Why Jay-Z will not Respond to Lil Wayne

By The Voice
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

The last time Jay-Z openly feuded was 2001, when he fired shots at Nas and Prodigy. Jay-Z's feud with Nas was viewed as one of the best in hip hop. At the end of the day, no blood was shed and hip hop now has a powerful duo. But, since that time, Jay-Z has not called anyone else out.

Two years following the epic Jay-Z vs. Nas feud, Jay-Z was offered the CEO position at Def Jam. At this point, he officially became the president of rap. While he helped build the Roc-A-Fella Records camp, he was taking over an already-established company.

Jay-Z only stepped down from his Def Jam position to take on another position with Live Nation. Through his deal with the promotions company, Jay-Z was granted Roc Nation. It has only been a three year run with Roc Nation and many of the biggest artists in the game are either signed to, or managed by the company.

Now, with a large stake in the overall entertainment industry, Jay-Z only raps for fun. Lil Wayne attempted to diss Jay-Z a few years ago, also. In 2006, Jay-Z claimed he returned to the rap game to save it. Wayne felt the rap game did not need saving and if it did, he would be the one. Teaming up with Jim Jones and Dipset, one of Jay-Z's biggest rivals, Lil Wayne created an anti-Jay-Z wave. As beef was brewing, Jay-Z shockingly invited Lil Wayne to provide the hook and a verse on "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" off American Gangster.

Lil Wayne returned the favor and invited Jay-Z on "Mr. Carter." On the song, Jay-Z passed the torch down to Lil Wayne. Despite mending the fences, Birdman continued to take shots at Jay-Z. When he released his comeback, The Blueprint 3, Birdman said the album was not as good as Tha Carter III. Birdman said the album did not deserve the acclaim it received. It did not stop there, as Birdman called Jay-Z out over money, claiming to have more.

Each time Birdman mentioned Jay-Z, in 2010, he claimed to have more money than him. Jay-Z, having had corporate money for nearly a decade, laughed this off and mentioned "baby money" in "H.A.M." Nearly seven months later, Lil Wayne took the response upon himself and called Jay-Z out. His verse took aim at both Jay-Z and mother-to-be, Beyonce. The timing could not have been much worse, as Beyonce revealed her pregnancy the next day.

There are a number of reasons why Jay-Z will not even entertain Lil Wayne's latest diss. First off, Jay-Z is the head of one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world. Jay-Z left his gangster phase in the 1990s and has not appeared even slightly "urban" since his 2003 "retirement." As the head of several other companies, with stakes in others, Jay-Z now entertains for royalty and he would not jeopardize his good standing for a petty rap war.

The most important reason Jay-Z will not step into a battle with Lil Wayne is because of the child recently announced to the world. While Lil Wayne has several children, he is a young father. At an older age, Jay-Z is expecting his first child and he holds himself in a different manner because of this fact.