Dame Dash recently shared his perspective on the Jay-Z and Nas feud, particularly Jay-Z’s apology to Nas. Dash voiced his dissatisfaction with the apology, believing it reflected poorly on Roc-A-Fella.
He also recounted his initial reaction to Nas mentioning him in the iconic diss track “Ether,” expressing a mix of surprise and contentment.
“I was in shock but I was happy. I wasn’t hurt,” Dash recounted. “I’ma tell you right now what happened. I was hyped that he said my name but also I knew what homie was doing and I thought it was a distraction. I’m like, ‘This is bubblegum s—t.’
“I go to do a fucking Rocawear campaign in Arizona, with Freeway I think, he was there. I land and this dumb s—t is on the radio and we took an L because he got in this man’s emotions.”
Dash went on to elaborate on Nas’ enduring authenticity in the hip-hop world, particularly as he’s grown older. He emphasized the challenges of maintaining genuine coolness beyond the age of 30, applauding the 49-year old for remaining true to his roots.
“Yo, I f—k with Nas. I think he’s one of the cooler ones. You see how cool somebody is when they’re older,” Dash noted. “It’s easy to be cool when you 21. Like, reckless — you supposed to be that. But sometimes after 30, you don’t change your jeans and your cut is different and you start to get corny and you don’t even know it.”
Dash continued, “You stay in that moment in time. It’s not your high school days — you don’t wear the same cut jeans you had back with you was rolling. So I think he’s evolved well. I never look at him and think he’s some place he shouldn’t be. I look at the investments and the things that he does, and then he says my name sometimes.
“But he’s one of the dudes that I consider straight vinyl – pure Hip Hop, unadulterated. I haven’t seen him do nothing corny, so I have a respect for him. And plus, he got at homie. He was the only person I ever seen really rattle him like that. Yo, bro, I couldn’t even talk to this dude, for three weeks I didn’t talk to Jay about any of that shit.”
Reflecting on Jay-Z‘s subsequent apology, Dash pointed to Irv Gotti as a factor, humorously attributing it to a “Queens thing.” He believed the apology didn’t align with their image at the time.
“When he apologized and shit, I was like, ‘No!’” Dash recalled. “I was hitting him from the thing like, ‘Get off the radio! We looking crazy!’ And Irv [Gotti] did that s—t. A Queens n-gga, 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.”
Jay-Z’s apology, sparked by a call from his mother, Gloria Carter, was a response to the contentious lyrics in his diss track “Supa Ugly.” This track featured explicit references to Nas‘ personal life, including his past relationship with Carmen Bryan.
Nas, acknowledging the power of a mother’s influence, respected Jay-Z’s decision to apologize. He later revealed in an interview that his own mother heard the apology and felt it was time to end the feud.
You can read more about their beef here.
