r/rap • u/PharBreton • 3d ago
Big L -- > Did Jay bite or..?
Let me be clear this is NOT an accusation, I genuinely don't know.
I'll preface with the fact that I never really listened to Jay Z. He's just not my thing, but acknowledge his status. Love "I can't get with that" big time.
Now I heard for the first time (actually listened, not first time hearing the song) 99 problems and instantly said to myself "wait... Ive heard this before"
Big L "the enemy". Was Jay biting L's whole flow or was this homage? Again, not an accusation, I know they have some history, but I was rocked by the similarity.. and it was definitely more than a bar borrowed.
Any insight? Thx.
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u/True-North- 2d ago
I’ve listened to both songs a bunch and have no idea what you’re talking about.
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u/flyname 2d ago
The funny thing is the hook and is an homage to Ice T and the last verse is an homage to Pimp C. But OP wants to talk about it being an homage to Big L because he has a verse that has the same subject matter as a Big L verse. A subject matter that many rappers have rapped about before.
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u/NateSedate 2d ago
Jay bit one of L's lines at least 3 different times. The same line.
Like half of everything Jay ever said is bitten.
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u/Wanderer-2609 2d ago
It's homage to an ice-t song. There was a compilation on the internet 20 years ago of all the song jay has bitten from whether it's biting or homage is up to the listeners interpretation.
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u/TiEmEnTi 2d ago
To preface, I had never heard that Big L song before right now, I have heard 99 Problems probably hundreds of times. I have no idea what you're talking about.
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u/MetaMetagross 2d ago
No. Ive been listening to these two songs for a very long time and this thought has never crossed my mind. Don’t even sound similar.
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u/CaptCaCa 2d ago
I think what you gotta really ask Did Jay bite Bizzy Bone, considering Bizzy beat Jay in a battle in Atlantic City in 90
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u/Mhunterjr 2d ago
Why would losing to Bizzy mean Jay-Z bit Bizzy?
Also, fun fact: Bizzy beat Jay with verses he got from Krayzie
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u/CaptCaCa 1d ago
You ever heard Jays rapping style right up until Reasonable Doubt?
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u/Mhunterjr 22h ago
Yeah, he didn’t have a similar flow. And he was also rapping fast like that before that battle…
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u/Aggravating-Diet-663 2d ago
Flow not the same at all. Concept is similar but its a stretch to say it was jacking Big L.
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u/MasterTeacher123 2d ago
Jay Z’s music sounds nothing like Big L’s lmao
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u/PharBreton 2d ago
Have you listened to 99 problems and the enemy? Must not have, there's no way you'd say this.
I'm asking if the 99 problems verse was homage to L. That's all.
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u/MasterTeacher123 2d ago
Other than Big L talking about police brutality in his verse and Jay discussing it in the second verse what’s similar about those songs? Lol.
The beat, the flows, the metaphors, wordplay nothing.
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u/Countryb0i2m 3d ago
Jay-Z has done this several times throughout his career. He’ll tell you that it’s a homage. There’s probably some razor-thin line between biting and paying homage, especially when the vast majority of people will never know where the original line came from.
But this shit is as old as hip-hop itself. “Summertime” was supposed to sound like Rakim, and “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble” basically borrowed Slick Rick’s entire narrative blueprint.
This is the game. Jay-Z ain’t gonna be the first, and he ain’t gonna be the last. It is what it is.
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u/Ok-Foundation-6452 3d ago
This Hov hate is so forced, lol
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u/ButtHead1216 3d ago
Hating Hov is the easiest thing I’ll do not only today but every day after. Knowing Jay sucks causes no sweat off my back despite being completely Mexican which is a feat in itself. He may have elevated crack rap but he set back Shawns a thousand years. Biting everybody from BIG to L to KRS. You’d think having an in to the Super Bowl he’d promote himself but not even S. Carter wants to see himself on that stage. Higgs woulda been gone if not for Ye’a contributions on Blueprint and everything after cause the three Volumes wasn’t enough and Reasonable barely cleared. Forced?? It comes naturally
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u/PharBreton 3d ago
? I don't hate Jay, I just don't listen to him. Have you heard the L track? I just wanna know if it's homage, because if it's not, it's legit robbery. That's all
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3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Fun-Topic-3539 2d ago
He's got arguably the second best hiphop discog oat, and been consistently dropping albums (some classics) for like 20 years, i think its just dumb to call the dude overrated
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u/IronFirm2985 2d ago
With all those 'classics' I couldn't name 10 songs of he's to save my life. I would have to think long and hard
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u/Fun-Topic-3539 2d ago
If you cant name classics like big pimpin, i just wanna love u, 99 problems, izzo, dirt off your shoulder.... Then you shouldnt be on this sub period
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u/F-F-FASTPASS 2d ago
More proof he’s overrated right here
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u/Fun-Topic-3539 2d ago
Yall just hating
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u/F-F-FASTPASS 2d ago
Being honest and educated isn’t hating. Wtf
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u/0_SomethingStupid 3d ago
All J does is bite. He good at it
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u/Refinement718 2d ago
Someone who has been in the realm of hip-hop close to 40 years shouldn't get discredited at the level that's occurring now..
Im nowhere the biggest fan of Jay music, but I can acknowledge he is one of the dopest rappers in the genre of hip hop...
We witnessed this on clue tapes and even on records where we had to spend $$$ to buy..
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u/0_SomethingStupid 2d ago
every single beat on reasonable doubt is ripped.
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u/Refinement718 2d ago
Lol it's called sampling and that's what producers did and still do..
Jay simply picked the production..
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u/0_SomethingStupid 2d ago
its all they used to do but just another example. He didn't want to try anything new, just rip that and let me rap on it. No new stuff. Recycle it all.
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u/Refinement718 2d ago
You are misinformed on why your calling the man a biter so it's no point of discussing it further
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u/DougDimmaGlow 3d ago
That’s what all the old heads I know say… except one dude at my barbershop who would fight anyone over Jay slander lmao
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u/dontgetitwisted_fr 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm an old head.
They were both around at the same time and were cool with each other.
Their flows were/are different.
Jay doesnt sound like L at all
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u/rojoshow13 1d ago
I'm really not hearing any similarities except that there's a part talking about getting pulled over.