Freeway says that dissing Nas during the rapper’s infamous beef with Jay-Z was “painful.” Speaking with VLAD TV, Freeway explained that he was a big fan of the Queens rapper at the time.
“I love Nas, I gotta just let y’all know that,” Freeway said. “That was painful for me. ‘Cause when I was a young boul, they used to call me the Philly Nas. I had this song and I had this hook, ‘They love to hear the story how the thugs live on worry/ Ducking down the car seats, heat is mandatory.’ Like, I LOVE Nas.”
“But like I said, When it come time to ride for the team, I’m riding for the team,” Freeway added. “At that time, we in the middle of it. And it’s time to show and prove. And I’m letting people know what it is: I’m riding for the team. You got a problem with Big Homie, you got a problem with all of us.”
From there, Freeway explained that he and the Queens rapper eventually met after Jay-Z and Nas patched things up. While leaving the music video for “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is),” Freeway let Nas know how big of a fan he is of his work. Nas returned the praise. “When we got outside, I was like ‘Look Nas, I know I dissed you; but I love your shit, I used to listen to your shit as a young boy’,” Freeway recalled. “He was like, ‘Free, I love your shit too, I ain’t even gon’ front, I be listening to you too.’ I was happy we had that moment and I got to tell him how I really felt. That was major for me.”
Jay-Z and Nas’ beef was one of the most famous feuds in hip-hop during the early 2000s. Nas’ song, “Ether,” remains among the most iconic diss tracks in history. Four years after its release, the two mended their relationship publically on stage at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey during Jay-Z’s ‘I Declare War’ tour in October 2005. In the years since, they’ve collaborated on multiple occasions.
[Via]