Los Angeles, March 25 – Rapper Jay-Z is not particularly in favor of rap battles. The 56-year-old rap star had a notoriously bitter rivalry with fellow New Yorker Nas in the early 2000s.
However, he believes that the genre no longer needs to rely on battling to generate public interest in rap, according to ‘Female First UK’.
He told GQ, "It takes up so much space. It's like trying to tear down people's lives. I don't know if it's worth it at this point. I love the idea that we were able to create so much music in such a short period of time. But everything around it felt like, 'Man, this is taking us a couple of steps back’. We've grown so much that, I guess I'm going to say it, I don't know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore”.
He further mentioned, “We started with breakdancing. We love graffiti. Before, the MC's job was to bring attention to the DJ. I want to hear what the rapper is saying. Now, the last element is battling, and these are all the things that come with it. I hate that I have this point of view on it. I do. Because I know what it sounds like. It's just how I feel about it”.
According to ‘Female First UK’, he is one of the most successful rappers of all time, and he has been able to use his fame to help various people in his life.
The chart-topping artiste said, "I succeeded the hard way, despite the way the system is set up. Everything was against me. My talent pushed against all the headwinds and I succeeded that way. And with that success, I've done things with my reach that I wanted to do, which were helpful to a lot of people”.
And I think that's most important, the things you believe in, the things you align with. Because a person with more money can do more good. It's a choice. Again, we're living in the real world. You can be realistic or idealistic. This is the system that we have. And with the system that we have, what are you going to do?", he added.