Celebrities Who Can't Stand Jay-Z
Hip-hop feuds are nothing new, but no one has had quite as many fights (and reconciliations, whether permanent or temporary) as Jay-Z. From starting in the business in the '80s, to setting up Roc-A-Fella Records in 1996, all the way to amassing a net worth of $810 million by 2017, Jay's successful career spans over four decades and features plenty of rap beef. Here are some celebrities who haven't exactly seen eye to eye with the Brooklyn rapper over the years.
Nas
Before they ever collaborated, Jay and Nas spent an entire decade feuding in what was a battle for the ages. After taking several speculated subliminal jabs at one another, Jay decided to throw the first punch in 2001 during Hot 97 FM's Summer Jam, rapping, "Ask Nas, he don't want it with Hov. NO."
Nas' response? He fought back against his adversary on his fifth album, Stillmatic. On "Ether," Nas repeatedly declares "F*** Jay-Z," dubs him the "fake King of New York" and calls him "a fan, a phony, a fake..." You get the idea. He also accuses him of stealing lyrics from Notorious B.I.G.
Things seemingly went too far when Jay declared he had a fling with Carmen Bryan, the mother of Nas' daughter, Destiny, during a 2001 freestyle dubbed "Supa Ugly," and Jay's mom reportedly told her son to apologize. He did, saying "I want to apologize to Carmen and any females I may have offended." In 2005, the pair officially buried the hatchet. That year, Jay staged a concert he called "I Declare War" and used it to do the opposite, declaring peace with Nas, signing him to Def Jam and performing "Dead Presidents" and "The World is Yours" with him on stage.
Robert De Niro
Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro and Jay-Z may not seem like the most obvious pair to run in the same circles, but the two did cross paths at Leonardo DiCaprio's birthday party in 2012–and their encounter didn't go over too well.
According to unnamed sources who spoke exclusively with Page Six at the time, when Jay went to say hello to the Hollywood legend, De Niro called him out for being disrespectful and not returning any of his calls, despite previously agreeing to record a song for De Niro's Tribeca Film Festival. "Bob wasn't in any mood to make polite conversation," the insider claimed. "He told Jay that if somebody calls you six times, you call them back. It doesn't matter who you are, that is just rude."
Solange Knowles
In what remains one of the most explosive celebrity fights on record, Jay-Z was physically attacked by his wife's sister, Solange Knowles, according to TMZ, "was wildly kicking and swinging at him inside an elevator" following the 2014 Met Gala after party at the Standard Hotel in NYC. The gossip site got hold of the surveillance camera footage showing the heated altercation, and it soon went viral. Although it's still unclear exactly what provoked the fight, People reported that some witnesses saw Solange "yelling at other people at the party" and when "Jay said something inappropriate to Beyoncé and Solange, she snapped."
A few days later, the trio issued a joint statement, saying, "Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family."
Drake
Despite collaborating in 2009 on "Off That," a track that appeared on Hov's The Blueprint 3, the rap mogul and Canadian star have had a tumultuous relationship, to say the least. When Drake's Thank Me Later dropped in 2010, the pair left fans puzzled. They collaborated on "Light Up," but just a few tracks later, Drake was dissing his idol on "Thank Me Now," rapping, "That's around the time that your idols become your rivals."
In 2011, Drizzy was back at it on "I'm On One," throwing shade at Jay's successful collaboration with Kanye West, rhyming, "I'm just feelin' like the throne is for the taking — watch me take it." Soon after the track dropped, however, the Toronto rapper was denying any bad blood on Twitter. Confused yet?
Fast forward to 2014 and Drake told Rolling Stone, "It's like Hov can't drop bars these days without at least four art references! I think the whole rap/art world thing is getting kind of corny." Then, during an on-court interview with TSN, he added, "Jay-Z is somewhere eating a fondue plate."
