Source: Clarence Williams / Getty
JAŸ-Z’s freestyle at the Roots Picnic in May rubbed many of his rivals the wrong way as he took shots and subliminals at quite a few of his Hip-Hop peers and former associates, but one man didn’t necessarily take issue with JAŸ-Z bringing his name up again, he just wishes Jay would break him off a little something-something for making him relive his trauma.
In a recent interview on The Art of Dialogue, Lance “Un” Rivera was asked about JAŸ-Z once again referencing the infamous stabbing of 1999, which left Rivera with a few puncture wounds. Hova spat, “Y’all tryin’ to get under skin? I really get under skin / Ask “Un” how I’m playin’,” while making a stabbing gesture.
Responding to the question, Rivera revealed that he was planning on releasing a public letter to JAŸ-Z and took the time to read out loud what he wrote to arguably the greatest rapper of all time. Starting it off with “Dear Jay-Z” (so cordial), Lance’s letter praised the Brooklyn mogul for being the rags-to-riches story that most people only dream of becoming, while inspiring a generation of Hip-Hoppers behind him, saying, “You became a symbol of what can happen when talent meets opportunity and when ambition refuses to surrender to the systems designed to contain it.”
Further praising Jigga for his decades-long road to success and what his story means to millions of people in the struggle, Lance touched on the topic of becoming a punching bag for Jay’s bars and summed it up as nothing more than a marketing tool, saying, “I think what people need to understand is that most of Jay-Z’s intentions are purely based on marketing rollouts. I was part of the rollout for the products that’s going out right now in the streets. So, I fell victim to that.”
Still, it does sting Rivera that he continues to be “the butt of the joke,” adding, “He talks about trauma, but what about my trauma? What about the people who lived it trauma?” Saying he understands that Jay is using their incident as a way to sell an image of being “dangerous,” Rivera said he’d have less of an issue with it if Jay slid some paper his way, saying, “Pay me. Send me a check. I’ll be a part of your marketing strategy.”
At the end of the day, it all comes down to dollars and cents, right?
What do y’all think? Should JAŸ-Z cut Lance “Un” Rivera a check whenever referencing the stabbing in 1999? Let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments section below.
