S. Samuel
One-time music rivals Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel have reflected on their memorable early 2000's rap battles and what overall impact they had on the rap game.
Jada said a perceived subliminal shot from Beans kept him on his toes back in 2001.
“It was a shock for me, it was startling for me,” ‘Kiss said of the 2001 battle between him and Sigel, which many agree ended in a draw. Neither of the MCs can recall exactly how the war of words started, but before either of the lyricists started to call each other out by name, things started off very subliminal. “My first car was a 430 AMG Benz and on his first single he said ‘You got the 430, small wheels,’ ” ‘Kiss remembered of the lyric from Beanie’s “Mack B*tch,” the first single from his 2001 album The Reason. At the time, the Mercedes-Benz 430 was a popular model, but after Sigel dismissed the vehicle type ‘Kiss wondered to himself if the then Roc-A-Fella rapper was throwing a shot. “He probably didn’t mean it for me, but I was like, ‘I gotta get rid of this little car, jump into something bigger,’ ” Jada said, laughing with his patented squeal. (MTV)
Despite his paranoia, Sigel assured him the reference had nothing to do with the LOX.
Beans assured his friend that he wasn’t aiming at him with that particular lyric and that he actually was a big fan of ‘Kiss and his group the LOX. Sigel explained that he eventually decided to take aim at Jada after a quiet war was bubbling between the Yonkers, New York, MC and Beanie’s Roc-A-Fella camp. “Yeah, I was riding for my team,” Beans explained. Whatever the case, the battle resulted in some amazing lyrical moments. Sigel put Jada in his scope on the Roc’s 2001 DJ Envy-hosted Empire Strikes Back mixtape when he spit, “F— the speculation, talk’s over/ N—a dig this, I’m about to son ‘Kiss [Sunkist] like a soda.” “N—as can’t stand you, Sigel/ Your flow is mine anyway so don’t bite the hand that feed you,” Jada snapped back on a 2001 mixtape freestyle. Eventually the two rap titans buried the hatchet, but looking back on it, they can still appreciate the sport of it all. “We were overlooked, because that was major,” Beans said. “I think it was therapeutic for hip-hop,” ‘Kiss added. (MTV)
Back in 2010, LOX’s Sheek Louch talked to SOHH about moving past the feud and befriending Sigel.
“I’m a Beanie Sigel fan,” Sheek added. “That’s my n*gga. He’s dope. We was in the hood one time. He comes up and checks on me out of nowhere and I come out to Philly and mess with him and all that. Beans is my man. A hundred. He’s been my man for a long time. We got history too. We were going at each other during the [Roc-A-Fella versus Ruff Ryders feud]. But all of that has been dead. He would really come in to the hood and go to our little parties and mess with us. I really wanted him on Donnie G but I think [he was locked up].” (SOHH)
Beans previously revealed his displeasure in going at Kiss during his run at Roc-A-Fella Records.
“Only thing I regret about that Roc-A-Fella sh*t was going at my n*gga Kiss,” Beans said in an interview referencing his 2001 beef with Jadakiss. “I did that sh*t for you n*gga ’cause you were scared. You knew Kiss would have bit that a**. I should pull off my belt and whip that a**. You better watch who you worship, man…” (Trinity Entertainment)
