Nas speaks on beef with Jay Z

According to Nas, the feud dates back to 1996, when he declined an invitation to appear on Jay-Z's classic gold-certified debut Reasonable Doubt. Nas responded with a mix tape release, "Stillmatic," which was recorded over a backdrop of Eric B. & Rakim's '80s hit "Paid In Full." Jay-Z responded to that with the song "Takeover," which appears on his latest studio album, The Blueprint. Nas then returned fire with "Ether," which in turn prompted "Super Ugly."

On December 14, "Ether" and "Super Ugly" were pitted against each on New York radio, with fans calling in to vote for the winner. Nas's "Ether" edged out Jay-Z's "Super Ugly" 52 percent to 48 percent, although several insiders have reported that the margin of victory was actually larger. Nas was asked if he felt the cards were stacked against him going into the battle.

"Yeah, because I know he got their minds and you know he is a manipulative artist who manipulates fans and radio personalities and alike," he said. "And also, you know, there is a big company behind him that makes sure he's the man. And what happened was I realized that God was good and this was all God's work. This was God's plan."

Nas was also asked if he felt that some of Jay-Z's negative references to Carmen, who is the mother of his daughter Destiny Jones and who has been romantically linked to Jay-Z, would have a negative effect on their daughter--in particular, some of lyrics in "Supa Ugly," wherein Jay-Z refers to leaving condoms on the baby seat of Nas's car and also boasts of his sexual exploits with Carmen. "Right now, no, but when she gets older, I think it's gonna be very interesting to her. And I think she can be thankful to have such a blessed life and have such an interesting history on her parents, whether it be good or bad. It's something that she can always learn from and always tell her grandkids, and you know? It's gonna be something big. I don't look at it being negative," he said.
Credit : Launch