Jay-Z’s Takeover Vs Nas’ Ether: Let’s Get This Settled
Posted on: April 30, 2009 20 comments so far (is that a lot?)A heated debate me and my friends always have is the comic book-esque war between Jay-Z and Nas that occurred in 2001 (at the time of this writing some 8 years ago). Now I’m sure everyone who knows anything has heard all the arguments, let me just re-cap them below (feel free to add your own) and then please vote in the poll. This is poll is going to end this whole Jay-Z vs Nas debate once and for all, okay? Okay maybe not, but at least we’ll try.
“The Jay-Z Won” Side
People (my friends) like to say Jay-Z won the war of words with Nas because:
(1) Jay-Z has way more money than Nas
(2) Jay-Z had “relations” with Nas’ babymother (which are detailed on the diss Jay-Z did to Nas over the Super-Ugly beat).
(3) Jay-Z signed Nas to Def Jam which somehow made Nas, Jay-Z’s slave.
(4) Jay-Z’s “Takeover” re-started Nas’ career
(5) Nas can never make songs that give you the same feeling as a Jay-Z song. Even to this day when a Jay-Z song leaks the internet goes crazy, when a Nas song leaks, not so much.
“The Nas Won” Side
(1) Ether
Now I can’t tell if you can tell whose side I’m on but to make it clear I think Nas won and simply because Ether was just so powerful. While the reasons people say Jay-Z won are true to a degree, they usually are confusing the argument with “who is a better rapper?”. No this is about who won the lyrical war. And “Ether” is like the part in a Van Dame movie (for the younger kids the movie “Fighting”) where the good guy is beaten almost to death and some how comes back and destroys the bad guy who cheated by throwing chalk dust in his eyes. Even though I’m a bigger stan of Jay-Z, you have to put your biases aside and give the W to Nas. For godsakes, Hov had to address Nas three times!
Listen to Nas’ “Ether”
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Listen to Jay-Z’s “Takeover”
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Listen to Jay-Z’s “Super Ugly”
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Listen to Jay-Z’s “Blueprint 2″
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20 Responses to “Jay-Z’s Takeover Vs Nas’ Ether: Let’s Get This Settled”
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April 30th, 2009 at 1:15 am
It’s not really fair that i pick sides, i’m a huge nas stan, i mean im on the other side of the arguement of stillmatic vs. Blueprint, but take a step back just in terms of the battle, ether is the Greatest Of All Time Disses. Tye bo hoe always kills everyone lmfao,
Also add in terms of Jay Beyonce vs keiles
But in terms of the types of people they are, Jay-z seems like a snake, nas says some retarded ass shit sometimes, but it seems like every rapper besides kanye dislikes jay-z, also in terms of money, all yall know nas aint about that, I wouldn’t even know what to do with all Jay’s money, I’d feel guitly with all that money. what fuckign reason did Jay have for writing takeover, because of bleek, nah, its beacuase he’s a cocky bastard. incredible rapper, but a bastard nonethless
Also who sampled who on their first album?
Whose sonning who there? tell your boys ether can’t be touched, tell them murphy said ether can’t be fucking touched, give them my email adress i’ll tell them,
April 30th, 2009 at 1:18 am
lemme quote point A of why Jay’s a dick “This is Trechery” see Dame Dash in basketball shorts This of course meanignt hsi arguement
April 30th, 2009 at 4:18 am
I don’t even think Ether is lyrically superior. Nas’s verses are just coarser, he goes for shock value and just calls jay a homo a lot. And why would Jay be running to Nas’ crib back in ‘88 when Nas was, um, 14? Jay was more about sticking to the facts.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I gotta give it to Nas. For someone who calls himself Hov Jay-Z was looking more like Osiris a damn myth when Nas came with Ether.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Nice so we’ve figured out Nas is delusional and Jay-Z is a dick.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Jay Won For This Simple Fact.
Everything Jay Said Was Based On Fact I.E. He Slep With His Baby Moms, At the Time It Was 1 Hot Album Every 10 Year Average, He Gave Nas Life When People Were Forgetting He MC’d.
