Ether (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Ether" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by Nas | ||
| from the album Stillmatic | ||
| Released | December 18, 2001 | |
| Genre | Hip-Hop | |
| Length | 4:37 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Writer(s) | Nasir Jones Rondell Turner |
|
| Producer(s) | Ron Browz | |
| Stillmatic track listing | ||
| "Stillmatic (The Intro)" (1) |
"Ether" (2) |
"Got Ur Self A..." (3) |
"Ether" is an album track from hip hop artist Nas' 2001 album Stillmatic, and is widely considered by many to be one of the greatest diss songs in hip hop history.
Contents |
[edit] Song
"Ether" is a diss to fellow New York rapper Jay-Z, who had surpassed Nas in commercial success since 1998 and had dismissed him as a has-been on the diss track "Takeover." Nas responds to Jay's claims by rapping, "I got this, locked since '91, I am the truest/Name a rapper that I ain't influenced." The song contains numerous gay-based slurs directed at Jay-Z: "When these streets keep calling, heard it when I was sleep/That this Gay-Z and Cock-A-Fella Records wanted beef," "First Biggie's your man, then you got the nerve to say that you're better than Big/Dick-suckin' lips, why don't you let the late great veteran live," and "You a dick-ridin' faggot, you love the attention/Queens niggas run you niggas, ask Russell Simmons."
Nas also attacks Jay-Z's street cred, claiming, "In '88, you was gettin' chased to your buildin'/Callin' my crib, and I ain't even give you my numbers/All I did was give you a style for you to run with." He also accuses Jay of selling out, "Y'all niggas deal with emotions like bitches/What's sad is I love you cause you're my brother, you traded your soul for riches." He had lines regarding Jay's unattractive appearance and accuses him of misogyny, rapping, "You seem to be only concerned with dissin' women/Were you abused as a child, scared to smile, they called you ugly?" and "Foxy kept you hot, kept your face in her puss/What you think you gettin' girls now because of your looks?" Finally, he accuses Jay of brown-nosing other rappers for fame: "Your ass went from Jaz to hangin' with Kane, to Irv to Big/And, Eminem murdered you on your own shit." Finally, Nas insults Jay-Z's biting of Big's lyrics, "How much of Biggie's rhymes gonna come out your fat lips?".
[edit] Response
Jay-Z would respond to "Ether" with a radio freestyle called "Supa Ugly," where he revealed that Allan Iverson and himself both had had an affair with Nas' baby's mother Carmen Bryan. Jay-Z's reaction to "Ether" was something out of the ordinary as he stuttered all on the radio. He would address the feud more in-depth on the title track "Blueprint 2" from The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse: see Nas vs. Jay-Z and hip hop rivalries.
[edit] Significance
Ever since its release, "Ether" has gained an infamous reputation among several hip hop circles, becoming synonymous with ruthlessness. Indeed, it has even gained its own slang usage on numerous online hip hop forums (with the term "Ethered" becoming widespread).
Jay-Z's response to "Ether" was a freestyle entitled "Supa Ugly". This track marked the "official" end of the battle, although references to the beef can be found on Nas's "Last Real Nigga Alive" from God's Son, "U Wanna Be Me" from 8 Mile and "Everybody's Crazy" from The Lost Tapes , and Jay-Z's "Blueprint 2" from The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse album.
The term is now popular in hip-hop culture to describe a situation where someone humiliates another ruthlessly, as in "he/she just got ethered".
The Jay-Z/Nas beef was beneficial to both men's careers. Stillmatic and "Ether" had marked the reemergence of Nas to the hip hop scene two years after having released Nastradamus, considered by many fans and critics to have been the most mediocre album in his discography. Many fans still credit the feud with resurrecting Nas' career; while he has not matched the commercial success of It Was Written or I Am..., his work since Stillmatic has generally been better received critically. The battle also boosted Jay-Z's career, giving him much notoriety for having the bravado to attack a fellow hip hop legend.
There is still much debate as to who won the feud. While Jay-Z had attempted to discredit Nas on "Takeover" using pointed, clever lines attacking his street cred and discography after Illmatic, "Ether" is generally regarded as more ruthless. Though both rappers referenced the feud on their follow-up albums, the aforementioned two tracks remain the most known and best-received disses.
