The Other Great Rap Battle of 2001

While Jay-Z and Nas vied for the throne, Beanie Sigel and Jadakiss engaged in their own classic duel

This originally appeared on The Passion of Christopher Pierznik

Everyone knows that an epic hip-hop battle that took place in late 2001, when Jay-Z and Nas brawled for the throne, but far too many people forget that another classic rap clash began that year as well.

Beanie Sigel, the general of the Roc-A-Fella Army and the leader of State Property, collided with Jadakiss, the most well-known member of The LOX and a rising star in Ruff Ryders. The origins of the beef are murky. Some believe it began when Jada claimed that rappers from Philadelphia were biting his style and flow. Others think it grew from a natural rivalry that was developing between Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders for New York rap supremacy.

There wasn’t always animosity between the two. Beanie and all three members of The LOX appeared together on Jay-Z’s “Reservoir Dogs” in 1998 and the following year, Beanie was featured on Foxy Brown’s “4–5–6,” on which he even gave props to ‘Kiss and his crew: “Haters wondering how I got a position with Roc/‘Cause I listen to The LOX and I listen and watch.” They had similar approaches — the streetwise emcee with a penchant for wordplay — and…