Jay Electronica: "Alot of New York Stuff Has Been Wack Lately"

New Orleans rapper, Jay Electronica, found himself tangled in a war of words with New York radio personality, DJ Kay Slay, this week, after making some seemingly controversial comments about Wu-Tang rapper RZA.

During a recent interview in London, Jay Elect tastefully expressed his opinions about some of RZA's earlier work, but his comments still rubbed Kay Slay the wrong way. "Peace on RZA, that's my brother," Jay said. "RZA had a great effect on me via the Wu-Tang Clan and the music he did. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for the RZA and the Wu. But also RZA you said some crazy wild ----, and if you would have seen me at that time we might have had a physical altercation."

Kay Slay responded to Jay Elect's comments via Twitter, expressing that it was disrespectful to New York emcees. "This Jay Electronica dude getting real disrespectful towards New York ------ these days. If he hates us so ------ much, why does he rap like us," he wrote. "His ------ interview just made my blood boil," Slay wrote, as he directed his followers to Jay's interview.

Jay addressed Slay's outrage during an appearance on Angela Yee's 'Lip Service' radio show on Shade 45, where he tried to reiterate that he meant no disrespect and was simply voicing an opinion. "I'm not rhyming like nobody, we all got influences. And no disrespect, I love Kay Slay," Jay said. "When I said New York ------ was dissing us and talking crazy ---- about us; I'm not being hypothetical," he said. "I'm talking about what I experienced. I was real clear in the interview, I have super respect for RZA. If it wasn't for Wu, Nas, BIG, Jeru, Primo -- by the way, Primo's from Texas -- if it wasn't for all these people I wouldn't be the person I am today."

Kay Slay took one more jab at the issue later that night on his Hot 97 radio slot, reprimanding Jay Elect for bringing up past issues between Southern and East Coast rappers. But when all was said and done, he made it clear that the matter did not to be blown out of proportion."Dear bloggers! Me an Jay Elec are grown men an we had our opinions about issues an that's that...No violence just opinions! Ya'll can relax now!" Slay wrote.

Man, what y'all think on this?

He's right, to be honest. For the most part, it has been pretty meh...

And he always handles things VERY well. His attitude/personality is half the reason (okay, not really half) why I like him as an artist... 

He's right, to be honest. For the most part, it has been pretty meh...

And he always handles things VERY well. His attitude/personality is half the reason (okay, not really half) why I like him as an artist... 

elpooz

no morals in da rap game

stuff like this just makes the rap game so boring. OMG SOMEONE IS SAYING AN OPINION. MANY PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH IT. LET'S GET ANGRY.

who cares, idgaf what you little artists think about anything. make some **** music.

Dissapointed in you ITI. Jay Elect isn't the savior of rap some paint him to be, but he is really dope. Plus, when you got just two east coast albums you remind me that you dislike Wu.

*SMH*

There have been about a billion people that are supposed to get me to care about East Coast rap again over this past decade, and the best any of them have really came is just kinda sounding like the 90's again. And hell, I'm not even expecting anything cIassic; I just love East Coast rap and would love for some artists to let me enjoy it again. So, with a precedent like that, I'm just kinda skeptical that Jay is even worth checking out, especially since he seems to be making some attention ***** comments lately.

And yeah, of course I'm not a huge fan of the Wu - with few exceptions. Of course the major exception is Ghostface, and even though I love albums like Supreme Clientelle, there was a LOT of amazing music this past decade, and an album like that would probably just miss my top 100.

Also, I figured there would probably be some backlash to my post, probably in the form of people reminding me all the great east coast rap from the past decade that I missed. And that's what I would love - please remind me that the east coast meant more to this last decade than two Jay-Z albums. But the first thing I imagined people would remind me of is various Wu-Tang projects. That's great; Wu-Tang was boring in the 90's and they're waaaaaaaaaaaaay more boring now. But if that's all people have, then I get the feeling I'm not wrong in assuming the East Coast basically called it quits in the 00's.

Now, I realize it wasn't exactly easy for the East Coast, since you had the South really coming into it's own at the turn of the century, and, as the south was seeing so much success with the bay area's business model, you had a post-Dre West Coast (and I'm talking about all the way from Cali up to Washington) re-imagining their identity to create what, imo, is the most exciting time in rap history. The East Coast was kinda stuck with a dilema - either stick with tradition and risk sounding outdated, or change with the times and risk sounding bandwagon. I guess both parties have enjoyed a bit of success with each formula, as Wu-Tang still seems to make a decent amount of money off of releasing the same album 80 billion times, and Jay-Z (who didn't hesitate to reach out to guys like Juvenile and UGK) still seems to be doing alright for himself. But, it seems like, by and large, any known name that's still releasing music from the East Coast is still trying to make records that sound like they're from the 90's.

