DMX wants to continue his battles with JAY-Z with a clash in Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Verzuz series.
During an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast, N.O.R.E. spoke to X about participating in the popular Instagram Live phenomenon. When questioned about a potential opponent, the Ruff Ryders veteran had a simple answer.
“Jay,” he said.
A stunned N.O.R.E. was taken aback by DMX and sought clarification.
“Are we saying JAY-Z?” the Drink Champs co-host asked.
“Yeah, who you think?” DMX responded.
N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN could barely contain their excitement as they realized their guest wasn’t joking about calling out Hov.
“That would be battle number three,” X noted, referencing previous occasions where the two rappers went bar-for-bar.
The rivalry between JAY-Z and DMX dates back to the ’90s when the famed MCs battled on at least two occasions. Their first clash became an almost mythical moment in Hip Hop with fuzzy memories of the event and little documentation about what went down.
In 2011, HipHopDX spoke to some of the people in attendance to shed light on what really went down.
“[One side is] gonna say DMX won, then [the other is] gonna say JAY-Z won,” Ski Beatz said. “In my opinion, to me, JAY-Z just had a little more finesse because of his style. But DMX was incredibly dope. He could not take that away from DMX. [DMX] was a fuckin’ star.”
Sauce Money added, “It was pandemonium. It was crazy, just crazy. It was almost like going to Vegas and watching the Mayweather-Paquiao fight.”
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Years later, Hov and X traded bars once again on the Hard Knock Life Tour in 1999. Unlike their past face-off, Hip Hop fans got to see footage of this rhyming session in the 2000 documentary Backstage.
In 2016, DMX spoke to Drink Champs about his battles with Jay. During the conversation, he declared won each showdown.
“I never lost a battle!” he said. “I never lost a battle! Never! Never! I’m a battle rapper.”
Swizz and Timbaland have been able to pull off some impressive matchups for Verzuz, staging battles such as RZA vs. DJ Premier and Babyface vs. Teddy Riley, and they are reportedly in talks with Diddy and Dre for a battle. Could the two possibly convince Hov to step in the ring again with DMX?
If they can, it’s clear X is more than willing to go another around with the Roc Nation boss.
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Would’ve been a good battle in the early 2000s at best. Stop it X
I dunno …. I prefer x’s first three albums over jay-z’s first three albums .
X got harder bangers but Jay got the slick smooth shit
Dmx had 2 good albums, both of which came out in 98. After that his albums were trash. I say this with all due respect, I love X but he hasn’t had a solid album in 22 years.
Bullshit. Dmx has 4, not 2 dope albums. The album you are leaving out of being good, literally has Where The Hood At, X Gon Give It To Ya, Ayp Kato, Get It On The Floor, Shot Down, The Rain… You may not like any of those songs but many are considered to be his very best hits, and is still when he also made good hiphop. I figure when u say X had 2 good albums, u were reffering to Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood, and It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot… But Grand Champ is great album too. Next album u left out was “and then there was X”. Has songs such as Who We Be, Party Up In Here, One More Road To Cross, GOOD girls Bad Guys, What These Bitches Want…. I mean, do u really think this albums suck? X has 4 good albums, hands down.
I think you are a bit lost…. In these “battles”, they go back and fourth with hits. Dmx has tons of em. We aren’t talking about either of their current music or talents… Or lack there of.
Is Jay too successful to step back in the battle arena??? It would be the most hype battle of the them all!
Nah, he should challenge 50 Cent, that would be a cool battle and he might end up winning.
I feel like 50 would be best off against other gangster rappers, such as ice cube. It just fits better. Jay and DMX always had a rivalry, and did songs together, so I think throwing their hits agaisnt one another would be dope!
Damn, that’s a worthy battle right there. I wish it was a battle of showing off unheard tracks tho. Hit wise? Dmx holds his own to Jayz any day of the week! And live battle wise… Dmx always wins. Dmx just has a better presence at live shows, while a live Jayz show was never something too special. Dmx shows were crazy. Jay shows were good, but not insane.
Dmx had 2 good albums, both of which came out in 98. After that his albums were trash. I say this with all due respect, I love X but he hasn’t had a solid album in 22 years.
Yeah, but AGAIN, we aren’t talking about current music. These battles are of old music. It’s not modern. Dmx has solid hors, that’s get played nightly on bars and clubs. Jay? Not so much. His hits are dated af.
Jayz is one the top 10 all time greatest hit makers in hip hop dead or alive. Greatest number of number 1 albums on the planet hands down. X cant hang with that. Only one that out sells jay is em.
