Nas's Baby Mama (Carmen Bryan) Speaks on How She Helped Nas Break Jay Z Down on Ether

One of the biggest rap beefs of all time was caused by a woman, and apparently, that same woman helped mold one of the greatest rap beef songs in Hip Hop history- Ether. Yup!

Although the reason Nas and Jay Z had beef was cos she was sleeping with Jay Z, when she was still with Nas (some times taking Nas's Bentley out to see Jay), she said she didn't like how Jay Z was going at Nas using her cheating ways as ammo, so she decided to help Nas breakdown Jay Z psychologically, because she knew a lot about him.

While explaining her role in the Nas versus Jay Z beef during her recent interview with DJ VLAD, she spoke on how she helped Nas craft Ether.

"Once I realized what Jay was doing, I was like, 'you know, am not going to allow him to belittle Nas anymore. Like, I'm the only person on the planet that can belittle this nigga. I'm not letting anybody else have that opportunity. And so, I just umm! Called Nas and was like 'alright let's talk.' So, I had a conversation with Nas like an attorney would have with their client. And I just basically told him 'listen, if you want to win this case, you're gonna have to go this route.' Cos I knew what type of person Jay Z was. Jay Z is very...he can be insecure. Umm! He has a little bit of low self esteem in certain areas. And, he's sensitive. And I kind of knew what areas to...you know...we all have sensitivities...we all have, you, things about us that we don't necessarily want the public to know about and I told Nas 'this is your opportunity to do whatever you need to do, but you have to do it all in one song. All of this subliminal...just rock this nigga, and let's move on.'...I told Nas everything that happened between Jay Z and I so that he could write the song consciously knowing what could come back as far as like, you know, a rebuttal." 

That was a chess move right there. That was why Super Ugly didn't have such an impact, because Nas already knew what was coming, He knew Jay Z's biggest weapon in the beef was that he had slept with his baby mama. But Nas's biggest weapon was that he had someone on his side that knew all the little intricate details about Jay Z. That's why, apart from stating a lot of facts and dropping the heavy diss lines on Ether, Nas had the funny lines like "Dick sucking lips" attacking Jay's secret insecurities. Lines like "were you abused as a child, scared to smile, they called you ugly" and "you no mustache having, with whiskers like a rat" were the real death blows on Ether. Cos they were the things Jay  had shared with Carmen Bryan in private. They were the things that made Jay Z's soul burn slow. They were the things that made him almost cry on Angie Martinez show shortly after Ether came out. 

Ron Browz Talks About Producing Nas's Ether Beat

It has gone on to be one of the best rap diss songs in Hip Hop history, but at the time, the maker of the beat, Ron Browz had no idea his beat was going to put his name in the Hip Hop history books. He was just a 18 year old Harlem kid making beats, hoping for a better life. He had no idea that 16 years later, that beat would still be talked about heavily in Hip Hop circles, and be used by Remy Ma in her diss record (shETHER) towards Nicki Minaj.

Song Lyrics: Ether (Nas)

Voted by many as the greatest diss track of all time, Ether was a response by Nas to Jay Z's Takeover track. You have to have been hit hard for you to hit back this hard. This song is the second track on Nas's fifth album, Stillmatic (2001).




Check out the lyrics of Nas's Ether diss song below. 




[Intro]
Fuck Jay Z!
(What's up niggas, ayo, I know you ain't talking 'bout me, dog,you? what?)
Fuck Jay Z!
(You been on my dick nigga, you love my style, nigga)
Fuck Jay Z!

[Hook]
(I) Fuck with your soul like ether
(Will) Teach you – the king – you know you
(Not) God's Son across the belly
(Lose) I prove you lost already

Throwback Song: Ether (Nas)

Listen and download one of the biggest diss songs in Hip Hop history, Ether by Nas. This is the Throwback song of the day.

Download here- Ether

Memphis Bleek Says He Started Jay-Z's Beef With Nas

If you were listening to hip hop back in the mid to late 90s, then you probably already know this. But for the people that don't know, let Memphis Bleek himself break it down for you. During a recent interview on VLAD TV, he was asked about the beginning of the Jay Z/Nas beef, and he responded with...

