When you haven’t dropped an album in over 10 years and are considered a greatest of all time rapper, people are going to talk when set foot on stage. On Saturday, May 30, Jaÿ-Z understood the assignment when he stepped on stage as the headliner for the first night of the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia.
Fans in attendance knew they were in for a treat when a Jigga appeared rocking a fluffy afro, the dreads he’d started growing after the release of 4:44 in 2017 now a part of history. A fresh Caesar usually indicates new album, so the afr has people debating, but that’s another discussion for another time.
What has the people chatting right now is the new freestyle the Brooklyn rapper delivered that aimed fire at his alleged opps include Drake, Dame Dash and even Tory Lanez. The TK rapper was in his bag as he dropped not so sublte bars aimed at his detractors.
For example, the Iceman recently rapped, “We know how you OGs rockin’ already…the jig is up,” on the fast-growing hit “Janice STFU” off Iceman.
Umlaut Hova responded in kind when he spit, “The jig is up, n*gga I’m up 10, wrong chart champ, n*ggas looked up to Hov, I never looked up to them.” The crowd got it right away, and knew exactly who he was talking about.
If you’ve been paying attention, fellow Roc-a-fella founder Damon Dash has been talking particularly reckless about his old friend, so he caught fire, too. “That chatty patty down on his luck again,” he rapped, referencing Dash’s well-documented financial troubles, and love for interviews. And that was after bar about teeth tumbling out of his mouth. Cold.
The freestyle concluded (he came out performing “Hovi Baby” first) with Jaÿ-Z and the Roots launching into The Blueprint classic “U Don’t Know,” and it was all gas from there. Hits like “Jigga My N*gga,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and “Can I Live” all got touched. Even Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel came out to perform “You, Me, Him & Her.” Amil must have been busy? But of course Freeway was on hand to perform “What We Do” as were other acts from the Philly era of Roc-a-fella including Peedi Crakk.
Check out the reactions to Jaÿ-Z’s acapella freestyles and his various targets at the Roots picnic in the assembled social media below.
Akademiks isn’t getting the response he hoped for in the comments.
