Just a few weeks ago, former President Barack Obama himself honored rapper and hip-hop producer Jay-Z for his significant contributions to hip-hop culture and in the American music tradition. Recently, Beyonce Knowles' one and only made headlines again, this time because of a "diss track" that referred to his (apparently) long-time feud with another one of hip-hop's music moguls: Kanye West.
4:44 a 'deeply confessional' album; more personal than before
Many have gone to describe the Jay-Z's new album "4:44" as "deeply confessional." Of course, Jay-Z already spilled details about his personal life in his tracks before (and in finely-constructed verses and structured beats, no less).
But in this latest one, it was reported that he poured out some lines regarding what really is going on in the feud between him and Kanye.
In the track "Kill Jay Z," the rapper really laid the details down for the millions who would listen to his new release:
"I know people backstab you, I feel bad too […] You got hurt because you did cool by 'Ye. You gave him 20 million without thinkin'/He gave you 20 minutes on stage, **** was he thinkin'? / ' **** wrong with everybody?’ is what you sayin' / But if everybody’s crazy, you’re the one that’s insane."
The lyrics may be too ambiguous out of context, and yet it was all but confirmed that the "'Ye" in the line "you did cool by 'Ye" refers to none other than Kanye West.
According to Hollywood Life, the lyrics were referring to that time when Jay-Z loaned Kanye West $20 million. Meanwhile, "gave you 20 minutes on stage" could refer to Kanye's rant directed at Jay-Z himself. The "Life Of Pablo" rapper was saying Jay-Z never even called them when the Paris robbery incident happened to Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian.
Kim Kardashian: Kanye should just 'rise above it'
Kim Kardashian was anything but cavalier about the whole situation. However, as it stands, it seems that she does not want the issue to escalate further. She advised his husband to "rise above it" [the diss track], and instead to focus on family and health. Kim was not happy about the track, but she felt that getting sidetracked because of a diss track just isn't worth the couple's time.
Well, based on Kanye's past behavior, he's probably preparing to create a track in retaliation for the shots fired. Kanye isn't exactly the silent type, as evidenced by the numerous feuds he has had with other artists before.
But for now, it's evident that both people had a falling apart. Kanye West even left Jay-Z's streaming service Tidal, the platform where he released his highly successful album "The Life of Pablo."