"I started that drama so what you mean how I feel about it? I felt like I got my big homie in some shit. It's going down out here in these New York streets. Me and Nas actually never got into nothing. It was all that he say, she say shit so Nas did a freestyle on a [DJ Clue] tape I think that was and they called me, I think I was in the Bahamas, and they hit me and was like, 'Nas getting at you on this joint and he played it for me over the phone. So niggas like, 'Damn, Nas shitting on you?" So then I wrote 'Mind Right' and was like, 'Cool, you getting at me, I'm a get at you. So then when 'Mind Right' dropped, it popped, it did what it did, Nas did another freestyle where he went at Jay, [Beanie Sigel], Freeway, everybody, so he basically opened the floodgate for himself. So once he did that Hov was like, 'Don't worry about it lil bro, I got you,' and then [he dropped] 'Takeover' and here we go... [Nas] didn't say shit, somebody lied, he didn't say nothing about me. That was just me going off that gas, I led it and I let it fly baby."

And to add a little to what he said, he didn't start it all the way...he just gave Nas and Jay Z an avenue to go at themselves. It was bound to go down in the end cos Nas and Jay Z had been throwing subliminal shots each other's way since after Biggie died; Jay with 'City Is Mine' in 1997, Nas with 'We Will Survive' in 1998, Nas again with 'Come Get Me' in 1999, Jay Z with 'Is That Your Bitch' in 2000...and so on and so on. So, it was brewing underground before Bleek got in the mix. And it is all because Jay Z wanted to do songs with Nas and Parley with him right from when he got in the game in 1995, but Nas kept turning him down ("Calling my crib, and I ain't even give you my number"- Nas). And when he got bigger than Nas in the late 90s, he decided to destroy his former idol. Of cos Jay fans will discredit my analogy, but just do your research and read between the lines.

Schoolboy Q Says Jay Z Won Battle with Nas

Why are we going back to the Jay Z/Nas beef in 2013? I guess cos it is one of, if not the most legendary battles in Hip Hop history. In a recent interview on VLAD TV, Black Hippy member, Schoolboy Q said he believes Jay Z won the battle, but that people say Nas won cos they don't want to admit that Jay Z is the best rapper ever. Hmm! Hear him out.

"Honestly, I think Jay Z won. Everybody say Nas won but honestly I think Nas won. Nas is my favorite rapper but Jay Z was pretty scandalous. Jay Z didn't let it go. When Nas was kind of letting it go, Jay Z didn't let it go. He was still throwing a jab out there and add people to his roster. Nas was going simply at Jay. It was like one time he mentioned somebody else, Jay was bringing his homies, [getting them] involved, his brother, everybody, just going at him. Jay felt some type of way after 'Ether.' ... Jay's the best rapper and they don't want to believe, even though Nas is my favorite, Jay's like LeBron, Jordan, Kobe. People just want to say [he's never lost] or hate or people just want to hate on Kobe." (VLAD TV)






Okay, you guys know I am a bigger Nas fan than I am of Jay Z, but I am going to try and be unbiased with my analysis of what Schoolboy Q is insinuating. He said Nas was an Underdog, and everybody supported him over Jay Z because of that. Hmm! That is definitely not what I remember. Everybody felt it was over for Nas after Takeover hit. In fact, the fast time I heard Takeover was at a party I threw. The party was over, and someone threw in the new Jay Z album (The Blueprint- 2001)...Takeover was the second track on that album, and after it finished playing, my friend looked at me and shook his head for Nas. As a big Nas fan, the song made my week miserable. It was like a deathblow, and I never thought Nas could top it. I guess that is why 'Ether's is so respected...it definitely not about people not wanting to admit that Jay Z was the best rapper ever (as School 'Boy' Q feels).




If Jay Z won, why did he say, and I quote...'I got stronger after Ether', off the diss track (Brooklyn High) he made for Jim Jones back in 2006. And, during the whole battle back in 2001, Hot 97 held a call in program, which allowed the public to vote on who had a better diss track...Jay Z got 48% and Nas got 52%. A Pretty close margin, but Nas still won. And it kinda solidified the Nas victory the whole thing, cos Jay Z had/has more radio following than Nas, so for the radio people to accept that Nas had a better diss track means just that. Besides, Q was just 14 years old when all this was going on. How much could he/did he really grasp? Let me just leave this alone before I type out an epistle. What do you guys think of what Schoolboy Q had to say?

Ron Browz Recalls Making Ether

A lot of people recently got to know that Ron Browz produced Nas's Jay-Z, Ether. Browz is really popular for his "Jumping Out Tha Window" track, and "Pop Champagne" that he made for Jim Jones. Those songs can't even be thought about while thinking of the person that made the beat for one of the best diss records in Hip Hop history. In a recent interview, Ron Browz spoke about how he came to produce Ether-


















"At the time, I didn't really have a name for production. I just had did 'Ebonics (Big L track).' We reached out to Nas' travel agent. Back then, you had to do whatever you had to do to give a beat CD to an artist. You ain't really see them... You ain't gonna see Nas on a random day walking around like you see artists now. So we gave it to a travel agent. He held the beat for a while, and then a couple months later told me to come to the studio and it was 'Ether.' I didn't know it was going to be a diss record until I got to the studio and he played it for me. A lot of people think it was premeditated. They act like I put the 'Fuck Jay-Z' at the beginning so they htought it was premeditated by me."

