Jay-Z disses – Jay-Z headlined Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on Saturday night and, during a freestyle, appeared to take shots at Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, and Drake—along with references fans connected to Nicki’s husband Kenneth Petty, Drake’s recent diss, and other hip-hop f
Jay-Z didn’t wait for a microphone moment—he started freestyling while headlining Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on Saturday night, and the lyrics quickly turned into a pointed, wide-ranging run that fans are already reading as diss after diss.
Video from the set circulated online, with many viewers focusing on lines they believe target Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty. In the freestyle, Jay rapped: “That lady back on the stuff, she sound like she in love with ’em / Her Ken can’t even … Take they kids … enough of them.”
Online, fans connected those words to Kenneth Petty’s status as a registered sex offender and suggested Jay was implying he can’t safely drop their son off at school or pick him up. Others also said the performance appeared to mimic Nicki when she forgot the words to her own songs during touring.
Nicki’s politics became part of the discussion too, after Jay rapped: “A rapper can’t be my opp, I got MAGA Republicans / Them shots came from the very top of the government, good luck with them.” The line landed in the middle of attention on Nicki Minaj’s recent public support for Donald Trump.
The freestyle didn’t stay confined to one feud. Fans also pointed to lyrics they believe are aimed at Drake. after Drake dissed Jay-Z a few times on a new album. Jay’s verse included: “My net worth went up again. the next update / The jig is up. n**** I’m up 10 / wrong chart champ. n***** looked up to Hov. I never looked up to them / The crackas got your publishing gangsta. go talk tough to them / Don’t talk success to me. you n***** is workers. in perpetuity is how your contract is worded.”.
In the same sequence of lines, Jay referenced “the jig is up” and his “chart” line was also tied by listeners to the battle between Jay-Z and Drake for most Billboard No. 1 albums.
Kanye West also seemed to catch attention. Jay rapped: “You ever heard of a wunderkind? My children are some of them / Have you n***** have no shame? Yall tryna get under skin? / I’ll really get under skin, ask Un how I’m playing.”
He kept going. layering more taunts with additional stabs fans interpreted as personal: “Y’all thugs with y’all thumbs again. everybody thinks they’re the ones insane / You’re no maniac. watch how sane he acts in my presence. n***** shrink / I need a new therapist. this s*** is not working / I’m truly on the brain. y’all better not encourage him / Y’all don’t want me to think these thoughts that I think / That nut-a** n**** still stuttering / That chatty patty still down on his luck again.”.
The clip also sparked wider speculation. Along with Nicki, Drake, and Kanye, Jay appeared to fire shots at Tory Lanez, Damon Dash, and attorney Tony Buzbee. Buzbee is mentioned in connection with his role representing numerous individuals in high-profile sexual abuse and misconduct lawsuits against Diddy.
As for official responses, Jay-Z—along with Drake, Kanye, and Nicki—were reached out to, but as of now there is no word back.
Jay-Z Roots Picnic Philadelphia Nicki Minaj Kenneth Petty Drake Kanye West freestyle diss lyrics social media reaction Billboard No. 1 albums