Absolutely right!
Yes, that’s true about Jay, but having #1s doesn’t make you better in a battle head to head. Drake has farrr more hits than Jay. Does that mean Drake would destroy Drake? Ja Rule has more number one hits than DMX…. So does Ja destroy dmx? I love Jayz. Amazing catalogue of music. But dmx to me had better lasting power. Jay biggest hits get NO play! None at all. Nobody want sto hear empire state of mind or hard knock life. But I still hear dmx on a weekly basis.
Nope. Dmx has 4 good albums. His first two albums, “Flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood” and “its dark and hell is hot” are amazing. Next, “AND then there was X” has songs such as What These Bitches Want, Good Girls Bad Guys, Party Up, One More Road To Cross, What’s My Name. Next dope album is “Grand Champ. With songs such as X Gon Give IT to Ya, Ayo Kato, Get It On The Floor, Where The Hood At, The Rain, Shot Down, Rob All Day Rob All Night, On Top…… You can say you don’t personally like these albums, but these are all great songs overall. I could do without Get It On The Floor and other club hits, but to say just the first 2 X albums are great, and not the albums with his biggest hits ever… That’s BS. These hits STILL get played on any given night at a bar.
Don’t sleep on The Great Depression which had We Right Here, Who We Be, Bloodline Anthem, Trina Moe and When I’m Nothing
He would crush Jay. Jay has a lot of albums but not many memorable bangers suited for such a battle. DMX has at least 15 straight bangaz
He has a LOT of bangers, but when it comes to it, a lot of the Swizz Beatz produced club hits are pretty similar. Don’t think it would translate well in a battle – not enough variety in his back catalogue.
JAY WILL WIN X IS HARD BUT JAY-Z THE GOAT!!!!
JAYZ is far from the goat X pave the way for 80% of those NY niggas
No, he didn’t. DMX style is pretty damn unique. Who else did DMX open up the door for? I mean, the guy was always a lone wolf in as far as his albums didn’t have many guest spots and he didn’t run with a crew like Jay did when Roc-A-Fella was at its peak.
DMX vs 50 and jay z vs snoop are more appropriate battles
I’m brother the freestyled with Jay Z and DMX in the Hard Knock Life Tour documentary BACKSTAGE.
Based on that session , If you want to discuss who was the best at murder gangster content+Flow ….DMX clearly shined.
If you want to talk about Hussle grind and StreetSmarts content…. Jay Z clearly Shined.
If you want to talk about a combination of both plus supreme wisdom content. I shined No Contest.
Throw me in the mix and it will be the same outcome
Yo were you the guy dressed in a red suit on the first battle? He was something else? Where he at.
That’s me
Jay has nothing for x facts uh
I’ll put my life on the line on behalf of DMX….JAYZ should break bread with DMX for showing his the ropes…. still to this day I’ll listen to a DMX track over one of JAYZ weak tracks…..JAYZ has two bangers that I rock with to this day jigga my nigga and December 4th….and this cornball ass nigga took December 4th off YouTube what a dick head…..as of DMX I lost count of all his bangers
only dic heads think jay z has only 2 good songs
Nah his music is trash good in 90s that’s it
Lmmfao!!! You apparently smoke crack like DMX! ???
I agree 100% ! I ain’t sayin J ain’t the man too but X is the Grandaddy OG when all is said and done 😉 RESPECT ya Rap God Elders hahaha ???
“I’ll put my life on the line on behalf of DMX”. Clearly, your life has little to no purpose or meaning if you’re ‘putting your life on the line’ for a hip hop artists. Get a grip.
we all love X…. but if we put our emotions aside, Jay just has a better overall catalogue. If we based it off only their best 5 songs, X might win. Once we go past that, it’s all Jay
If Jigga pulls bars like those from the record ‘The Watcher ‘ feat. Dre & Rakim, he will further deepen X’s already 10 feet grave. Dre and Rakim can testify, they were clearly murdered on that track. Choose wisely X
Wouldn’t say that Rakim was murdered… He had the most memorable verse.
Yessss !
“And ima die with my eyes open” The watcher
Hov’s catalogue is WAY too deep for X! X definitely has bangers but he’ll run outta steam going up against Hov.
Pffft shiiit …. We will see :p
Depends I fall asleep once Jay elevator tunes come on he was good in the 90s now he a sell out
X ate his azz up twice already for the Jayhive, member’s who didn’t see it twice before. He’ll EASILY do it a 3rd time.
ate his ass? as in performed oral sex on his anus? i had no idea DMX gets busy like that thou
So, this battle is pretty much X vs Hov’s ghostwriters. Let’s not act like Hov writes his own bars. He may add his own touch, but let’s be all the way a100 about it.