On The Other Hand Everything Nas Said Was Just Based On Name Calling I.E. You Biggie He Puffy, Gay-Z, Dick Sucking Lips.
Nas Had Nothing On Jay-Z Which Is Why He Had To Resort To Name Calling, Go Through Ether And List Nas’s Factual Points…It Will Be A Short List.
Nas Won On Simpath, If People Gave It To Jay Nas Would Be Working In Burger King Now!
P.S You Forgot Jay-s Other Diss The Liar Freestyle From BET
April 30th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I’ll cosine that, Nas says some very questionable shit in nearly every interview he’s in.
But ether in my opinoin is lyrically better only because he speaks on why its counter productive to compare himself to big/pac, but he’s taking the crown because he’s forced too, thats why i respect it. Then the track on God’s son adressing the beef, i’m fuckign up i forgot that name, just further makes me give it to nas,
I always get murdered for this one, but Illmatic > Reasonable doubt > Ready to Die
I’m only saying it so you know how much respect i got for jay, and maybe im just jealous, but dudes a dick
P.S. wheres prodigy in all this?
lmao at the ‘88 line,
April 30th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
You talking bout “Your the Man” cause that song is bad ass.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:51 am
your the man is actually a better song to what my point was, but theres the song on god’s son where hes talking about how his mother was sick and shit and jay used that time to call out nas cause he knew he’d be down and shit. but yeah your the man is one of his best songs.
And to focus how the fuck you going to say one hot album every ten years is a fact? Do yall know what a fucking fact is? It was written was an excellent album, a million times better than fucking in my lifetime vol 1, babyface vs lauren hill? really you going with babyface,
Nas clowned him on his past haiwann sophie and present trying to be brolic, refuted all the major claims jay made, spoke about jay’s hipocracies, and made it into an actual listenable song.
only jay diss thats actually good is blueprint two, but your the man takes that one peace one love
May 1st, 2009 at 11:10 am
Murphy,
Personally, I Am Is One Of My Favourite Albums, But General Conception Is “Illmatic” Was Fire, “It Was Written” Was A Duplicate Of Illmatic, I Am Was A Pop Sellout For Nas, Nastradamus Was Ass, And Thats What He Had Up Until That Point. Some Of Those Albums Took 2/3 Years To Create BS.
In My Lifetime Vol.1 Was Actually A Great Album, It Had, Where Im From, Streets Is Watching, Friend Or Foe, Who You Wit, You Must Love Me, Imaginary Player Etc. It Only Gets Clowed Because That Sunshine Video Was The Lead Single, But Jay Is Only Compared To Himself, And The Album After The Classic Never Gets It Dues I.E Reasonable Doubt – Vol.1, Blueprint – Blueprint.2, Black Album – Kindom Come.
Most People Only Gave It To Nas Because Jay Was King At The Time, And The Fact That Nas Dared To Throw Rocks At The Throne Was Enough.
Jay Beats Nas On Everything Except Nas Directly Raps About So Called “Black” Issues. Jay Beats Him On Every Other Point!
May 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
jay won handdowns
fiction vs non ficton
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 pm
I still can’t agree with you, you toss around “most people” like it means something, “most people” believe lil wayne is the best rapper alive, making that arguement bullshit, lyrics and flow are subjective, but in my opinoin it goes to nas, wordplay at their best, i give it to jay, when it comes to creating a message not jsut about black issues neither, i give it to nas, flows at their best my prefernce is nas, when they going 50% not giving a shit, i give it to jay.