Hit 'Em Up Vs. Ether

I was taking a walk yesterday, and passed by this music store that was blasting Hit Em Up, and it sounded so fresh. It sounded like it was a new jam that had just dropped. In case you don't know, Hit Em Up is a diss track Tupac recorded for Biggie back in 1996. It was the benchmark for all diss records until Nas dropped Ether in 2001.


Now, there has been a lot of debate on which is  a better diss track. I have written this article with the intent of letting my opinion on the matter be heard. With Hit 'Em Up, Tupac put a lot of energy into the track. It was angry "Tupac" venting at an old friend who he felt had betrayed him. I think this is what made ths song really distinct. The beat is up-tempo, and Tupac's words are clear, and carry "shock value". With lines like- "You claim to be a player, but i fucked your wife,", he is bound to get your attention. In fact, the first thing he said before he started rapping was- "I ain't got no motherfucking friends, that's why i fucked your wife, you fat motherfucker". Those words are enough to disarm any enemy.  But we are still yet to clarify if those lines hasve some truth to them.


Ether on the other hand, was confident Nas, going at an enemy when everything seem to be against him. At the point he released the track, which was a reply to Jay-Z's Take Over, he was at the lowest point of his career. He hadn't released an album in 2 years. And his last, Nastradamus, was bashed by critiques. His mom had been diagnosed with Cancer, and was dying in the hospital (She latter died some months after the track was released). Jay-Z was at the top of his game. No one would have felt that Nas would defeat him in the battle. Jay's last three albums- Hard Knock Life, Life and Times of S. Carter, and Dynasty were all successful albums; and Blueprint had just dropped, and was doing huge numbers. He had the full backing of New York radio station, Hot 97, who were biased towards Nas at the time. But Ether dropped, and everything changed.


Now, i want to go in and dissect these two songs. I think Hit Em Up reached a more wider audience than Ether because it had an up-tempo beat, Tupac was in his prime, and he was a more popular rapper than Nas. While only real Hip Hop listeners could feel the brilliance of Ether, everybody that claims to be a hip hop listener, or just a music lover generally would feel Hit 'Em Up. Tupac came with hard hitting rhymes, switching up his flow every now and then, introducing his other rap crew members (The Outlawz), and even going ahead to speak for about 2 minutes at the end, explaing why he did the track, and what was on his mind. He didn't go subliminal, he put names out there. He put his emotions out there...he put his anger out on that record. And people related to it more like they would relate to Al Pacino at the end of the Scarface movie when he was defending himself against the assasines that came to kill him in his home.


With Ether, Nas used a mellow but knocking beat. He didn't siwtch up his flow...he used one pattern through out, but it was the line after line after line of disses that made the song great.  Ironically, the track started off with a sample of Tupac's voice yelling- "fuck jay-z". Then he said "Ay yo, I know you aint talking 'bout me dog. You, what?...you been on my dick, you love my style." Refering to all the times Jay-Z sampled his voice, and wanting him on guest features on his tracks from back in the day. Then he ran through two quick verses. And made the listeners feel- okay, this is cool, but not hard hitting enough. I guess this is the brilliance of this track...he saved the best for last. Then he came with the thrid verse, that lasted over a minute and 30 seconds. And went on line after line, bashing jay. A lot of people have said some of the lines can be debated for authenticity, but  what i always wonder is if most of the lines were fabricated as Jay claims, why did he want to cry on air when Angie Martinez asked him about the track back in 2001. And why did Nas win (52 to 48) in a call-in vote on Hot 97 radio station about which track was hotter?


To end this i would say, the two tracks are great. I personally like how Tupac sequenced Hit 'Em Up- he came in with his verse, then stoped and said- "I don't know why I'm on this track, you guys don't know my level, i'm gonna to let my little homies ride on you..." Then he went on and allowed the Outlawz do there thing. Then he came back again at the end. And the way he spoke with all the vengeance in his voice, is enough to scare a whole squad. It's enough to make the squad think- "this dude is a mad man for real". With Ether on the other hand, the way Nas came with confidence, after everything looking like it was not going to go his way. Jay had the DJ's, the hip hop listening ear...he had "Izzo" playing on radio every hour, but Nas dropped a bomb; It exploded, and it tore the hip hop audience to two- the Nas fans and the Jay-Z fans. 11 years down the line, and people are still having the debate on who won the battle. But the realistic people know Nas won, that's why now when someone destroys another on a track, they say- "so and so got ethered.


