He confidently pointed out that neither he nor Jay-Z ever felt their lives were at risk. ‘There was no fear of us getting hurt when it came to Nas,’ he told the podcast hosts. ‘I’m telling you right now, there was no fear of any violence when it came to that. We were never worried about that.’
Dash drew a stark contrast between this feud and the infamous Biggie vs. 2Pac battle, where real blood was shed. ‘Now, ‘Pac and Biggie, n**gas got killed,’ he noted. ‘But n**gas get killed in Hip Hop now. They be battling and then they end up dead. It’s a little more serious now.’
He viewed Nas as a respectable individual who wouldn’t resort to violence, a sentiment that stands in contrast to his more critical stance on Jay-Z over the years. Dash was especially upset when Jay-Z apologized to Nas after releasing the diss track ‘Super Ugly.’ Recounting the incident, he said, ‘I was hitting him from the thing like, ‘Get off the radio! We looking crazy!’ And Irv [Gotti] did that sh*t. A Queens n**ga, he gave him — pause — the banana in the tailpipe. That was a Queens thing — he didn’t even see that. Yo Irv, stay out my business.’
Fortunately, as Dash points out, everyone involved in the beef has survived to tell the tale.
Dame Dash’s reflections on the Jay-Z and Nas beef provide a unique insight into one of hip hop’s most talked-about rivalries. His confidence that things would never turn violent speaks volumes about his understanding of the individuals involved. Unlike other notorious rap battles, this one stayed lyrical rather than physical.