at their points in their careers,
Illmatic > Reasonable doubt
It was written > Volume one
Volume 2 > I am
Volume Three > Nastradamous
Stillmatic > Blueprint
God’s Son > blueprint two
Black album > Street’s disciple
Hip hop is dead > kingdom come
Untitled > american gangster
Thats my opinoin, I’m sorry if i forgot some shit, but how are you going to say I am was a pop album and then not mention jay being making some pop songs. Jay put his style on exactly what was hot at the time, how are you going to say reasonable doubt wasn’t just biting all the great of the time coming from new york, it’s an incredible album, but the entire shit is formulated, thats why jay had the singles, also i know some of the shit i said with the albums can be flipped too for some of yall,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1nTVVXJxaU
Ask busta, I’m right lmfao
May 5th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Well since the article is called “Takover Vs. Ether” i’ll make this short and sweet. Jay provoked Nas to write a WHOLE song about him and his crew from spitting one single FIRE verse about Nas. Everything Jay says in that verse is crack…and I can even remember pullin the car over laughin so hard when Jay was talkin bout the Karl Kani and Esco adds. I LOVE Nas…but Jay gets this. He brought a whole new meaning to “I’ll make you famous”.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:38 am
yo real talk you can’t let someone with a more powerful career call you out and jsut except it, hip hoop is the most competitive shit int eh world i mean rick ross started the beef with 50 because of a dirty look at some awards…. like really mobley thats some faulty logic of course nas would have to write a full song, jay the biggest rapper at the time and calling out nas who did need to prove himself, but with this logic (no shots by the way) nas would win regardless because jay ended up writing two more disses towards nas while ether still held it own.
But its getting annoying fighting alone so imma change the subject Miles > thelonious
May 9th, 2009 at 4:52 am
Haha Murphy. I’m with you, Nas ethered Jigga.
May 9th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Well then we’ll just agree to disagree. ahaha
This debate will NEVER end. Imma be old in a hospice home in my walker arguin over this on my deathbed with someone…I PROMISE! hahah
June 7th, 2009 at 12:11 am
reply to Focus:
saying all of NaS’ albums were garbage after illmatic/before stillmatic is NOT A FKING FACT. IT IS A MATTER OF OPINION. i think everyone just needs to know that.
Second, ‘went from Nasty NaS to esco’s trash’, and calling NaS a fake thug isn’t name calling?
Third:
KRS already made an album called blueprint
Jay-Z says he’s better than B.I.G
Rockerfeller’s death, and naming the label
made fun of his thin mustache
those are some of the call-outs i remember on Ether, and i provided more facts than you did on Takeover.
i’m pretty sure everyone was expecting NaS to lose when the Takeover was released, so why would people give him sympathy? if anything, it was compared to the jabs on Takeover.
You contradicted yourself in your second post. You presented the fact that NaS didn’t have a good album in 10 years, yet you say that I Am… is one of your fav. albums.
Jigga can’t come close to NaS in any aspect
oh and btw, anyone who creates an album close enough to the legendary status of Illmatic wouldn’t be able to work at burger king even if they tried ;)
August 28th, 2009 at 3:26 am
I used to be a Jay fan, and wasnt really on the Nas bandwagon. Then Ether dropped, and since then, no love for Gay Z.
Takeover was nice, it was a nail in the coffin for Nas, but Ether, is… genius.
It was such a brutal attack on Jay and just kicked his ass all around. Nas proving not only were his lyrics more powerful, but he had a flow and delivery that could match with Jay’s own. Not to mention the memorable hook “I. Will. Not. Lose”. Seems more classy and more powerful than “ROC, we running this, etc.”
The track was enough to take the most powerful rapper at that time, and raise doubts in the minds of even his fans, as to who was the real #1. Takeover was nice, Ether was immaculate.
There really is no comparison. Ether is, unequivocaly the greatest diss song to date.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Jayz even addmitted he lost to Nas during his beef w/ Jim Jones
October 21st, 2009 at 4:45 am
First off imma say got look up the video with show that came on BET that was hosted by SWAY and look at what the facts are about the jay-z nas beef.
u will clearly see them compare who had facts and who had bullshit to say. NAS HAD WAY MORE FACTS
ACTUALLY, NAS ONLY HAD 1 FALSE.
DON’T SAY SHIT JUST GO LOOK IT UP.