And if stagnation were the only problem, it probably still wouldn't be all that bad. Hell, any major innovations in any region's sound had pretty much been made by the end of the first half of the 00's (from chopped-and-screwed to Nolia Bounce to Hyphy to whatever). But the simple fact is that there is also a HUGE lack of quality. As far as I'm concenred, Jay's two cIassics are the only east coast releases of the last decade that can really hang with the great east coast albums of the 90's.

East coast is where its at

That wasn't the point I was making ... I said that I wouldn't have had a problem with East Coast rappers not being able to get out of that sound if anyone in the last decade was actually still capable of making music that good.

If I sounded like I was hating on golden age east coast rap that's not what I was saying at all. I love that stuff as much as the next guy. Okay, probably not quite as much as the next guy, cuz I'm probably too busy listening to some old mobb ****, but still, I love that music.

[QUOTE="Anti-Venom"]

East coast is where its at

Mkavanaugh77

No son, rap was created in the west, and the west is were it is at

?

uhhhh... Mickey Factz - Heaven's Fallout

Sean P, Dipset and Masta Ace put out some pretty great, not classic, ish. Then there's Pretty Tony but I can't convince you his stuff was as great as I think it is. You can hate on the east of recent, it deserves it, just give Jay-E a chance man.

haha, are you serious about that Mikey Factz? I remember liking it, if even just for the fact that mixing rap and idm together was a nice novelty. But most of the music he released after that was pretty bad, and all the "internet buzz" rappers he was associated with suck, so I haven't really revisited that album in ages.

Also, is he even from the east coast? The hell if I'd know from the sound of the album, but, again, it's not a bad thing for the east coast to try something new.

Dipset? For real? I'd always wanted to like them, but it always felt like a chore trying to find out what was really worth listening to from them, so I just said **** it and moved on. It might be worth revisiting their catalogue, though ...

Jay E is from the south ^... you should check out J Coles though... elpooz

J. Cole reps the south also...

i don't really consider north carolina the south... that's a pretty big stretchelpooz

I lived in NC for 2 years lol... and still don't consider it "southern"... having been to alabama and georgia, NC just seems like it shouldn't be called that because of how much different it is. It's southern but it isn't what people would generically picture the south to be like... and I lived in VA for 6 years, and yes a good bit above Richmond and everything below is very much southern lol... That doesn't make the Clipse a southern group though, in rap terms... just like you don't think of J Cole and go "dirty dirty south..." When I think of southern rap, I think of ATL-based people, people from Texas, and then the those from the lower coastal states...  maybe that's just me.

 

I lived in NC for 2 years lol... and still don't consider it "southern"... having been to alabama and georgia, NC just seems like it shouldn't be called that because of how much different it is. It's southern but it isn't what people would generically picture the south to be like... and I lived in VA for 6 years, and yes a good bit above Richmond and everything below is very much southern lol... That doesn't make the Clipse a southern group though, in rap terms... just like you don't think of J Cole and go "dirty dirty south..." When I think of southern rap, I think of ATL-based people, people from Texas, and then the those from the lower coastal states...  maybe that's just me.

elpooz

North Carolina is just as southern as Tennessee, Alabama and Louisana...I have family in NC, and they are COUNTRY as hell. My great grandfather died about ten years back and for a family reunion they buried him on his farm which btw was the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service/electricity/etc.....if that's not the south, then I don't know what is.

VA and lower is the south as far as I'm concerned.

Maybe I haven't seen enough of NC :lol:... I lived in Raleigh, so that might be why... I REALLY don't consider Clipse a southern rap group... that seems... odd, to me atleast. 

Y'all think y'all know NC? I been here all my life. 17 years. Yes we the east coast but the "south east". Yeah, the Tarheel state.kobegill

[QUOTE="kobegill"]Y'all think y'all know NC? I been here all my life. 17 years. Yes we the east coast but the "south east". Yeah, the Tarheel state.DaDukies

Fayetteville, NC. Some places are southern but I ain't southern..LOL