I think, i might have put Hit Em Up over Ether if Biggie had replied to it, and they had gone back and forth, but there was really no battle; Pac just dropped the bomb, and that was it. But with Ether, Nas was replying to Jay-Z's Take Over, and even after Ether dropped, Jay dropped Super Ugly, and i think that had some harsh lines towards Nas, but the fact that very few people remember it just makes me think Ether was so much of a bomb, that everything after that couldn't top it.

Jadakiss Recalls Nas Jay-Z Battle

After a decade of the Nas Jay-Z battle, Jadakiss has come to give his opinion on who had the better diss track. Jay-Z released Takeover in the summer of 2001, and Nas came with Ether around the beginning of winter. A lot have been said about this beef, but more is been said now, as other artists didn't want to take sides back then, but i guess they feel it wont hurt the two rappers that were involved, now that they have long squashed the beef. Jadakiss commented in a recent interview that he felt Ether was a better diss record than Takeover.

"I didn't really like the "Takeover" beat. But the words--you know what the words are! It's like the Declaration of Independence on the battle tip. What he's saying is crazy. I like the laaaaayyyyymmmmme part. It was heavy, but Nas' "Ether" sits on the mantle when it comes to battle songs. From the production, to the way he formatted it, to what he was saying--he touched everything. It was an A-Plus grade." (VIBE)



I remember back in 2001/2002, i was riding for Nas (still am), but there were just a few people riding for nas back then, as Jay-Z had a crazy buzz. I had just gotten into college, and i would argue all day with all the Jay-Z fans till i started to sweat. It's funny cos after the first break we had, when we got back, those jay fans had become nas fans.

Personally, when i heard Takeover, i thought it was over for nas. I had been a nas fan for the longest time, and i knew he wasn't at his best when Jay hit him with Takeover. I was thinking, 'can nas actually come out of this'? In december when i heard Ether, i put it on repeat for over an hour. I do have to say that Jay brought that 'fire nas' back...nas was really slipping into oblivion just before Takeover. So, i say thank you Jay-Z.

But seriously, not many people thought nas would come back, i guess that's one of the reasons why Ether is still considered the best diss track ever made. I remember watching a nas documentary by VH1, and there was a part where DJ Premier commented about the whole nas and jay thing. He said he saw nas after takeover and nas told him he was going to get jay, and premier said he told nas to his face that he didn't think he could pull it off.

DJ Premier Names His Favorite Beefs

DJ Premier has been in the news a lot lately, and i am guessing he is working on something new. Anyway, he recently named his favorite beefs of all time; premier is from the old era, so you should expect beefs from back in days.

Read more below-
"Busy Bee and Kool Moe Dee is the ultimate, ultimate [beef]," Premier told DJ Vlad. "I know Busy Bee isn't on the level of rhyming skills -- Kool Moe Dee, I just never heard a rhyme like that back then. He just wouldn't stop -- So that's number one. Definitely Roxanne Shante, the Real Roxanne...[Number three], MC Lyte and Antoinette. That should be talked about even if you're in the new cats that's coming up in the game. Study this sh*t. This sh*t is a culture." (Vlad TV)
"Definitely 'Ether' and 'Takeover' when Nas went at Jay," Premier added. "Nas [won], but musically, [Jay] killed it with 'The Takeover.' ... Jay has a little bully in him. Nas is just, 'I'm rhyming, doing my one-two. And I'm chilling.' ... Jay won until 'Ether.' I don't even count 'Super Ugly.' That don't count. And I would have to say LL [Cool J] battling Ice-T and [MC] Hammer and everybody. That was ill right there." (Vlad TV)


It is funny he put Nas and Jay-Z up in there, but missed out pac and biggie, maybe he didn't want to touch on the matter of dead comrades. But, if you would ask me, although, pac and beef had more energy thrown into their beef, i think jay and nas's own beef was more lyrical...like it was a battle of two worthy emcees- both dope, but one choose to be commercial with his skills, and one went the knowledge kicking way. Till this day, i think that is still the best battle ever- Ether and Takeover can stand each other, and make people say this is better, and another set say, no, this is better...it literally divided the hiphop fans in two.


 Yeah, i know pac and biggie did the same with their beef, but ask anybody what lines they can quote from biggie dissing pac. In fact, big never had any official reply for HIT EM UP, he just played it cool and went the subliminal way. And even HIT EM UP, which i consider the greatest beef ever, maybe neck to neck with ether, was more about the energy and directness and emotions pac put into that song, it wasn't really about skill.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts, and i would like to here yours.