DMX Believed Beyoncé Changed Jay-Z for the Worse
Jay-Z and DMX were once familiar enough with each other to consider forming a rap supergroup. But the two have also been at odds with each other more than once. And how Jay-Z changed after settling down with Beyoncé gave DMX another reason to dislike the Brooklyn emcee.
DMX felt Jay-Z wasn’t the same after dating Beyoncé
Jay-Z and the late DMX had a history long before either went mainstream. They first met in the early 90s in New York’s underground battle rap scene. Even back then, DMX initially wasn’t a big fan of Jay-Z at first. He credited hip-hop manager Irv Gotti for bringing himself and his rival together.
“So we had history. So it took years for us to get to the point where we were cordial. And we owe that to Irv Gotti. Irv was his man and Irv was my man. I had to tell Irv, ‘Yo let me know when he got a show, so I can battle him again.’ Cause I wasn’t trying to kill him or nothing. It wasn’t beef. But I wanted to let him know that you can’t f*** with me, no matter how nice you think you are. And that was only for a few years,” DMX said in an interview with Vibe.
“We realized when you’re young like that you sometimes mistake when you battle somebody for beef. But we realized, there’s no beef involved. I don’t even know you to not like you. We earned each other’s friendship. And we became good friends,” he added.
Their competitive spirit didn’t waver in their later years. DMX even challenged Jay-Z to an Instagram music battle before the former’s death.
But as the pair advanced in their careers, they began feuding with each other for different reasons. Jay-Z was president of Def Jam at one point in his career, and DMX didn’t appreciate the way the business mogul did business. He was convinced Jay-Z was trying to push him out of the record label. Additionally, the “Party Up” artist started thinking less of Jay-Z when he settled down with Beyoncé. DMX thought Jay-Z’s new style was a result of being in love, and was unbecoming of a hardcore rapper.
“The flip-flops – he’s just not the same,” DMX once said in another interview with Vibe (via The St. Louis American). “It’s Beyoncé. He’s a sucker for love. Thugs don’t do flip-flops. Yo, no matter how much vacation I’m on – we been to St. Thomas, Bahamas, all the little islands – I don’t wear no flip-flops. I’m never that comfortable, not even in my own house.”
How Jay-Z felt Beyoncé changed him for the better
Jay-Z acknowledged that Beyoncé did end up changing him in a major way not too long after they officially started dating. Like many male rap artists, Jay-Z’s music often featured lyrics that were seen as derogatory and misogynistic towards women. In a resurfaced interview with The Guardian, Jay-Z explained that many rappers didn’t engage in meaningful relationships. One-night stands were often the extent of their intimacy, so most women were seen as disposable. This changed for Jay-Z after he grew close to women like Beyoncé.
“My language has changed because my dealings with women have changed,” he said.
This led to Jay-Z regretting recording some of his most popular songs like “Big Pimpin’“. He was then asked if Beyoncé would’ve slapped him if he used that kind of disparaging language around her. Jay-Z didn’t give his response a second thought.
“Well, of course,” he said.
The “99 Problems” artist further clarified that he couldn’t even use that kind of language in a joking manner around her. But feeling uncomfortable about the conversation, he quickly shifted the topic back to its original premise.
“I don’t want to even talk about that subject… Of course not,” he continued. “What I’m saying is that these relationships are taking place at a young age, so there is no real relationship there. Guys need to take responsibility, but they aren’t mature enough at 16 or 18. They are closed, shut off, emotionally crippled. They don’t know how to express themselves.”
