In a case of right-on-time hip-hop antiquity, an ancient clip of Nas dismissing Jim Jones with hilarious absurdity has recirculated on the Internet, right as the Dipset rapper has landed embroiled in a new beef with the Q.B. legend.
Recorded in 2005, the clip has Nas on a stage addressing a crowd and dismissively arguing Jim Jones was never on his level from a lyrical standpoint. "Imagine picking up a pen and writing that about him," Nas said, chuckling with the crowd, offering the sort of cauterizing cut that doesn't warrant a beat to sting.
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Nas followed up, saying, "I wasn't the least bit curious about hearing Jim Jones's diss record, which is why" he didn't go to Jones and that Jones simply never was a threat to make a real MC nervous. You had to go straight at them rappers," he said, citing heavyweights like Biggie, Tupac, Canibus, and Eminem, who make pens move and hearts race.
Then came the dagger. "So these n##### like Jim Jones," Nas said with a smirk. Before he could even complete the line, someone in the crowd yelled out, "Who the f### is that?" Nas didn't even hesitate before answering: "Right." Mic drop.
This resurfaced gem couldn't have come out at a better time or pettier season after Jim Jones recently parroted the feud on the Joe and Jada podcast by saying he has more hits than Nas and is more relatable to younger audiences. Not surprisingly, the Internet had thoughts.
Shannon Sharpe never shies away from telling it like it is, and he didn't on his Nightcap podcast. "What the fuck are you smoking, nigga?" "You were better than Jay-Z?" Sharpe asked flat out, seemingly in disbelief by Dipset rapper's statement. Jones wasn't buying it; instead, he chose to mock Sharpe for his style and stick to his guns.
But, naturally, in proper calculated form, Jim jumped on Instagram to disclose it was all part of a plan, a ploy to stir the pot and fuel streams. Whether it worked or fell on deaf ears is another question, but Nas delivered the vintage roast at just the right moment.
The beef between Nas and Dipset isn't new for those fans who keep track. Members of The Diplomats (whose members include Cam'ron and Juelz Santana) spent much of the early 2000s lobbing shots at Nas on mixtapes and in their freestyles, trying to rattle the cage of a rap god who mostly treated the noise as background static.
Some 17 years later, that energy is back, only this time, it's soundtracked by a viral clip, a sharp memory, and a social media audience with popcorn in hand. It's the never-say-never world of hip-hop for you: some wounds never heal, and some roasts age like fine wine.
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