Nas Says Jay-Z Told Him Tupac And DMX Were Not Lyricists

Throwback content relating to Nas continues to resurface. This time an old interview from the hip hop legend revealing how Jay-Z really felt about Tupac and DMX.

Bringing an old article to light is OnSmash.com during a recent cover story. Focusing on DMX and Jay-Z’s past issues, a 2001 interview conducted by Felon Magazine has Nas speaking on his infamous feud with Jay-Z. Along with an in-depth look at the beef, Nas reveals how Jay-Z felt he was the greatest rapper, going as far as saying he was better than Biggie Smalls.

According to Nas the conversation took place at a party thrown by Steve Stoute a year prior to the 2001 interview with Felon Magazine. “We were kickin’ it and he told me that he’s better than Biggie now,” Nas said during his Felon interview. “I looked at him like he was crazy. Then, he started telling me Memphis Bleek was a fan and that I shouldn’t go at him. He predicted that Beanie Sigel would never sell more than 600,000 copies. He said that Sauce Money was to him what Nature was to me. Then, he really got crazy.”

Hov wasn’t done yet as he gave more reasons as to why he was greater than even Tupac and DMX. “He said that Tupac and DMX were not lyricists—they just had the hungry, starving street n***** coppin’ their s***—but me and him had all the money n***** buying ours. I told him that I disagreed with him—that Tupac was the greatest ever—period, and that DMX really brought that street s*** back into the game,” Nas explained.

Although Nas has repeatedly given Tupac his props, even if the two artists were at odds while Shakur was still here. The two artists apparently squashed their “beef” days before Tupac was shot in Las Vegas. Still, a Nas verse taking a shot at Tupac had resurfaced last week, which had many questioning the Queens rapper who said he never dissed Shakur. (View: Rare Verse Of Nas Dissing Tupac Resurfaces 25 Years Later)

Jay-Z’s comments about DMX, Biggie Smalls, and Tupac Shakur, shouldn’t come as a surprise. Understandably, Jay-Z is extremely competitive and has always felt he was the best. Some may argue that just as in sports, if you are a rapper you should always feel as if you are the very best at what you do. Back in 2019, when everyone was dropping their top 50 list on social media, T.I. decided to share his. This is where T.I.P. ranked Tupac as number ahead of Jay-Z. Speaking with The Breakfast Club, T.I. revealed how Jay-Z questioned him about ranking Tupac at number one.

“Hov called. We was talking about something else. Something completely non related, and then he says ‘Oh, and by the way, you really believe that?’, I said yeah.” Although, Tupac and Jay-Z never crossed paths, Tupac dissed Jay-Z on songs such as “All Out”, given the fact Hov was aligning himself with Biggie Smalls in the mid nineties.