The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z are two of hip-hop's biggest rappers and apparently, Biggie thought Hov was the better MC.
During an Instagram Live conversation on Monday (April 20) between Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Lil' Cease, who was also a close friend of B.I.G., and Smoke DZA, Cease recounted a time when Biggie said he thought Jay-Z was the better rapper.
"Like, we really fuck with them," Cease began. "Like, once Big met him at the Palladium and they bonded just on some G shit 'cause they respected each other as men and they respected each other as artists. Big wasn’t afraid to tell that—Big thought he was doper than him. Big used to say, 'Yo, that nigga nicer than me.'"
Lil' Cease then explained that it was a particular line in Hov's "Dead Presidents" that triggered Biggie's revelation. "I swear to God on everything I love," he continued. "Any nigga can vouch for it. I’m not lying. These are straight facts. When Jay-Z said that line on 'Dead Presidents,' Niggas take a freeze off my kneecap/Nigga believe that. Big was like, 'Yo, he got me.'"
Hov and B.I.G. appeared on a couple of tracks together prior to Biggie's passing in 1997. The Notorious B.I.G. rhymed on "Brooklyn's Finest" off of Jay-Z's debut album, Reasonable Doubt. Then, Jay floated on "I Love The Dough" on Biggie's posthumous Life After Death album.
Jay-Z has kept The Notorious B.I.G.'s memory alive in his music. In a video clip from his Decoded app, which launched in 2011, Hov dissected bars that were dedicated to the late Brooklyn rapper. Hov mentioned "City Is Mine," where he raps, "Don't worry about Brooklyn, I continue to flame/Therefore a world with amnesia won't forget your name." He also rapped on "What More Can I Say," "I say a B.I.G. verse I'm only biggin' up my brother."
Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. are both legends in hip-hop.
Check out Hov paying homage to The Notorious B.I.G. below.
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