Nas once said Eminem “washed” JAY-Z on his own single “Renegade.” But according to Memphis Bleek, Hov’s verses have aged better than Slim Shady’s. During a recent appearance on the Justin Credible Podcast, the former Roc-A-Fella Records artist was asked who took the crown and ultimately concluded it was JAY-Z.
“You really trying to spark some drama,” he says in the clip posted by The Art of Dialogue. “Everybody, of course, I feel like certain songs Jay records be over people’s head, I guess not at that time. To me, the streets and everybody, the public opinion of course says Eminem, right? At that time.
“Go back and listen to that record today, I bet y’all gonna agree it’s Jay, because Jay was talkin’ something that was so far of what you even understood or comprehend that you didn’t know what he was talking about.”
“Renegade” arrived on JAY-Z’s sixth solo album The Blueprint in 2001. Produced by Eminem and written by Hov, Shady and Luis Restro, the single was initially intended for Bad Meets Evil, Eminem’s group with Royce Da 5’9. The song went on to sell over 500,000 copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in February 2018.
JAY-Z Protégé Memphis Bleek Has His Ether Returned By Kansas City Chiefs Star Tyrann Mathieu
JAY-Z’s verses touch on his fatherless childhood and how financial difficulties forced him into drug dealing. He raps his demeanor was “30 years [his] senior,” which suggests he grew up too fast. Eminem, on the other hand, raps about the criticism his music was receiving at the time and how he felt like a “media scapegoat.” They both conclude they’ll keep doing them while asserting they’ve “never been afraid to talk about anything.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDdtRAmqHTg
As for The Blueprint, the project arrived on the day the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked with production from Kanye West, Just Blaze, Bink, Timbaland, Trackmasters and Eminem.
Despite the ill timing of its arrival, it sold over 427,000 copies in its inaugural week and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart where it remained for three weeks. It was later certified 2x-platinum by the RIAA.
In 2019, The Blueprint was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Find the lyrics for “Renegade” by JAY-Z here.
the blueprint is massively overrated hov’s best was the in my lifetime series. as for later jay the throne/magna carta trilogy were decent everything else meh
Liked the In My Lifetime Series but lyrically, Reasonable Doubt is the best. Production value goes for Blueprint and Black Album.
His best work was Reasonable Doubt. It was all down hill and commercial pop songs from there. At least Nas only had Braveheart Party and Ochee Wallie as corny songs. Jay has orphan annie and a can i getta and a whole bunch of other garage. Big pimpin was only good because UGk were on it.
Shocking. Memphis Bleek dickriding Jay Z…again.
They’re from the same housing building and both their families are close. Of course Bleek is going to big up Hov; every chance he gets
In some instances, you just fall back or give that look like let’s move on with the conversation to the interview. Same thing when Ether versus Takeover comes up. You lose credibility when you try to reinvent history. Like Irv Gotti said about 50 versus his man Ja. We lost that one. If he can say that, Memphis Bleek can say that too or just not comment on the shit.
This just in, Man that used to roll weed for Jay-Z says Jay is the best person to ever be created…
Let it go dawg, it’s over….
Been saying this for years
Hov verses was better
If you like it better, that’s good man, if you want to change the mind of the ones that doesn’t agree with you, that’s bugging at it finest
Eminem murdered him on his own shit.
That’s cause Ems verse flew over your head. “Do you listen to music or you just skim through it?”
lmao an who the fuck is memph bleek? he’s a terrible rapper and has no right… lmao JAY-Z bit off cappadonna. LMAO BLEEK GO BACK TO YOUR HOLE.
Bleek is biased but he’s not wrong in this instance. What Jigger was speaking on is universal and It was well articulated without being wordy. Ems flow was better, yes. But Jay had as good as a verse as Em. And Nas does not get enough credit for what Ether did for the legacy Jays verse on this song LOL. It’s one of the most underrated verses in his catalog and I’m an Ether guy lol
My sentiments, almost exactly.
