Jay-Z Denies Kanye West Diss on Meek Mill’s ‘What’s Free’; West Responds

By Nate Nickolai

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – UPDATED: Jay-Z broke his Twitter silence Friday to clarify his verse on Meek Mill’s latest single ‘What’s Free.’

On the track, Jay-Z raps, “No red hat, don’t Michael and Prince me and Ye/ They separate you when you got Michael and Prince’s DNA/ I ain’t one of these house n—– you bought/ My house like a resort, my house bigger than yours/ My spou – c’mon, man.”

Many believed the rapper was taking aim at fellow rap icon Kanye West, following the rapper’s flurry of support for President Trump. Several of West’s social media posts also featured the president’s “Make America Great Again” hat, which Jay-Z appears to be referencing at the beginning of the verse.

However, Jay-Z denied claims alleging that he was criticizing West by posting his own explanation of the verse on Twitter: “The line clearly meant don’t pit me against my brothers no matter what our differences are (red hat) now go pick up Meek album . Drake and Meek on there together,” he wrote. The rare Tweet also marks the first time the rapper has posted on the social media account since June 2017, prompting a host of fan reactions.

In response, West asked about a sequel to “Watch the Throne,” the pair’s tag-team album from 2012:

In the past, West’s political views have differed wildly from Jay-Z’s own beliefs, which drew a response from the president after the rapper critiqued his social media posts during a controversial interview on the inaugural episode of “The Van Jones Show.”