It has been nine years since Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter dropped his last studio LP.
The rap icon made his return to the limelight over the weekend by aiming at a few hip-hop heads who have taken shots at him in recent years.
Jay-Z, 56, stepped out in front of the crowd with a brand new look at the 2026 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on May 30.
The Brooklyn-bred emcee abandoned his signature locks for a fluffed-out curly afro to drop bombs that rocked the music industry.
His set featured a Roc-A-Fella reunion and a three-minute freestyle of clapbacks aimed at his longtime rivals.
Jay-Z spared no mercy for Drake, Nicki Minaj, Kanye “Ye” West, and Tory Lanez, all of whom have made insulting remarks about him in their music, in interviews, or online.
“Cancel the brunches, I remember the hunger pains,” likely a nod to the cancelation of his popular Roc Nation brucnches, which set the tone musically for the industry.
However, Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty have never attended.
“That lady back on that stuff, she sounds like she’s in love with ’em. Her Ken can’t even… pick they kid… enough of them. A rapper can’t be my opp, I got MAGA republicans,” Jay-Z rapped.
Beyoncé husband Jay-Z seemingly disses Nicki Minaj and her Makk Balla Brims affiliate husband Kenneth Petty
— Kollege Kidd (@KollegeKidd) May 31, 2026
“That lady back on that stuff, she sounds like she in love with him. Her Ken can’t even pick up….take the kid….enough of them.” pic.twitter.com/LDAnNTSwqH
To make matters worse, Jay then brought out Minaj’s ex, Meek Mill, to perform his song, “Dreams and Nightmares.”
Jay-Z’s apparent diss arrives after months of attacks from Minaj, who has accused him of owing her millions in stake tied to Tidal and repeatedly mocked him online.
She has proudly claimed to be his “Karma,” sharing AI images of Jay-Z as a pink-haired Barb and wild claims about his wife Beyonce.
The “Pink Friday” rapper also chimed in during a lawsuit filed by a man claiming to be Jay-Z’s secret son, using the controversy to take additional shots at the rap mogul.
On Drake, he said, “The jig is up, n**** I’m up 10, wrong chart champ, n****s looked up to Hov, I never looked up to them,” as a direct response to Drake’s “Iceman” diss on “Janice STFU.” The track debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last month.
But Jay-Z kept going taking aim at Drake’s rap career and his contract issues that he doesn’t have.
“Them crackers got your publishing checks, go talk tough to them, don’t talk success to me, you n****s is workers, in perpetuity is how your contract is worded,” Jay-Z blasted.
He even went after West for asserting that his and Beyoncé’s children have mental disabilities.
“My children is some of them, have you n**** no shame? Y’all trying to get under skin, I really get under skin. Ask Un how I’m playin. Y’all thoughts with your thumbs again. Everybody thinks they’re the ones insane. You’re no maniac, watch how sane he act in my presence, n—s shrink.”
Jay-Z also appeared to take a subtle shot at former Roc-A-Fella partner Damon “Dame” Dash. The two helped build the label into a hip-hop powerhouse in the 1990s before their partnership collapsed.
Since then, Dash, 55, has waged a decades-long crusade, repeatedly criticized Jay-Z over personal and business disputes in interviews.
While Jay reached billionaire status in the subsequent years with new endeavors like the Roc Nation management company, Dame has repeatedly faced financial troubles.
Reports claim the Harlem native was forced to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2025 to expunge his $25 million debt.
Jay-Z addressed Dame’s gripes on the Roots Picnic stage, including the viral video of Dame losing his dentures on camera.
“Another one fumbled his, wonder how I get the blame? N—-s’ teeth is tumblin’ out their mouth, and somehow I’m the one who done it, there’s a murder mystery game,” Jay rapped.
Jay took another shot at Dame later in the freestyle when he said, “That Chatty Patty down on his luck again.”
In 2015, Dash popularized the phrase “chatty patty” during a confrontational interview on “The Breakfast Club” radio show, where he called out host Charlamagne Tha God for being a gossiper.
With Jay reheating the beef with his former Roc-A-Fella comrade on Saturday night, Dame decided to fire back on Instagram the following day.
On May 31, he shared an altered image of the “4:44” album creator appearing as a famous Disney animal.
The derogatory picture replaced the music superstar’s face with the face of the buck-toothed Goofy character. Dame tagged the verified Jay-Z Instagram account in the caption and added a laughing emoji.
Other Instagram users joined in on the trolling, with some commenters co-signing the comical jab at Jay.
However, most of the reactions were not on Dame’s side. One person who zoomed in on the Goofy meme replied, “That kinda look like the picture of when your fronts fell out, my G. I can’t lie.”
Another jokester on the app offered, “Dame been mentioning this Jay for a decade now. He [is] mad Jay finally responded, lol.”
Dame was also given a taste of his own medicine when someone pointed out, “That man still has all his money, teeth, and all his business affairs in order, but you calling him Goofy?”
One of the most liked comments on Dame’s post simply stated, “Teeth tumbling.”
Meanwhile, a fan of both Roc-A-Fella co-founders took a more neutral position, writing, “There is no Jay Z [without] Dame. Love them both.”
If history is a foreteller of the future, the public should expect Dame to further his ongoing resentment campaign against Jay-Z, and with Hov preparing to play three nights at New York’s Yankee Stadium in July, the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee will likely have more to say about his confidant-turned-adversary in the coming weeks.