Man this site is owned by Jay-Z. This dude farts and you got a Bleek saying it smells like fine wine and then you got MFs talking about Jays watches, shoes clothes, how he ran a mile yesterday. Give us some real news!
Em was spitting but I couldn’t relate to the subject matter at all on his Renegade verse.
He’s got a lot of songs like that though – Kim , Cleaning out my closet, I couldn’t relate to disrespecting my momma just because she was on drugs. All of our mommas was on drugs??♂️
Listening to music I only relate to..is a little weird. I rather listen and understand other stories that would give me a different perspective on life. I mean, I can relate to hood talk but you think I want to hear that all the time? I can relate to the college life but you didn’t get tired of J Cole mentioning that after his first album… Maybe I’m just different. Last point, did you understand Em’s verse on renegade. It wasn’t about his momma, it was about the censorship we dealing with nowadays.
For real… It’s like “nah this rapper has too much money and I can’t relate so I’m not gonna listen”
Eminem’s mom’s wasnt just on drugs buddy.. Woman was abusive and tried ro poison him.I get you’re one of those who try your best to discredit Em. Come I with excuses which can be used on other rappers
Nobody cares what Bleek has to say. Eminem bodied Jay on that verse. Just like Nas bodied Jay in that beef. Bleek is wrong again. Jay isn’t that dope!!!!!
Jays verse didnt go over nobodys head. Just the same ol ghetto story. Ems verse is better and fits the hook better.
Negro Please
LMFA0!!!!!!
Since I’m in a position to talk to these kids and they listen
I ain’t no politician but I’ll kick it with ’em a minute
‘Cause see they call me a menace, and if the shoe fits I’ll wear it
But if it don’t, then y’all will swallow the truth grin and bear it
Now who’s the king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics?
Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics
Using his music to steer it, sharing his views and his merits?
But there’s a huge interference, they’re saying you shouldn’t hear it
Maybe it’s hatred I spew, maybe it’s food for the spirit
Maybe it’s beautiful music I made for you to just cherish
But I’m debated, disputed, hated and viewed in America
As a motherfucking drug addict, like you didn’t experiment?
Now now, that’s when you start to stare at who’s in the mirror
And see yourself as a kid again, and you get embarrassed
And I got nothing to do but make you look stupid as parents
You fucking do-gooders, too bad you couldn’t do good at marriage
And do you have any clue what I had to do to get here?
I don’t think you do, so stay tuned and keep your ears glued to the stereo
Take a bath with the Catholics, go to war with Mormons, holy water no wonder they had to hold me under longer, imma mothafuckin spiteful, delightful, eyeful, lil ice cube mothafuckers hate to like you, what did I do?, I’m just a kid from the gutter, making his butter off these blood sucks, cause I’m a mothafuckin renagaaaaaaade
Lol yea bleek we get it that’s your mans
Nah, Em’s verses are better.
Royce’s verses were the best. They should have never let Hawaiian Sophie replace him.
I’m a die hard Jay fan but I do not agree with Bleek. Em’s verse was well structured and timeless in it’s own right. Renegade was probably on of the last songs Jay recorded for Blueprint and was running out of juice ?
Jay’s verse was dope asf. But emm was on another planet
Jay is better than Em ( Men i Me )
Jay spoke about the real of a hustler’s life,/
Em’s married to controversy like a nagging wife./
Jay real like a killer with blood on his knife,/
You can’t relate to Em the dope fiend with all of his strife./
One sold drugs and one’s addicted to methadone./
The both can rap fast but Jay is on metronome./
Em sits in his little house you can always catch him home,/
I’m surprised that his big mouth haven’t had him catch the chrome./
Jay’s raps got him big money,/
Em sold rights like a big dummy./
Jay’s wife is the hottest honey,/
Imagine Em’s girl in a onesie with a big tummy./
He had to hustle, back to the wall ashy knuckles,/
That’s lyrical it’d be a miracle if Em could flex them muscles./
In his brain them second grade raps are lame,/
They call Em the G.O.A.T.?!?!? Them d**k eaters in this game./
More like (Men i Me) that’s his corny name backwards,/
Named after a confection his sweet’s under inspection./
They say you speak the devil’s name in reverse eventually he dies,/
Potentially the (why’s) open the thought provoking eyes./
Cloak and dagger smoking mirrors are hoping the surprise,/
Will end slim Kledis
you really rhymed ‘lyrical’ and ‘miracle’
and not satirically LOLOLOLOLOL clooooooown
?
