NEW YORK — Jay-Z has a lot going on right now. The rap mogul is expecting his first child with his wife Beyoncé, getting ready for his NBA Nets' move to a brand-new stadium in his hometown of Brooklyn and his Roc Nation artist J. Cole is expected to debut at #1 on the Billboard albums chart this week.
MTV News caught up with Jay on the red carpet of his Shawn Carter Foundation's Making the Ordinary Extraordinary carnival-themed fundraiser last Thursday — see what we mean by busy? — but we had to ask him about a topic that was probably much less pressing, yet still important to fans. What exactly is going on between him and Lil Wayne?
Last month, Wayne's song "It's Good" leaked days before the release of his Carter IV album, and the Cash Money MC seemed to have a few choice words for Jay and his lady on the track.
"Talkin' bout Baby money? I got your baby money/ Kidnap your bitch, get that how-much-you-love-your-lady money," Wayne spits on the song. To many, it was a direct response to Jay's supposed jab at Young Money's head honcho and his adoptive "father," Bryan "Baby" Williams, on "H.A.M."
On the Watch the Throne track, Jay raps, "I'm like, 'Really, half-a-billi?' N---a, really, you got Baby money/ Keep it real with n---as, n---as ain't got my lady money."
Wayne recently downplayed talk of a feud between the rappers in a Vibe magazine cover story, saying music isn't about competition anymore, and adding that he didn't think there would be any repercussions as a result of his song. "Every man should know the repercussions and consequences behind whatever they do before they do it. And of course, I know there won't be any repercussions behind what I did."
Jay-Z told us he didn't want to dwell on the topic, especially considering the education fundraiser was about a positive cause. But he didn't have much to say about Wayne's "It's Good," other than that it was to be expected in hip-hop.
"That's sport, that's rap music," Jay said. "Nothing is going to change but the participants. I don't even see why that's news."