Freeway Recalls Meeting Nas After Dissing Him Amid The Roc Beef (Video)
Last month, Freeway officially signed with Roc Nation. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC had long been wearing the caps, and appeared close to Jay Z and the label and management firm through appearances and concerts. In the 2000s, Freeway and State Property were hit-making fixtures at Roc-A-Fella Records shortly before the label’s founders parted ways.
Prior to Roc, Freeway had cut his teeth in Philly as a battle MC. As he developed a career within Roc-A-Fella, the artist was part of the beef between Jay Z and Nas. Without other reason, Freezer dissed the Queens, New York MC on mixtape track “Ya Get Out.” While S.P. band-mate Beanie Sigel went at Jadakiss, Freeway threw some sharp shots at Nasir that history tends to forget.
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Speaking with Vlad TV, Freeway brought up the past beef, and why it was short-lived and one-sided. DJ Vlad asks Freeway how Nas’ Jay Z diss “Ether” sat with Roc-A-Fella in 2001, when it hit. “It wasn’t like niggas was running for shelter or nothing like that,” Freezer says around the 5:00 mark. “[‘Ether’] was a good record, but we’re the Roc! You know what I mean? We wasn’t worried about that shit. Big homie [Jay Z] gonna come back and do what he do. Then he had us, we was goin’ at everything…everything moving.”
Here, Freeway remembers the first significant conversation he had with The Firm MC. “And I love Nas, yo. I remember…it was the ‘Roc Boys’ video, the first time me and Nas really got to chop it up.” That 2007 American Gangster single was several years after Jay Z and Nas squashed beef, when the Brooklyn mogul signed his former foe to Def Jam Records.
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“After my part [in the video], I had to leave ’cause I had a show that night. Nas was leaving at the same time. I’m like, ‘Damn dog, I know I was comin’ at your neck and everything, but I love your shit. They used to call me ‘Philly Nas.’ He was like, ‘Nah, Free’, I love your shit too; I listen to all your shit.’ He gave me a hug, then he got in the wrong Maybach; he got in Jay’s Maybach. ‘This ain’t my Maybach!’ Then he jumped in his Maybach and pulled off. [Laughs] But it was all love though.”
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In the interview, Freeway is joined by New Rothchilds band-mate and protege Scholito. This month he released Streets Ain’t Safe, Vol. 1 mixtape:
Freeway is featured on the project. He last released Free Will one year ago.