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.

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Steve Stoute talks Lil Wayne/Jay-Z feud

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Ten years ago, Jay-Z was involved in one of the biggest feuds of all-time. His longtime rivalry with fellow New York rapper, Nas, had hit its breaking point. No longer could Jay-Z hide his animosity and a feud began.

However, by 2004, the rappers were on good terms and Jay-Z was the head of Def Jam. Soon, Jay-Z began separating himself from rap music and expanded into general business. Now, Jay-Z is viewed as a businessman who raps. Recently, he returned to rap for a collaborative album.

But, Jay-Z is currently more focused on his business ventures, as opposed to making music. Lil Wayne, on the other hand, has replaced Jay-Z as the most-popular rapper. The two have been butting heads for nearly five years. Jay-Z stopped a feud from taking place when he contacted Lil Wayne about providing a verse on his American Gangster album on the song, "Hello Brooklyn 2.0." Lil Wayne returned the favor and Jay-Z "passed the torch" on Tha Carter III's "Mr. Carter."

The slick comments in between time have taken their toll and Jay-Z decided to strike with a diss. The promotional single for his collaborative album was called "H.A.M." and Jay-Z takes small shots at Birdman and Lil Wayne. Recently, Lil Wayne decided to strike back with his own reply on "It's Good," where he threatens Jay-Z and Beyonce. The timing of the diss could not have been worse as Beyonce revealed she was pregnant with Jay-Z's first child.

Steve Stoute, Jay-Z's business partner, recently spoke on the situation. He said Jay-Z will not respond to the diss because he is too big to. Right now, with everything Jay-Z has going on, it would be foolish for him to engage in a rap war. Stoute said Jay-Z is so much bigger than rap and no one is even on his level to attempt to battle with him.

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Lil Wayne talks "It's Good" Jay-Z diss

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Yesterday, Lil Wayne grabbed the attention of hip hop listeners when he went after Jay-Z on "It's Good." During Jay-Z's "retirement" phase, Lil Wayne took several shots at Jay-Z. Not much came from these disses. Changing the situation, Jay-Z invited Wayne to collaborate on "Hello Brooklyn 2.0."

In turn, Lil Wayne recruited Jay-Z for a verse on his "Mr. Carter" track. In the song, Jay-Z seemingly passed the torch down from himself to Lil Wayne. However, following the release of Jay-Z's comeback album, The Blueprint 3, Birdman began taking shots at Jay-Z.

Each time Jay-Z made a move, Birdman had something to say about it. For the most part, Birdman felt Lil Wayne should receive the same treatment as Jay-Z. However, when he claimed to have more money than Jay-Z, Jay-Z responded on "H.A.M.," with his infamous "baby money" diss. Over the past few months, people have wondered if Cash Money would deliver a solid response.

Nearly nine months after the diss, Lil Wayne responded on "It's Good." Without calling Jay-Z out by name, the Young Money CEO threatened him and Beyonce. Speaking on the situation, Lil Wayne said he knows nothing will come from his disses. Wayne explained how music is only how it is perceived and many people perceive his line as a diss towards Jay-Z. But, with no names called, it is not clear who Lil Wayne was actually talking about, even though everyone in hip hop has a good idea.

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Lil Wayne goes after Jay-Z on "It's Good" track [AUDIO]

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

In less than a week, Tha Carter IV will be here and it will not be a repeat of 2008's Tha Carter III. In the time before Lil Wayne released his triple platinum album, he had been baiting Jay-Z. While he wanted a high-profile beef, instead he landed a high-profile collaboration.

One of the highlights of Tha Carter III was the passing of the torch from Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. Their song was called "Mr. Carter" and it has gained legendary status. However, following their collaborations, there have not been many Jay-Z/Lil Wayne interactions. Instead, there have been light disses.

Birdman has been calling Jay-Z out ever since the release of his comeback album, The Blueprint 3. When the album won awards for "Album of the Year," Birdman questioned why Wayne's 2008 opus was not nominated. Earlier this year, Birdman also called Jay-Z out on his money. Jay-Z replied to Birdman's disses with his infamous "baby money" line.

Weeks after the diss, Birdman said he would continue to spend his "baby money," as he had spent $1 million on a new car, at the time. Now, Lil Wayne has decided to address the situation. Recently, he established his own clothing line, named after his first 2010 album, Rebirth. On his Jadakiss and Drake-assisted track, Wayne goes at Jay-Z, subliminally threatening Beyonce's safety on the track. Aside from Wayne's diss, the collaborators also talk greasy, without taking shots, however.

Listen to "It's Good" by Lil Wayne ft. Jadakiss and Drake below:

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Lil Wayne receives props from Jennifer Lopez

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Ever since he went on his mixtape tear, back in 2006, more and more people have considered Lil Wayne to be legendary. Wayne confidently demanded this, himself on his Jay-Z-assisted, "Mr. Carter" record. While Lil Wayne has improved his lyrical ability, some still do not consider him one of the all-time greats.

Jennifer Lopez has been around hip hop music her entire life. She grew up in the South Bronx in the early days of hip hop. When she got older, Lopez worked closely with Ja Rule and Irv Gotti. Along the way, she also did work with Nas. With all of that experience, many consider Lopez to be a good judge of hip hop.

Lil Wayne is preparing to release Tha Carter IV this year and there is a lot of discussion about his place in history. Jennifer Lopez recently helped out his cause. She said she feels Lil Wayne might be the best rapper in the game, as it currently stands. This is coming from someone who has worked with many of the top rappers in the game, so it might make people think twice about Weezy F. Baby.

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