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?
Published in
3 min readMay 1, 2021
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…
