“That’s Jigga,” Memphis Bleek said about the viral Roots Picnic freestyle by JAŸ-Z that addressed a variety of big names in today’s rap in a new Boardroom interview.
It was the latest example of how the rap legend has always chosen music over public debate. The longtime Roc-A-Fella rapper reflected on the performance that reignited conversation across hip-hop. Although Bleek was backstage during the set, he said the backstage chaos prevented him from hearing the freestyle live.
Instead, he caught it the same way much of the internet did.
“Jay just be having verses. I know,” Bleek said.
According to Bleek, the viral moment only scratched the surface of JAŸ-Z’s creative process.
“I be trying to get him to spit, but he got too many verses that he just tucks,” he said. “When you’re a writer, you’re a rapper, you’re an artist, you’re gonna continue to write. Whether you release it or not.”
For Bleek, the freestyle also reintroduced fans to a version of JAŸ-Z that newer listeners may know only through reputation.
Memphis Bleek On JAŸ-Z’s Roots Picnic Rap Freestyle: “It Was Needed”
“Everybody get hit. He put the fully on,” Bleek said. “These kids got the switch, they don’t know about the fully. They know Shawn Carter, they know Jay-Z, they don’t know Jigga. That’s Jigga. Welcome, man.”
He viewed the performance as a direct response to the growing volume of online commentary surrounding the Brooklyn mogul.
“I’m happy he did ’cause a lot of people they just talk and talk and talk and it’s no one to rebuke it,” Bleek said. “Lies get spewed all over the Internet and turned into truth.”
He continued, “Only the lie seems like the truth. So, I’m glad he put belt to ass on certain people. They deserved that spanking.”
Bleek said the freestyle fit a pattern that has defined JAŸ-Z’s career since the Roc-A-Fella era.
“Jay always responds through music,” he explained. “Anything he’s feeling or going through, it’s always been in the music.”
Rather than trading insults across social media, Bleek said JAŸ-Z has consistently preferred to let his records speak.
“If we’re going to entertain, I’ma make money off it,” he said.
For Bleek, the Roots Picnic freestyle wasn’t just another viral clip. It was a reminder that JAŸ-Z still answers critics the same way he always has—through the microphone.
Leave a Reply