Just Rankin’ Sh!t

Every Jay-Z and Nas Collaboration, Ranked

One of hip-hop’s greatest rivalries has yielded some yearned-for duets — most recently on DJ Khaled’s latest album. How do they all stack up?

Peter A. Berry
LEVEL
Published in
3 min readMay 1, 2021

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Photo: Save As/Medium; Source: Getty Images

6. “I Do It for Hip-Hop,” Ludacris Featuring Jay-Z and Nas

Despite solid, straightforward verses, this solemn Theater of the Mind deep cut is a bit ham-fisted — like pandering too hard to the kind of dudes who refused to acknowledge Soulja Boy as #realhiphop. Loosen up a little, fellas. Sheesh.

5. “Black Republicans,” Nas Featuring Jay-Z

Years of anticipation and royal horns ripped straight from The Godfather: Part II made the perfect setup for this much-anticipated linkup between two former foes. But the hype of this 2006 Hip Hop Is Dead cut was impossible to meet — and the end result felt especially anticlimactic. (Plus, Juelz Santana and Mixtape Weezy did it better.)

4. “BBC,” Jay-Z Featuring Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Nas, and Swizz Beatz

Due to their formerly rocky history (and the sonic aesthetics they select), Hov and Esco’s duets tend to…

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Peter A. Berry
LEVEL
Writer for

Peter is a writer and editor from the New York area. He’s written for XXL, Complex, OkayPlayer, Level, Billboard, Netflix and more.