Large Professor,
former lead rapper for 90’s rap group Main Source, has revealed additional
information on the the Jay-Z/Nas beef. In an interview with XXL magazine, the
producer/rapper revealed the facts behind Jay-Z’s line on the Nas dis,
“The Takeover.” On the song, Jay-Z said, “I showed you your first
Tec [gun] on tour with Large Professor, then I heard your rhyme about the Tec
upon the dresser.”
Confirming the lyrics, Large Professor said in the early 90’s he toured
with Jay-Z’s mentor Jaz, the UMC,’ and Nas, who was on the rise as
an emcee. During the concert stop in Washington D.C., the sound system stopped
working during the middle of the show, where disappointed, angry fans began
to riot.
According to LP, the rappers retreated into a tour bus, thinking they would
have to fight the fans. “We were figuring we gonna have to knuckle down,”
he said. “Jay came out of nowhere, reaching in his gym bag [pulling out
a gun] like, ‘Don’t even sweat these n#####. I got that’”
He said, at that time, there was no beef between Jay and future nemesis Nas
though. “He didn’t show Nas the gun like, ‘I’m gonna shoot
you,’ but we were all just like, “Whew.”
In related news, Large Professor is preparing to drop his first solo album,
1st Class. After releasing his Main Source classic, Breaking Atoms,
over 10 years ago, he was stricken with several years of label-related problems.
The producer did tracks for many artists, including Nas, Kool G Rap, Rakim and
A Tribe Called Quest. Large Professor most recently contributed tracks to Nas’
current album, Stillmatic.