“As for The Blueprint, the project arrived on the day the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked with production from Kanye West, Just Blaze, Bink, Timbaland, Trackmasters and Eminem.”
And this is why commas/punctuation are important…sounds like the WTC was attacked by the production of Kanye/Just Blaze/Timbaland etc lol
Idk did you hear that bass? We can’t let them off the hook
Ahh N0 …nice trY though buddy
Over the years I used to admire Bleeks support & Loyalty to Jay.. Bt nw it’s becoming annoying coz it’s damn near boarding on DICKRIDING!! FOH Bleek!!
Em verse was written and recorded with Royce but it was never released. Then Em send it to Jay and Jay recorded his verse after.
Jay is great but he didn’t make music that was more than flossing and drugs until “Lost one”. That’s why he had run out of material to record while Nas has been on a rampage with 3 albums in 2 years and sounding fresh as ever with his Contemporary Rap for the grown folks.
Bleek loyalty is great but he’s a bit too much now because without Jay, he’s nothing. Honestly. His Drink champs interview when he said he’d never met Jungle and that Jungle, nas’s brother, don’t want smoke. I don’t know them in real life but I’ve always seen Jungle clips and videos roaming around QB projects with respect.
Another one whose head J’s lyrics is going over, or you just ain’t never really payed attention.
“Jay is great but he didn’t make music that was more than flossing and drugs until “Lost one”.” – he had 8 albums before Lost One. To say it was all flossing and drugs is wildly inaccurate.
Jungle would beat bleeks ass
You can tell it’s some gen-z kids writing up these segments. Nas said he got murdered not washed. And Renegade was never a single. Mfers weren’t even around for it writing about. Also Eminem is the goat.
Nas wasn’t kidding, that was some slow soul burning ether.
I respect em for his passion, lyrics and ability but outside of Eminem show and abunch of good tracks here and there.. allems music aged badly.. ppl grew up left him as his corny lyrics in high-school… mtbmt was close to something I could listen to…
Man, Bleek speaking purely off emotion and allegiance not fact. When Renegade dropped the word on the street was that Jay copped an L to Em but the two are friends and they didn’t want it overshadow the other beef going on or allow it be used to drive a wedge between them so neither of them spoke on it. If we really want to test out the lies lil homie from Marcy putting out as “truth”, remember this, Nas called it murder on the mic at the time and not a single rapper including Bleek himself dared to call him out for it. On another note, what hip-hop head in their right mind would take lyrical advice from an rapper whose career never took off?!
Never been a big fan of this song. Just don’t like the beat but EM’s verse was 10x better. That’s like asking Bizarre who is better..
Only if Bleek could make an album as great as Renegade… Bleek never made a hot song in his life!!! I don’t remember any of his verses at all!!!
Jay’s verse was very, very good however this was possibly one of Eminem’s BEST verses of all time. Nobody was going to have a better verse than him
ITS REALLY COOL TO HATE ON SHADY THESE DAYS. I DON’T LIKE IT.
eminem music ages like milk.
Nowadays everybody got something to say, but nothing comes out when they move their lips,
Just a bunch of gibberish, mfkers act like they forgot about EM
Some bs y’all trying to say who’s better. They are both great, if not the the best rappers ever. I remember when blueprint came out and how the city of Houston embraced Jay which would rarely happen for an east coast artist in the south. And when Chronic 2001 came out, Em wrecked it. And MMLP2 wow.
Of course Bleek is gonna say Jay’s verse is better. Jay has been supporting this dude financially for years
Had to say a prayer before I looked at the calm at section oh boy
Revisionist history plays a big part in Jay Z’s legacy I swear