Irv Gotti Explains Why DMX Always Hated Jay Z

Before DMX and Jay Z became international rap titans, they competed in a classic hip-hop war.

“They always had friction because they battled and X, like, hated him,” Gotti told Complex. “Jay didn’t really give a f–k but they was always on some competitive sh-t. That’s just the truth.”

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Maybe that explains Jigga’s early thoughts on X? According to Irv, Hov didn’t believe Dark Man would succeed because he made “depressing” music.

And then there was X…with platinum plaques. Apparently, this helped change things.

“Jay, especially, he looked and seen what I did with X,” Gotti explained. “And he was like, ‘Woah. Holy sh-t. That sh-t worked.’”

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Even with all that feuding, Hov and X have collaborated on a bunch of songs, including “It’s Murda” and “Blackout.” They even almost formed a group with Ja Rule.

Irv spoke with MTV News about X and Jay’s often strained relationship back in 2011. At the time, Gotti told a story about Hov being angry because DMX was going to close out “Time to Build,” a song they were both on. Irv went on to say that Jigga’s “whole verse was sh-ttin’ on” X.

Check out that interview below.