'It felt like we were leaders of nations not that we were egos': Nas opens up about legendary feud with Jay Z

Alongside that of The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, the feud between Jay Z and Nas will forever be marked down in the history of hip hop as one of the greatest rap beefs.

In a candid interview with Zane Lowe, legendary artist Nas has opened up about what it felt like to be at the centre of one of the industry's longest clashes.

The 40-year-old expressed how unlike rappers today, his battle with the Reasonable Doubt star was about so much more than just making money.

 

Speaking to Lowe as part of the MTV series Relentless Ultra Presents Soundchain, Nas said: 'It’s really about money now, and back then, during that period when you talk about me battling with J, it was about something else.

'It wasn’t just about being the top guy in rap, it felt like we were leaders of nations, not that we were egos, egotistical as in "I’m the leader", no not in that sense.'

He continued: 'What you felt surrounding us was there was an importance in what we were doing that mattered more than just success, it was more than just, "are my records going to sell" or yes, we need the records to sell to make money.'