Jay-Z has unleashed a scathing freestyle rap targeting Drake, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj in a blistering live performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia.
The 56-year-old rapper, born Shawn Carter, took aim at several high-profile artists during his headlining set on Saturday. In his lyrics directed at Nicki Minaj, he rapped: "That lady back on the stuff, she sound like she in love with 'em / Her Ken[neth Petty] can't even ... Take they kids ... *Tch* enough of them." This reference alludes to Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, who was convicted of attempted rape in the first degree for an assault on a then-16-year-old girl.
Jay-Z also slammed Minaj for her political stance, rapping: "A rapper can't be my opp, I got MAGA Republicans / Them shots came from the very top of the government, good luck with them." The 43-year-old Minaj recently came out as a supporter of President Donald Trump.
The freestyle also took aim at Drake, who had dissed Jay-Z multiple times on his recent albums. In response to Drake's line "We know how you OGs rocking already, my n***a, the jig is up" from his song Janice STFU, Jay-Z fired back: "The jig is up, n***a I'm up 10 / wrong chart champ, n***as looked up to Hov, I never looked up to them." This comes after Drake's album ICEMAN went No. 1, pushing him ahead of Jay-Z for the most No. 1 albums among solo men and R&B/hip-hop artists, according to Billboard.
Jay-Z also directed harsh words at Kanye West, referencing West's unprovoked online rant last year attacking Jay-Z's youngest two children. He rapped: "You ever heard of wonder-kin? My children are some of them / Have you n***as have no shame? You really wanna get under my skin? / I'll really get under ya skin (stab), ask Un how I'm playing." He added: "Y'all thugs with y'all thumb again, everybody thinks they're the ones insane / You're no maniac, watch how he sane he acts in my presence, n***as shrink."
As previously reported by Page Six, West, 48, attacked Beyoncé and Jay's youngest two children in an unprovoked rant online, questioning their mental capacity.
Page Six reached out to reps for Nicki Minaj and Kanye West for comment but did not immediately hear back. Drake's representative declined to comment.
This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission.
