Even though there’s no video recording of it, Jay-Z and DMX’s infamous ’90s rap battle is the stuff of legends in Hip Hop. Now, in a recent interview with VladTV via Nah Right, producer Swizz Beatz speaks on the mythical battle between two of his most frequent collaborators.
Although Swizz explained that he missed the actual battle itself, he remembers seeing peoples’ excitement immediately after the battle took place. The Bronx-born super-producer also explained that it was these early connections with the Ruff Ryders that helped introduce him to Hova in the early part of both artists’ career.
“Nah, [I wasn’t there for Jay-Z and DMX’s battle]. I just missed it,” he recalled. “I don’t know [who won]. My uncles [Waah and Dee Dean, Ruff Ryder CEOs] made everybody turn their cameras off; that’s like the worst shit. You’ve just seen the end of it when the cameras come on and the dude’s rapping some shit…it was real. You could’ve made a movie around that moment. I just remember the energy from everybody coming from that to see [DMX] and to see Hov; [it was] like Meek [Mill] and Cassidy at that time. I’m just happy to be able to witness these moments because I was super young, so I was able to get all that from [a] young [age], and still be young and do what I’m doing.”
“I was just speaking to Jay yesterday…and it was like, ‘We’ve working [together] for 14 years, dog; that shit is crazy.’ I remember walking into his office with a cassette with 40 beats and he bought the whole joint right off the spot. That’s how we met…this was like, ’96-97 ‘cus the shit started coming out in ’98…I think it was right after Reasonable Doubt, because he definitely had that Reasonable Doubt swag in that office.”
Check out the full interview below.
RELATED: Battle Royale: Jay-Z & DMX’s 1990s Bronx Battle Revisited
You know nobody’s checking for you anymore when you gotta “recall” shit.
Dumb ass. I agree swizz is wack. But so is every new rapper coming out these days. Seriously how many new rappers are good? Jay electronics, action Bronson, Fashawn?, maybe Kendrick Lamar?
There’s not many. Seriously we need to get rid of the meek mills of the world.
MAYBE Kendrick Lamar??? Are You Fuckin Kidding Me?
On one hand it must be kinda cool to get asked those type of questions, cause it would make you feel like you were part of rap’s history. But on the other hand you risk becoming like an old guy in a nursing home, spewing your memories to anyone who’ll listen.
good young rappers: Kendrick, Ab Soul, Schoolboy Q, KRIT, A$AP Rocky, Blu, Fashawn, Mac Miller, Action Bronson, Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Hodgy Beats, Joey Bada$$, Willie The Kid….probably more
At the end of the day, the battle was about ORIGINAL FLAVOR and HARLEM KNIGHTS, period. Not to take anything away from either X or Jay, but all they did was start off the battle, plus they weren’t THAT exceptional. MC Wen and God Original were the stars that night.
GOOD FOR THEM…WHO ARE THEY AGAIN???
Real MC’s if you ask me.
And where are they today?
^^ Being real MC’s in the streets of Harlem.
NO, IT WAS NOT LIKE MEEK MILL AND CASSIDY…
^ Right?
its a matter of taste, we as a people decide if (insert rapper) is as great as they say he is
meek and them is pure industry product
cosign, the nigga Meek will never be on the level on Jay or Hov, nigga too scared to battle fuckin Cassidy
This was a completely useless story… Cuz didn’t even see the battle!
Maybe we should just go to Nah Right to read the article because this was a useless rip