The one rapper Freeway found “painful” to diss
What do you do when your mate gets into beef with someone you really admire? Sure, context is important. But if you’re a good friend, you will – or should – end up taking the side of the person you are friends with over the person you are not. As, you know, a general rule of thumb.
But what if you have to take the side of your mate due to the contextual – and deeply entrenched – rules of crew loyalty? And what if your mate is actually Jay-Z and his opp is Nas? In an interview with VLAD TV, rapper Freeway opened up about how difficult it was sticking it to Nas.
“I love Nas, I gotta just let y’all know that,” Freeway said. “That was painful for me. ‘Cause when I was a young boul, they used to call me the Philly Nas. I had this song and I had this hook, ‘They love to hear the story how the thugs live on worry/ Ducking down the car seats, heat is mandatory.’ Like, I LOVE Nas.”
“But like I said, when it come time to ride for the team, I’m riding for the team,” Free added. “At that time, we in the middle of it. And it’s time to show and prove. And I’m letting people know what it is: I’m riding for the team. You got a problem with Big Homie, you got a problem with all of us.”
Luckily, Jay-Z and Nas amended their relationship and even went on to not just publicly supporting each other, but even collaborating on the same tracks. If you think this would have been well received by Free, you’d be absolutely right.
“When we got outside, I was like ‘Look Nas, I know I dissed you; but I love your shit, I used to listen to your shit as a young boy’,” Freeway recalled. “He was like, ‘Free, I love your shit too, I ain’t even gon’ front, I be listening to you too.’ I was happy we had that moment and I got to tell him how I really felt. That was major for me.”
Born in Philadelphia, Freeway is a hip-hop artist that first gained traction in the early noughties when he joined Roc-A-Fella Records, becoming close with the likes of Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and the rest. His breakout moment came with his appearance on Jay-Z’s “1-900-Hustler” track, released in 2000. More than just a song, it’s a pivotal moment in hip-hop history: not only was the album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia something of a collective effort from all the Roc-A-Fella artists, but it was first album that Jay-Z worked with Kanye West on.
Evidently, loyalty pays off in the long term. As fans may know, the rapper is still tight with his East Coast noughties crew. He released a collaborative album this year named 365 with Damon Dash, the American record executive who co-founded Roc-A-Fells Records with Jay-Z, & The Black Guns.
Still celebrated for his rapid delivery and unflinching honesty across his lyrics, Freeway has also been open about his health struggles over the past decade, using his fame and status to raise awareness of kidney disease and organ donation.