Nas responds to fans using Jay-Z rivalry in NYC casino competition: ‘No One Has Any Control Over Things Like That’
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Nas comments on fans reigniting Jay-Z feud due to competing casino projects.
Nas is dismissing the fan speculation that connects his recent business success to his past rivalry with Jay-Z.
Resorts World's casino proposal — in collaboration with Nas — received approval from the Community Advisory Committee to develop an expanded $5.5 billion casino project in Queens. However, Roc Nation's plan for a casino in Times Square was rejected by the CAC.
Fans were intrigued by the clash between the former rivals, as they set the two competing casinos against each other. Nas emerged victorious, as Resorts World's proposal only requires approval from the State Gaming Commission, while the bid from Jay, SL Green, and Caesars is nearly defunct.
Nas sat down with Rolling Stone on Tuesday (Oct. 7) to discuss fans revisiting his feud with Jay-Z, as the two rap icons are involved in the bidding for casino licenses in NYC.
“It is just a thing that some people are going to talk about,” Nas stated. “No one has any control over things like that. I still study Rakim and Big Daddy Kane. Some rap fans just like to go off on those things from time to time. That’s it.”
Even Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. took a shot at Jay-Z following the Resorts World bid approval.
“There’s a theme in Queens, and I know that Nas was a part of this: Queens get the money. Sorry, Jay-Z, we win again,” Richards quipped. “You can let the Brooklyn borough president know that I send my regards to him.”
Of course, Jay and Nas have long squashed their beef. Tensions in the ’90s reached a boiling point in the early 2000s with the Queensbridge native’s “Stillmatic Freestyle,” which was followed by Hov’s “Takeover” and Nas’ “Ether.”
Regarding the casino, Resorts World NYC was unanimously approved by the CAC with a 6-0 vote on September 25. Resorts World aims to open the renovated Southeast Queens casino by July 2026, with the Aqueduct Park project expected to be one of the largest in the U.S., covering 350,000 square feet.
Resorts World is planning to unveil a new entertainment venue capable of accommodating 7,000 people, and NBA champion and Queens native Kenny "The Jet" Smith will play a role in developing a sports complex on the Resorts World campus.
The ambitious initiative aims to create 24,000 new jobs in Queens and generate $1 million in additional revenue in its first year of operation.