Back in September, Jay-Z dropped a verse on Kanye West's "So Appalled" that poked fun of MC Hammer's bankruptcy issues in the '90s. The light-hearted line "And Hammer went broke so you know I'm more focused/I lost 30 mil so I spent another30/'Cause unlike Hammer 30 million can't hurt me," pointed out that Jay-Z has cash to spare and, well, at one point, Hammer didn't. It wasn't revelatory; it's a well-known fact.
The "U Can't Touch This" rapper, however, felt slighted by Jigga's jibe and released a diss track earlier this week called "Better Run Run." The tune's music video (see below) went so far as to portray a Jay-Z-type figure selling his soul to the devil, only to be saved by the old-school MC. It's a little intense, to say the least.
Rather than keep the beef going, Jay-Z has now spoken out about the misunderstanding, saying he didn't mean to hurt Hammer, he just wanted to drop a rhyme.
A report from Hip Hop DX points to a radio interview by DJ Semtex in which Hova explains that Hammer took the line too seriously, adding that the rapper actually gets praised in Jay-Z's new book, Decoded.
"When I say things I think people believe me so much that they take it a different way; it's not rap anymore at that point. Now it's like a personal attack," Jay-Z told DJ Semtex. "He's [Hammer] gonna be, like, embarrassed. I said some really great things about him in the book"
So there you have it – Jay-Z thinks Hammer is too legit to quit. But we can always hope that Hammer takes this the wrong way too. After all, we're itching for "Better Run Run" part two.
You can listen to the full interview below.
UPDATE: Well, looks like Hammer doesn't want to let this one die. As HipHopDX points out, via his Twitter, he fired back at Jay, tweeting, "Big Play Ray.. I already won. I addressed a man that most men fear. Used him as a warning to others. And checked him too.."
Jay-Z Reacts To MC Hammer Diss Record www.djsemtex.com by Roy Thomas
The "U Can't Touch This" rapper, however, felt slighted by Jigga's jibe and released a diss track earlier this week called "Better Run Run." The tune's music video (see below) went so far as to portray a Jay-Z-type figure selling his soul to the devil, only to be saved by the old-school MC. It's a little intense, to say the least.
Rather than keep the beef going, Jay-Z has now spoken out about the misunderstanding, saying he didn't mean to hurt Hammer, he just wanted to drop a rhyme.
A report from Hip Hop DX points to a radio interview by DJ Semtex in which Hova explains that Hammer took the line too seriously, adding that the rapper actually gets praised in Jay-Z's new book, Decoded.
"When I say things I think people believe me so much that they take it a different way; it's not rap anymore at that point. Now it's like a personal attack," Jay-Z told DJ Semtex. "He's [Hammer] gonna be, like, embarrassed. I said some really great things about him in the book"
So there you have it – Jay-Z thinks Hammer is too legit to quit. But we can always hope that Hammer takes this the wrong way too. After all, we're itching for "Better Run Run" part two.
You can listen to the full interview below.
UPDATE: Well, looks like Hammer doesn't want to let this one die. As HipHopDX points out, via his Twitter, he fired back at Jay, tweeting, "Big Play Ray.. I already won. I addressed a man that most men fear. Used him as a warning to others. And checked him too.."
Jay-Z Reacts To MC Hammer Diss Record www.djsemtex.com by Roy Thomas
