‘Are you sure you still got this?’: Jay-Z questioned place in rap game after Lil Wayne’s ‘Dough Is What I Got’

Rappers Lil Wayne and Jay-Z got into a dispute back in 2007 after some freestyle rapping. Following his 2003 “retirement,” Lil Wayne (Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) released a mixtape with 13 tracks, nine of which were freestyles by Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter) over instrumentals. Since Jay-Z seemed to be out of the game, many saw this as Wayne’s attempt to take his place. It took Jay-Z three years to return, with ‘Kingdom Come’ in 2006. Lil Wayne later covered the lead single, “Show Me What You Got,” which samples the Public Enemy song “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got,” in “Dough Is What I Got,” a 2007 song that featured a freestyle verse over the beat of the original song. Wayne declared at the beginning of his line, “This is a public service announcement. Lil Wayne, Weezy F. Baby, is the best rapper alive. Hit me. Haha.

Jay-Z talked about the first time he heard the cover song, saying, “I had to take a long walk and look at myself in the mirror when he rapped on ‘Show Me What You Got.'”Are you sure you still got this?” I asked.
With musicians like Wayne releasing songs that seemed to elevate the ante, many people were left wondering if the rapper still had what it takes to be in the rap industry after his comeback. In his freestyle rhyme, “Dough Is What I Got,” Wayne alludes to the NBA to contrast his abilities with Jay-Z’s, suggesting that he was the Lebron and Kobe to Jay-Z’s Jordan.
Wayne reacted to Jay-Z’s remarks by saying, “He didn’t say that part…He just said to me, “Boy, you’re coming for me.”

In 2006, Wayne further fueled a full-fledged feud with Jay-Z by remarking in an interview with Complex about his return from retirement. “I will tell you why I don’t like what he is talking about. Because he sounds as though hip-hop is dead and that he has to return. You say it’s dead; what? That implies that I’m not rapping the entire time, right?
Wayne went on, “I’ve spent 13 years here. How is it going to be dead?… It’s almost like a rebirth. Thus, that’s probably causing him some trouble. His entire motivation for returning was, “It was dead, and you guys needed me.”
“You made a positive exit…It was your home. Everyone at the house, including the artists, exclaimed, “Hey, this is Jay’s house.” He’s making a gracious exit. Everybody agrees that he’s the best. When you return, do you still believe this is your home? Wayne remarked, “I’m better than you, and it’s not your house.”
However, Jay-Z had no intention of taking this rivalry lightly! With the release of “American Gangster,” the rapper made a comeback in 2007. Many people saw this album as the maestro’s comeback. But he didn’t stop there. Wayne also made an appearance on Jay-Z’s song “Hello Brooklyn 2.0,” which not only dispelled any speculations that the two were already at odds but also demonstrated to us all how to properly handle competition—with style and competence.