LET ME TEACH YOU FOOLS SOMETHING, PEOPLE DONT ROOT FOR TALENT, THEY ROOT FOR WHO THEY LIKE. WITH THAT SAID. EVEN THOUGH NAS IS THIRTY THOUSAND YEARS BETTER OF A LYRICIST THAN JAY-Z WILL EVER BE, FOLKS LIKE JAY-Z AND TO THEM HE WON. I GAVE IT TO NAS YEARS AGO BUT IM NOT REALLY A JAY-Z FAN BUT IM A FAN OF TALENT FIRST AND I DID SPEN MY HARD EARNED MONEY ON VOL.2 BY JAY-Z
BUT NEVER BOUGHT AN NAS ALBUM, REAL TALK. SO DONT SAY SHIT STUPID I JUST THINK NAS A BTTER RAPPER ALL THE WAY AROUND.
TO ME, NOT TO YALL MY NIGGA, TO ME.
JAY-Z TALK ABOUT SHIT THAT DON’T HELP YOU, YO MOMMA OR YOUR CHILD, HE ONLY STUCK ON BRAGGING ABOUT MATERIALISTIC LIKE CARS,CLOTHES AND CHAMPAGNE AND WHERE IS THE REALNESS BEHIND THAT.
THATS JUST A LIFESTYLE HE IS SELLING AND U CANT EVEN AFFORD IT. LOL!
JAY-Z had bullshit to say and Nas had more truth behind what he talks about. GO AND LOOK IT UP ON YOUTUBE. I PROMISE U, JAY-Z LOST HANDS DOWN.
EVERYONE LIKE MONEY OK. WE KNOW JAY-Z HAS MONEY AND THATS ABOUT ALL.
NAS TALK ABOUT SHIT ALL OF YOU DICK RIDING ASS NIGGAZZ NEED TO HEAR LIKE, EDUCATION, LIFE, LOVE SHIT U NEED BUT U CANT BUY WITH MONEY MY NIGGA. HE IS A TEACHER AND A SPEAKER, JAY-Z IS SIMPLY NOT.
IF U THINK IM WRONG JUST GO OUT AND BUY OR DOWNLOAD OR LISTEN TO ANY SONG BY JAY-Z AND NAS AND U TELL ME.
IM NOT TRYING TO ARGUE IM JUST TELLING YOU FOOLS DONT ARGUE. IT’S ALL OPINION AT THE END OF THE DAY.
NOW GO LOOK THAT UP.
THIS IS HOW STUPID DICK RIDERS CAN BE.
WHILE FOOLS IS ONLINE ARGUING OVER SOME OTHER NIGGA,
USE THE SAME ONLINE U USE TO ARGUE TO LOOK UP AND FIND THE TRUTH IN STEAD OF ARGUING, AND THAT SHIT IS REAL TALK. BUT NIGGAZ RATHER ARGUE AND HATE IN EACH OTHER
THAN ATTEMPT SEEK THE TRUTH. (DUMB ASS NIGGAZ)
AND THAT SOME SHIT NAS WOULD SAY!
AND ANYWAY, WHY, WHY, WHY DO all of yall keep arguing about other niggaz, what do yall have going for yall selves? NOTHING IF YALL WASTING YALL TIME COMPARING OPINIONS WHEN OPINIONS ARE NEITHER RIGHT NOR WRONG.
THIS WORLD IS FUCKED UP.
LET ME TELL YALL SOMETHING. GO GOOGLE D.TRUMAN
FUCK NAS AND JAY-Z ITS ABOUT ME BRUH, WHAT YALL DOING, NO OFFENSE BUT REAL TALK. NIGGAZZ WASTE SO MUCH ENERGY ARGUING AND FIGHTING OVER OTHER NIGGAZ LIVES, I MEAN WHATS REALLY GOOD.
IM D.TRUMAN AND WHAT I CAN FOR MYSELF IS I HAVE 1.2 MILLION PLAYS ON MYSPACE WITHOUT A DEAL, ALL INDEPENDENT.
SO U WANNA TALK ABOUT THESE RAPPERS, GO FIND OUT WHO D.TRUMAN IS AND RIDE HIS DICK. SHIT.
GOOGLE ME MY DUDE AND RIDE MAY DICK. I NEED IT, JAY-Z AND NAS ALREADY HAVE DICK RIDERS. SPREAD SOME OF THAT TO A NIGGA WHO NEEDS AND DESERVES IT. LMAO!