“Now the Fat Boys breakup and everyday I wake up somebody got a problem with Hov.” – Jay-Z
The Jay-Z hate, it’s everywhere the Jay-Z love isn’t these days. Seems like most of his beefs stem from semi-personal relationships (longtime ones made in the music industry) and deep hood bonds that were formed in his old hustling days. So…that’s pretty much everybody he knows! We are talking the original Roc-A-Fella Records crew that includes Dame, Biggs, Cam’Ron & Dipset, Beanie & State Property, basically everybody except the dude in his will (Memphis Bleek) and the dude that wills him to greatness (Kanye West) to names like Jaz-O, DeHaven and Calvin Klein. We won’t even go into the whole Gucci Mane diss, Baby of Cash Money slight, Game’s constant love/hate tug-of-war rhymes and the random rap hater that’s trying to get Jay to respond. As the old saying goes, “heavy is the head that wears the crown.”
Yet, Jay seems to handle it all with style and smile. But something has to give at some point. It’s cool to be the guy that dragged Nas into the middle of Hip-Hop blvd and try to shoot ‘em up only to find out he had on a Teflon outfit. Nas ended up showing how to properly attack Jay-Z with “Ether” and gave hope to those that felt they could take him down. Let’s look at it for real though, that was Nas answering. Nas. The author of Illmatic. Not some swagged out, autotune creation that thinks they are more talented than they really are. Mr. Jones battled with science and perfectly placed reality bites that took chunks out of Jigga’s armor and Jay responded with “Super Ugly”. Say what you will about a Jay-Z loss, but that’s still a scathing round of uppercuts and power punches that most would never recover from. Just the sheer surprise of Nas’ retaliation and the fact that Jay was shaken for seemingly the first time, is what kept the hate flowing and the “Ether” love going. But that was eons ago, a little of the bite is lost in it as Nas and Jay have squashed the beef and have even done major business together. However, there is a line in that “Ether” joint that sparked some thought. Aside from Nas saying that “Eminem murdered you on your own sh*t,” it was the line “compared to Beans you wack.”
Out of everything on that song, I felt that the line that could cause the most damage down the road was that one. Nas used science in that one statement to cause dissention in the camp. Now look where we are all these years later. Beanie Sigel is going at Jay-Z like they don’t know each other. I would have never thought I’d see the day when Jadakiss was on Roc-A-Fella doing respectable first week numbers in a draught and Beans off the label totally. If you watch Seinfeld then this is bizzaro world. Throw in a blood thirsty 50 Cent in promotional mode and you have the perfect storm for Operation: Shake Down Hov.
There’s only one problem. You can’t shake down the leader of the Roc. The dude is lava hot right now and has been for quite sometime. Jay-Z has withstood so much greater than what is being put before him. Beans coming at him this hard (or not so hard if you listen his latest jab track “How I Could Kill Jigga Man”) reeks of hurt and not channeling his anger, disappointment and loyalty in the best way possible. Let’s not forget his strong position as the front line soldier for the Roc in the battle days. Even when the Roc was crumbling, Beans stayed pretty neutral. That was a tough spot to play when you don’t know what’s going on with the guys that put you on. sh*t, those same guys didn’t know what was going on themselves. Was Jay-Z at fault for not explaining the ultimate situation to his soldiers? If you let them tell it, yes. Beans has been throwing shots about how Jay didn’t properly pay members of State Prop on tour, the Young Gunz specifically.
I’m sure there are areas where Jay could have been a better manager. Maybe he didn’t realize how much influence he’s had not only on some of these dude’s lives but also on their psyche. Big Brother status. Big Homie. They all brought the ticket to ride the Roc train, and when it stopped they seemed lost. These are all guys that professed that Hov could put his feet up.
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“Jay-Z will f*ck 50 up in a battle! It would be so fast and over with. 50 is funny, but Jay is witty. Jay-Z is not to be toyed with. If he f*ckin' responds, if he feels like you're really pissing him off and he responds, he's gonna f*ck you up! He would f*ck me up, I'm just glad he didn't f*ckin' respond, so I didn't have to go dig in my f*ckin' bag and try to f*ck him up." (Game via Complex.com)
“Nobody is scared of 50 Cent.” – Jay-Z
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So did Hov abandon them? Does he deserve the shots that are trying to put his head out? Where does 50 settle in all of this? Cus 50 has been wanting to put four in Hov’s Bentley Coupe door since the late 90’s. Beans defecting to the G-Unit General plays right into the hands of the career destroyer also known as Boo Boo. After the attack track "What You Takin' Bout (Average Cat)" I must say, Beans’ flow on “I Go Off” that tries to strike Jay right between the eyes is masterful and 50’s hook is vintage vengeance fueled. Yet, that still wasn’t the strike that would bring Jay to his knees to respond. Why should he? Does Jay really need to respond to all that’s being thrown at him right now?
I’d say not. Jay is doing what all the others that want him out the game should be doing and that’s letting the music talk for him. “Empire State of Mind” is his biggest record in years. The timing couldn’t be better; the NY Yankees become the champs of the MLB with that song as the soundtrack. He’s performing with U2 overseas. He’s doing concerts and donating proceeds to charities. He’s doing video game deals with Eminem. He’s touring for his new album. He’s building a Roc Nation. Going forward, not stuck in past heroics. “Catch up ni**as!” That’s his response.
Now all of that doesn’t speak to his character in the eyes of those who feel scorned. If I’m Beans, I want to check my big brother’s hand game and see if that chin is as strong as he claims (thanks for giving him that idea Nas…). But after that, then what? I don’t want to see the aftermath of a Beans vs. Jay-Z battle. I want Beans to chill and make the incredible music that we know he is capable of making. The type of sh*t that made Scarface say that Beans is one of his favorite rappers. The material that moved my cousin to adopt the moniker that his friends bestowed on him, “Beans” cus he is just as real as Beanie’s lyrics.
Beans, you are deeper than rap, and the people feel all of the drama you have been through. Going at Jay right now is further tainting the great music that you two have made together and that have touched the lives of some and the hearts of many. Let the legacy of dopeness live.
Hov, as bad as you may want to, don’t respond. Not that you have to listen to me, but if a smidgen of the thought has crossed your mind, leave it alone. We know that you can release some napalm on a moment's notice, but it could level the game this time. You vs. Beanie with 50 in tow. Wow, what a cage match that would be, but then you would have two of the top three Forbes list dudes on some street sh*t. Let’s leave this particular battle between you and 50 in the pages of the most respected finance magazines and the one with you and Beans at a secluded bar somewhere. Square off, get it all out and then patch it all up.
But who am I to judge? I have a few of those I should be tending to myself…
-Datwon Thomas
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