21 Savage has revealed that his new collaboration with Nas was in the making long before his recent misconstrued comments about relevancy.
As with his previous comments about Nas, 21 Savage made the revelation during a Clubhouse chat, which made its way to social media on Thursday (December 1).
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“Me and Nas been talking about making music, on my kids,” 21 can be heard saying in the clip. “Way before all that other shit happened. We been, like, figuring out how we was gonna do a song before this, on my momma. I been had his number.
He continued: “He been telling me he was a fan of my shit. I been telling him the same thing before all this shit happened. That’s why he didn’t take what I said in no disrespectful way. ‘Cause he knew what I was trying to say. ‘Cause I’m not even that type of n-gga”
The remarks came just a day after the two artists surprised fans with the release of “One Mic, One Gun” late Tuesday night (November 29). The new single found the two Grammy-winning MCs putting on a public display of unity while bridging a wider generational gap within Hip Hop.
From Queensbridge to Atlanta, Nas and 21 run a two-man weave over bouncy, triumphant production from Hit-Boy, trading complementary verses throughout the almost three minute-long track.
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A repentant 21 Savage kicks things off by walking back his previous remarks about Nas, declaring: “When you turn a legend, no such thing as relevance.” The Her Loss hitmaker goes on to refer to he and Nas as “the Capo” and “the Don,” while stating his intentions to follow in Esco’s footsteps, both as an artist and businessman.
Nas, meanwhile, reminds listeners about his status as a G.O.A.T. in the rap game while touting some of his recent accomplishments, referencing his N.Y. State of Mind Tour with Wu-Tang Clan and King’s Disease trilogy with Hit-Boy.
Elsewhere, he urges 21 Savage and Kodak Black, who have sparred in recent weeks over 21’s comments about Nas’ relevancy and a potential Verzuz battle, to mend fences before closing out the track by saying: “Two kings… We’re sending love to the whole culture… 21, Esco… Mass Appeal, Slaughter Gang… This shit too easy, king.”
“One Mic, One Gun” was announced just hours before its release, with Nas sharing the cover art on Instagram. The song came after 21 Savage questioned Nas’ relevancy in the current rap landscape, shortly after the release of the Queensbridge MC’s latest album King’s Disease III.
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“I don’t feel like he’s relevant,” he said amid a discussion about veteran rappers. “He’s not. He just has a loyal-ass fanbase and he still makes good-ass music. But relevant? Nah.”
21 later clarified his comments on Twitter, writing: “I would never disrespect nas or any legend who paved the way for me y’all be tryna take stuff and run with it.”
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However, that didn’t stop the flood of negative reactions, with the likes of Hit-Boy, Kodak Black, Fivio Foreign and Michael Rapaport criticizing his statement.
Following the release of “One Mic, One Gun,” Hit-Boy shared a video on Instagram capturing Nas’ initial reaction to hearing the beat in the studio. In the clip, an amped-up Nas yells out “hold up!” before saying into the camera: “I think we’re gonna kidnap the rap game for a little while.”