Cam'ron
Initially, things seemed cool between Jay and Cam'ron when Jay founded Roc-A-Fella Records in 1996 with Cam's childhood friends, Damon Dash and Kareem 'Biggs' Burke. But come 2000, Cam'ron was throwing shots at Jay on his second album, S.D.E (Sports Drugs & Entertainment). As MTV points out, "Let Me Know" includes "numerous subliminal shots" like, "You rap about money, man, who are you anyway?"
Just two years later, the pair collaborated on "Welcome To New York City." But when it came time to choose between Jay (who became President of Def Jam in 2004) and his friends Dame and Biggs (who started Dame Dash Music Group in 2005), Cam picked the latter.
In 2006, he dropped the ultimate diss track, "You Got To Love It," airing his dirty laundry for the world to see, accusing Jay of blocking him from a VP job at Roc-A-Fella, stealing Kanye West from him back in 2001, and having a connection with the gunman who shot him in Washington, DC. Yikes.
Kanye West
Another one of Jay's biggest adversaries comes in the form of former friend and collaborator Kanye West, who seemed to be on Team Jay. Until, that is, he went on an unexpected rant during a 2016 concert in San Jose, slamming Jay and Beyoncé.
"JAay-Z—call me, bruh," he said, accusing his peer of not reaching out after Kim Kardashian's terrifying Paris robbery ordeal. "You still ain't called me." He then turned on Bey, saying, "Beyoncé, I was hurt because I heard that you said you wouldn't perform unless you won Video of the Year over me [at the VMAs]... We are all equal. But sometimes we be playing the politics too much and forget who we are just to win."
A year later, Jay dropped his album 4:44 and shot back on the track "Kill Jay-Z", rapping, "But this 'f*** everybody' attitude ain't natural. But you ain't the same, this ain't KumbaYe, but you got hurt because you did cool by 'Ye.'"
In an August 2017 interview, Jay revealed the strain their relationship is now under. "What really hurt me was, you can't bring my kids and my wife into it," he said. "We've gotten past bigger issues. But you brought my family into it, now it's a problem with me. That's a real, real problem. And he knows it's a problem." That may be the case, but he has yet to apologize.
Birdman
Birdman appeared on an episode of Tropical TV back in 2009 to hype up his music and crew, including Lil' Wayne. When the interviewer asked his thoughts on Jay-Z being voted the No. 1 MC by MTV, he didn't mince words. "I don't think he's the No. 1 MC," he declared. "Wayne's the best, he do the most and he makes the most money... How can you be the best if you don't make the best money?" he continued, adding, "And lyrically, come on, man, be for real. Can't nobody f*** with Wayne."
Gucci Mane
It was 2006 when Gucci Mane first took a jab at Jay, albeit not directly, when he dropped "745," a track in which he called out his rival, Young Jeezy, and threw shade at Jay as a result. "Beyoncé, oh, that's yo fiancée? Jeezy is the appetizer; you be the entree," he rapped.
In 2009, he was back at it on "Classical," taking a "direct jab at Jay" with the line, "I'm from East Atlanta six, where the boys dump bricks, and we don't bump The Blueprint 3." Although there was never an official reconciliation, the two seem to be getting along just fine these days and were spotted hanging out together backstage at Beyonce's Formation World Tour in Atlanta in 2016.
Fat Joe
In the late '90s, there was plenty of speculation about a feud brewing between Fat Joe, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and Jay, including (disputed) accounts of Jay getting hit in the head with a champagne bottle during a Roc-A-Fella vs. Terror Squad fight at a nightclub. There was also confirmation of Fat Joe's protégé, Pun, chasing Jay around a couch at a label meeting after "some business negotiations that went sour."
Thinking back to their feud, Fat Joe told ThisIs50, "There was bad blood between Terror Squad and Roc-A-Fella for a long time and next thing I know, I saw Nas with JAY-Z and there was peace. It left me on the outskirts because [Nas] didn't pick up the phone and tell me, 'Yo I'm about to squash this beef.' I felt abandoned."
It all seems to be water under the bridge now, however, as Fat Joe signed a management deal with Jay's Roc Nation in January 2017.