In a new interview with NME, Nas addresses the controversy that followed him name-checking Doja Cat on his comeback single, “Ultra Black.” He previously spoke on the line itself, claiming that he didn’t feel it was a diss during an interview with Power 106, but during this new interview, he talks about being caught off-guard by the controversy and how out-of-touch he feels with modern social media.
“Well, I’ve been away, so, of course, I mention someone’s name that’s popular and people are gonna talk about it,” he replies. “I hear people do it all the time but no one makes a big deal of it. Maybe it’s because I don’t put out records a lot, so they’re like, ‘Whoa!’ I don’t really know the world that these stars live in anymore. I’m rapping the same way I did when I was on the block, but now there’s a new world and what I say can take off with social media and I can’t do anything about it.”
“Ultra Black” drew a backlash from fans due to its line referencing Doja Cat’s recent chat room scandal. “We going ultra-Black, the opposite of Doja Cat,” he rhymes. Fans interpreted this as a derogatory comment toward the “Say So” singer, who had just been accused of participating in a white supremacist chat room at the same time as an old track of hers titled “Dindu” — a slur against Black people — resurfaced online. Doja apologized for the song but also defended her chat friends from accusations of racism.
Doja Cat herself responded to Nas’ line a couple of times since. Initially, she sarcastically told fans during a live stream “I am so offended and upset about this song” before noting that her anticipated single “N****s Ain’t Sh*t” is an unintentional acronym for “Nas.” Ultimately, she said that she will never beef with Nas — however, I propose as a counterpoint: “N****s Ain’t Sh*t” remix, featuring Nas. Think about it, guys.
Check out Nas’ full NME interview here.
