<p id=”par-1_66″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/jay-z/?swcfpc=1″>Jay-Z</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/r-kelly/?swcfpc=1″>R. Kelly</a> collaborated on two albums, a fact that Nas found suspicious. In the years since working with Jay-Z, Kelly has been sentenced to prison for production of child pornography and sexual abuse. When he toured with Jay-Z in the early 2000s, he was already facing legal problems. Nas doubted that Jay-Z could have worked with Kelly without some awareness of his predatory behavior.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-nas-claimed-jay-z-must-have-known-about-r-kelly-s-behavior”>Nas claimed Jay-Z must have known about R.Kelly’s behavior</h2>
<p id=”par-2_28″>Jay-Z and R. Kelly worked together on two albums and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jay-z-r-kellys-hostile-final-concert-pandemonium.html/”>a short-lived tour</a>. Nas questioned whether or not Jay-Z could have been fully ignorant of Kelly’s predatory behavior.</p>
<p id=”par-3_69″>“That’s not my style,” he told Wendy Williams, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/nas-jay-z-r-kelly-behavior-interview-630654/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Vibe Magazine</a>. “I could have shown the R. Kelly video that everybody’s talking about and made fun of it and show pictures of Jay hanging out. You can’t tell me Jay didn’t see a 14-year-old girl come into the studio and sit on R. Kelly’s lap. You gonna tell me he didn’t see no 14-year-old girl come into the vicinity?”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/R.Kelly-Jay-Z.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”R. Kelly and Jay-Z clasp hands. Kelly wears a bowler hat and sunglasses and Jay-Z wears a sweatband and Brooklyn jacket.” class=”wp-image-3756757″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>R. Kelly and Jay-Z | Theo Wargo/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_18″>He said that spending time with Kelly over the years made him acutely aware of the singer’s behavior.</p>
<p id=”par-5_58″>“You’ve seen it go down,” he said. “I’ve been around R. Kelly … I’ve been on tours with him. I didn’t see no 14-year-old, but I talked to the man and see there’s a little problem there. The brother needs help and I pray for him. I’m here for the people. I’m here to talk [about] the truth.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-nas-and-jay-z-feuded-for-years”>Nas and Jay-Z feuded for years</h2>
<p id=”par-6_55″>Nas and Jay-Z feuded for years. They traded diss tracks, including the song “Ether,” which explicitly says “f*** Jay-Z.” Jay-Z responded with “Supa Ugly.” In the song, he raps about the women in Nas’ life, including Carmen Bryan, who cheated on Nas with Jay-Z. His mother believed he <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jay-z-mom-had-him-apologize-for-supa-ugly-diss-during-historic-nas-beef.html/”>took things too far</a> with the track.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nas-Jay-Z.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Nas and Jay-Z wear black outfits. Jay-Z wears sunglasses.” class=”wp-image-3753068″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Nas and Jay-Z | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-7_74″>“Mom put in a call and said, ‘That went too far.’ And she’s never, ever called me about music. So I was like ‘Okay, okay, okay. I’ll go shut it down,’” Jay-Z said, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-jay-z-and-nas-feud/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>American Songwriter</a>. “Once again, I apologize. I felt like I didn’t think about women’s feelings or [Nas’ former girlfriend’s] feelings, or even my mom. It was really like, ‘Let me meet your level of disrespect with this level of disrespect.’”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-he-spoke-about-his-tour-with-r-kelly”>He spoke about his tour with R. Kelly</h2>
<p id=”par-8_40″>Jay-Z and Kelly’s 2004 tour ended early. Kelly walked off stage at more than one show, and a friend of Jay-Z’s reportedly pepper-sprayed him at a Madison Square Garden show. Upon reflection, Jay-Z said the tour <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jay-z-said-short-lived-tour-r-kelly-sad-see.html/”>had been a disaster</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-9_15″>“Didn’t go well?” he told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jay-z-king-of-america-173501/3/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a> in 2010. “That’s the understatement of the year.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_7″>He claimed he wanted to help Kelly.</p>
<p id=”par-11_25″>“I wanted to help him, and I’d tell him things that were maybe not my place to say,” he said. “It was sad to see.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_33″><strong><em>How to get help: </em></strong><em>In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.</em></p>