Fans can’t help but notice the timing of new music from former beefing partners Jay-Z and Nas.
News broke this morning that Jay-Z would be releasing new music, as part of an appearance on a new Pharrell single titled “Entrepreneur” which is arriving at Midnight tonight. Fans are excited, to say the least, but also, can’t help point out the serendipitous timing of this new Hov record– considering Nas is also making an anticipated return tonight, with a full album, King’s Disease.
The excitement lies beyond the fact that these are two OGs releasing new music– it stems back to the fact that they have a storied relationship. The two were both coming up in NYC circa 1996 when things started to get rocky, after Nas reportedly skipped on a planned studio session with Hov, for a record that would end up on The Blueprint. In Nas’ absence, Hov and Ski Beatz concocted the next best thing: a sample of Nas’ line on the “World is Yours” to create “Dead Presidents II.” What followed was a series of subtle and/or clever back-and-forth music-embedded shots, before things finally culminated in a pairing of seething diss tracks “Takeover” and “Ether.” It’s generally agreed that “Ether” ended the beef, with Nas coming out on top.
While the two may no longer be in the throes of a beef, fans are still enjoying the coincidental-or-not timing of the two artists deciding to release music on the same day.
Check out some of the best responses across the twittersphere below. Let us know if you’re amped for new music from the two legendary MCs, and pick a side if you please.