Steve Stoute, a Hip Hop mogul often regarded as one of the more important people in the industry, dropped by Revolt’s Drink Champs alongside Tone (from the production duo Trackmasters) to spill a healthy amount of tea for Hip Hop heads.
The two covered a lot of ground with hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, but the most intriguing revelation was about one of rap’s most iconic diss tracks. According to Stoute, there was an entirely different version of Nas’ “Ether” that almost made its way onto Stillmatic — and it was terrible.
When N.O.R.E. asked Stoute whether he was nervous upon hearing “Takeover,” the exec replied, “Nervous was an understatement.” He noted that he and JAY had become friendly around that time, which made it sting more.
“He’s a secretive dude and didn’t tell me he was going to do that … I felt betrayed.”
“I thought Nas’ career was over,” Stoute admits. “He wasn’t taking it as seriously. There was a lot of shit he was dealing with [at the time].”
According to Stoute, the “Ether” beat was originally sent to Nas without any intention of it becoming a diss record. The legendary MC wasn’t feeling it though and soon, the two weren’t even on speaking terms — despite Stoute executively producing Stillmatic.
“It was the lowest point in our relationship,” Stoute told N.O.R.E. and EFN.
That all changed when Nas called him to the studio the night before the album was due to be mastered. Nas played “Ether” for Stoute, apparently looking for feedback on whether he’d gone too far.
“I take off my coat like, ‘We staying here all night. We gotta fix this,'” he told Nas. “This is a mess … if this shit comes out, your career is over.”
The existence of an alternate version of “Ether” was first brought to light by producer Large Professor on ThisIs50 Radio back in 2012.
“When Nas was first working on ‘Ether,’ it was over a Swizz Beatz beat,” he said, referencing the fact that it had the original lyrics. It’s unclear if these are the same lyrics that Stoute felt were terrible.
These lyrics have appeared on multiple forums and discussion boards over the years and included shots at Fat Joe and Big Pun. However, the absence of a credible original source has always made fans skeptical of the validity.
“This was Ali and Frasier,” Stoute said, referencing the historic battle. “We were punching each other in the muthafuckin’ face [lyrically]. Nobody got shot, nobody got stabbed … we should be bigging that up right now.”
Throughout the three-hour interview, Stoute and Tone recalled working with a young Foxy Brown, what really went down between Diddy and Stoute surrounding the “Hate Me Now” video (there was no bottle swung) and much more.
Check out the full interview above.
Back in the day Puffy shoved a champagne bottle up Steve Stoute’s bunghole.
Ethers overrated. Buncha middleschool disses. Jayz laid blows
You clearly don’t know what your saying. Ether as a diss dismantled Jay (refer to black republican and success ft nas) and he knows it! but that’s the past they friends now
If he actually feel that way then most of Ether probably went over your head. If Ether is truly just a bunch of middle school disses, why did Jay Z take it so personal?
I’m with you on that. Some high spots, but also some high levels of corny-ness on Ether..
Supa Ugly was trash, Takeover was Jay Z’s best diss track but at the end of the day, Jay Z was like an accountant from Bentley trying to prove they are more luxurious and exclusive than Rolls Royce by pulling out its financial spreadsheet but Rolls Royce hits back by pointing your best seller, the Bentayaga SUV, is just a more expensive Audi(ie Ugly, hates woman, copied Puff and Big, copied Bad Boy etc). That’s hits you (Jay Z/Audi) more to the core than throwing up bad sales statistics does to your competitor because you take that shit way more serious and no one never aired that shit out in front of the public 24/7.
It’s funny when people claim to be real Hip Hop heads and then say Takeover is a better diss song, than Ether, because its more factual. Ether dug at personal truths at Jay Z/ROC/Dame which really hurt Jay Z and forced him to rush out that trash diss track Supa Ugly. If you claim to be a true hip hop head and know its history, its glaring apparent what Nas did to get a Jay Z.
My thoughts exactly. Heads knew Nas hit Jay where it hurt. That’s why Jay rushed the comebacks. He was desperate to swing the momentum back in his favour. It didn’t happen.
I know. Shit isn’t even close. I still will bump “Ether” to this day. I haven’t played “Takeover” in years. Nas gave dude a colostomy or some shit. It was like you thought Nas was through, and then he started off that album with that dope intro and went right into that dis song that was flawless.
man shut this irrelavant old ass , old bold ass, irrelevant gay ass nas hater ass ,50 shudda knocked u out ass…tryin to stay relevant wit them old xul og altred tales…gtfoh
Woulda luv to hear the original version
Keep that shit in the vault. All of broke ass Nas’ diss songs were pure shit. Bunch of immature childish disses. King HOV killed Nas with Takeover. Facts only! Happy Thanksgiving, stay broke, Nas stans.
U dumb as a box of rocks.. frfr.. one best 3diss songs ever.. fuck joe camel.. did I mention big pun beat his was at casino.. Smh dumb people
Happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully by Christmas you can get that Jay Z poster you always wanted! Or maybe not ya little troll
First Jay & NAS are 1A/1B in the grand realm of hip hop in my mind, that said…Nas’ comeback Ether to Jay-Z’s Takeover is where the whole battle is won. It’s that it was in response to arguably one of the best songs on the Blueprint, it wasn’t an instant response (dropped about 3 months later) everyone thought Nas was DEAD!!! So when you first heard it and the reference that were current, anger in his voice and that BEAT (that came back round to stun Nikki 15+ yrs later)…Ether was a statement!!! Even more so Jay dropped a least 2 more diss songs towards the homie (Super Ugly, Blueprint 2). Ironically Jay’s business career slipped into hyper-speed right after! A Great Time in Hip-Hop.
Finally an honest critique….I remember when I heard takeover …I had the bodie from the wire face like oooohh(and I’m not a Jay fan at the time) the suspense to hear a comeback was high cause I thought like everyone else Nas just got drug….but Ether obliterated any doubt once heard and I think it was cause no one expected him to comeback and Hit the Game winner….
Nas came back hard on Ether, saving his name, but Takeover was good too and Ether is sometimes over praised e.g. to the extent of overseeing Jay Z’s great performance on Renegade (Not to say Eminem wasn’t better)
Takeover beat was 1,000 times better than Shither beat.
Beat was better but Nas still won. What does that say about Snake-Z’s raps?
Takeover beat is trash. Jay-Z is trash. I think ppl hype him kuz he was around Biggie or whatever, but I never saw the hype that people see in dude and I’m from East Flatbush. Dude is flat trash, hot garbage and spoiled milk in the sun on a hot day.
Even Cam’s You Gotta Love It was better than Takeover
Are you being serious right now?!!! That “Ether” beat was banaanaz
I just read the alternative lyrics from a supposed original version of Ether, and there’s no way Nas wrote it. Nas is dope, but that is not his writing style at all. Too many multi-syllable rhyme schemes with a cadence that is very uncharacteristic of Nas. I don’t buy it.
Fuck Steve Stoute!
Steve Stoute just likes to listen to himself talk. What a douche