“Eminem murdered you on your own sh*t,” Nas mockingly rapped on his Jay-Z diss, “Ether.” The murder in question was Jay-Z’s song “Renegade” from his 2001 hit record, The Blueprint. “Renegade” features four verses, with two belonging to the ever elusive Eminem. Upon release, the track caused a massive debate about who had the best verse: Hov or Em? However, two decades later, Memphis Bleek offered his thoughts on the matter, and his opinion may have changed.
During a visit to the Justin Credible Podcast, Bleek was asked about “Renegade” and questioned who he thought came out on top lyrically. Memphis Bleek danced around the question for a second, explaining that, at the time, he felt Hov’s lyrics went over people’s heads.
“You’re really trying to spark some drama. Everybody, of course, I feel like certain songs Jay records be over people’s head,” the former Roc-A-Fella rapper expressed to Justin Credible. “I guess not at that time. To me, the streets and everybody, the public opinion, of course, says Eminem, right? At that time.”
Bleek then admits that he believes Jay-Z’s verses were the better of the two, stating his verses have aged better.
“Go back and listen to that record today. I bet y’all gonna agree it’s Jay because Jay was talkin’ something that was so far of what you even understood or comprehend that you didn’t know what he was talking about,” he said.
Jay-Z and Eminem’s verses on “Renegade” focused on different subjects. While Hov spits about his deadbeat father and growing up impoverished, Em rhymed about the media’s obsession with him at the time.
The classic track was featured on Jay-Z’s 2001 effort, The Blueprint, which was released on September 11. The album would sell almost half a million during its first week and reigned supreme as the number album in the country for three consecutive weeks.
The Blueprint would ultimately be certified 2X platinum by the RIAA.
Watch the full episode of Memphis Bleek’s appearance on the Justin Credible Podcast above.