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"There's always been a respect thing [with Nas]." ...
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"I wasn't stuntin' it like, 'I got a problem with Cam.' " ...
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Jay-Z may go to work every day as the president and CEO of Def Jam Records, but he's still an MC at heart and occasionally in practice. So you can imagine what it's like for him to hear all the whispers in the wake of Cam'ron's recent dis record, "You Got It," where he levels a number of accusations at Jigga and even mentions Jay's girlfriend, Beyoncé.
Half the people in the streets are saying that Hov is too big to respond, that he's a CEO now, that he has nothing left to prove on the mic. After all, we've seen how he can slay opponents in battles. But the other half of the street talk says that Hov absolutely has to come back — Killa was just too disrespectful for Jay to let it ride.
It's a different story when it comes to the former
rival Jay recently signed to Def Jam, Nas. The two are in
business together and very possibly will be making music
together — in fact, Hov says to bet on it. In an MTV
News exclusive, Jigga tells Shaheem Reid about his
current adversary's challenge, how his truce with Nas came
about, and his reaction to Cam'ron's allegations about Jay's
former business partner, Dame Dash.
MTV: We haven't even gotten through the first month
of the year, and it's already starting — everybody is
talking about you and Cam, you and Nas.
Jay-Z: Let's start off with the Nas sh--. I think
that's more historical. I think this is Cam sh-- is gonna
blow over once his album drops.
MTV: OK. When you and Nas appeared onstage together
in October, I was expecting a deal to be announced soon
after. But it's taken awhile.
Jay-Z: It took more to work out because he has another
album left with Sony, so we just wanted to work with Sony.
[The unusual deal finds the two labels collaborating on Nas'
next two albums, the first of which is expected to be
released in the fall.] We didn't want to make them look bad
or nothing like that. It was a delicate deal. He's one of
their most important artists.
MTV: Where is Nas at with you, personally and
artistically?
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Jay and Nas, before the beef
It's a classic: Jay-Z and Nas
chillin' together in a photo. Now that they're both on the
same team, there should be plenty more to come. But for
nearly a decade, this flick, taken by lensman Johnny Nunez,
was just about the only widely circulated shot of Nas and
Jay together. The picture has been bootlegged and sold on
T-shirts, used as artwork for mixtapes and floated all over
the Net. Here, Nunez tells the story behind it.
"It was shot at the Flamingo Club in Manhattan, in 1997 or
1998. It wasn't too long after Biggie died — everyone
was still in shock. I think the party was because Snoop Dogg
was in town. A lot of people were there — I remember
Nore was there. Nas and Jay seemed to be friends. Jay was
arriving and he began to sit near Nas — I patiently
waited for that moment, I asked them for that shot and: pop,
pop, pop!
"It's crazy how things turned out. Jay was still new at the
time. Nas was definitely the King. Now, Jay can't even move
without 100 people surrounding him, but then I think he was
there with like two of his friends — no security.
What's crazy is that Jay came up with the line saying,
"Who's the best? Biggie, Jay-Z or Nas?" And when I got the
picture developed, I noticed Jay had the Biggie shirt. So
they're all there: the trilogy.
"I'm honored the picture has been around this long —
I'm honored and I'm suing people. I walk down the street and
see people selling the picture on shirts for $20. I have
another picture of them, though, that's never been seen
before: Jay and Nas having a gut-busting laugh. This is
another event from years ago. It was Steve Stoute's birthday
party and Jay and Nas were just in a corner, just talking
and cracking up. It's hilarious."
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Jay-Z: There's a respect there. With respect anything
is possible. But you can't just sit down with somebody and
be like, "We're best friends!" That's high school. But we're
building with that. We kick it and everything, everything is
cool. As far as where he's at artistically, I think he's
ready to make the album of his life. He feels like he's in a
position right now where he can do it. He can go all the
way.
MTV: Obviously you guys had been talking before the
concert — people even saw you two laughing and joking
at Baseline Studios. What was the icebreaker that brought
you together?
Jay-Z: That was Mark Pitts, who used to manage Biggie
and now manages Nas. He arranged that meeting. He's a friend
of mine and he came to me and said, "Will you sit down with
Nas?" I said, "Yeah, no problem, of course," because like I
said, there's always been a respect thing. I'm sure he
probably went to Nas and said, "Would you sit down with
Jay?" He probably Don King'd the whole thing. I didn't even ask him that. [He laughs.]
MTV: We talked to Memphis Bleek recently, and he said
the concert in October was the first time he'd ever seen Nas
in person. He also said that if he'd had the opportunity to
sit and talk with Nas before the battle, there might not
have been a battle. Do you feel the same way?
Jay-Z: Absolutely.
MTV: Is there a collaboration between you and Nas
coming?
Jay-Z: We gonna be in the studio working, so we'll see
what happens. I just don't want to do nothing forced. I been
through that before with Best of Both Worlds [his two
collaboration albums with R. Kelly]. I just don't want to do
nothing just [to do it]. But I'm telling you, we're gonna be
in the studio and I'm sure the vibe is going to be right. If
I had to place some money on it — and I'm a betting
man — I would bet on it.
MTV: Who would produce that? You have so much talent
on your team: Just Blaze, Kanye.
Jay-Z: I'm going to my team first: I'm going to Kanye,
Just. Then I'm reaching out: Timbaland, Dr. Dre, DJ Premier.
I'mma give everybody a shot, new producers. I'm accustomed
to working with new dudes who got that sound. Hopefully
we'll find a new Kanye, a new Just. But I'm going to Just
and Kanye first.
MTV: The question was about just one song, but it sounds
like you two could do a whole album together.
Jay-Z: Nah, it ain't a [Jay and Nas] album.
MTV: What about a Jay album? It would make sense for
you to come back out this year. It's been 10 years since your debut, Reasonable Doubt. [Jay's debut LP] dropped. All your
collaborations last year were killer, and you said the
retirement would be for two years — we have it on tape, you said "two years." Well, it's been two years
— nobody can say you're not a man of your word.
Jay-Z: [He laughs.] We're [Def Jam] coming up with
so much good sh-- at the start of the year — I ain't
gonna lie, I don't want to miss it. We got so much going on,
I'm focused on the team and making sure everybody is
focused. I'm not even thinking about [putting out an album]
right now. But for a second I was like "Damn, I can't let
all this good sh-- pass me by. I want some."
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Photo: Getty
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