Whoa…. what planet are you on?
I’m a DJ and when I drop any DMX track it always goes off, but hardly any jay z tracks have that effect. Tbh no one really requests any Jay joints (old ones) but ppl always requesting DMX joints
Anyone with an iPad and speakers is a DJ though, so let’s not act like that “I’m a DJ” line holds any weight. Because timmy from down the block is a DJ too and plays nothing Rae Sremmurd.
Think that says more about Swizz Beatz and his production than anything else. I mean, Jay has worked with Swizz and the guy crafts hype tracks. We all know that. Love DMX but he’s a bit of a one trick pony.
I honestly don’t care who would win, it would just be great to see. I am more of a DMX than a Jay-Z fan, and would love to just sit back and watch. Jay-Z has been in the game and relevant longer due to X being locked up for all his dumb sh!t and Jay has perfected the craft. Biggest battle inside this battle is between which Swizz Produced song is the best out of X and Jay’s catalog.
X gone give to Jay just like he did in the past.
damn son musta been suckin on that glass d!ck again, that’s that crack rock talking!
Simple fact is that JayZ hits are too dated, while DMX hits STILL get played daily. Where do you hear JayZ? Jayz makes music for people to sit home and listen to alone… To think to. Dmx makes songs to party to, work out to, and be active to. I love a ton of Jayz, and DMX… But battles are about making the crowd goes wild, right? Let’s pretend this battle was live, and not on Instagram. Then what? You think Hard Knock Life and Empire State Of Mind would stand to DMXs hardest shit, or biggest hits? Not at all.
What? Don’t be silly pal. Both artists get played on the regular by people around the world. All your doing here is showing your bias towards DMX. Both artists have got a great back catalogue. Not entirely sure what you’re basing your’Jay-Z hits are too dated’ or ‘he makes music for people to sit home and listen to alone’ comments on either. I mean, the guy has toured countless times and always sells out arenas. That’s barely ‘sitting at home alone’, is it?
I’m not being biased. I love JayZ too… But live battle wise, dmx will would build a crowd way bigger than JayZ. JAY is insanely popular, but again, we are talking about a BATTLE. Drake sells out more arenas than JayZ, and has far more hits. Does that mean Drake would heat Jay in a battle? Hell no it doesn’t. And I’m basing that idea of LISTENING to Jay, because I’m someone who goes out constantly in NYC, and at bars and clubs, we hear DMX regularly, and Jayz never… And I’m in NYC lol. Jay used to be jealous of dmx in the day too, because live show wise, dmx tore him up easily. Jay has never been an amazing live show. Lots of great rappers aren’t special live. I’ve seen Kendrick 3 times… I’d say he isn’t the best live. Dick riders would disagree.
Truth is absolutely right J is nice but at a party DMX would light his a$$ up
So, what song, in a live battle, would counter Party Up In Here, Ruff Ryders Anthem, or Fuckin Wit D? Jay doesn’t make that type of music. He makes smooth hiphop, not music to battle to lol
Are y’all crazy go back and view jay catalog y’all up here trippin I love X but it ain’t much to go off Jay been relevant for over 25 years it’s nobody that ever accomplished that
If we are going song for song like past Instagram battles, then Jay Z wins hands down! DMX has hits but Jay has a catalogue worth of hits. Let be real here.
Can’t wait til Jay drops H to the Izzo, Jigga jigga, hey papi, and hola hovito. Them records will eat X’s soft azz up
I haven’t heard any one bump a DMX song in at least 10 years.
JZ is a bad mother shut yo mouth ?
All Y’all n****’s buggin This whole comment box Cap both MC’s will be a dope battle, X has album on album not just song for song just as well as Jay. Save all that hate shit, if this sh*t go down when X drop a song y’all gonna be like “ooooo that’s my shit let’s see what Jay play” the whole night
Battle rap X will win how can you even question that ? The Beetles have way more hits then Jay but they ain’t winning no battle, lol imagine after “X gon give it to ya” name one jay song that will have you more hype after ???
DMX didn’t call him out, he was asked; if he was to choose some1 to put his hits against in this versus challenge, who would it be. DMX said J. He then went on to saying he would much prefer all the rappers coming together to do a tour, rather than putting each other against themselves. For the culture a reunion tour would be much better. Which it would.