Damon “Dame” Dash had a firsthand viewpoint of his Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder JAY-Z’s rivalry with Nas.
Dash declared on a recent episode of Moguls In the Making podcast, the tense back-and-forth between the two legendary MCs did not generate concern of the situation turning violent.
“There was no fear of us getting hurt when it came to Nas. Not at all. Or anybody else we were battling, there was no fear of any violence when it came to that. There was no fear when it came to us. Of any battle that we had, when it came to violence, we were never worried about that.”
JAY-Z included the Nas-directed “Takeover” on his 2001 album The Blueprint. Nas fired back with the Stillmatic track “Ether.” Many rap followers consider “Takeover” and “Ether” two of the greatest diss records in Hip-Hop history. While JAY-Z and Nas both avoided bloodshed during their lyrical conflict, other rappers did lose their lives amid tension between their respective crews. The tragic 1990s deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac serve as the most famous example of that possible violent outcome.