When Nas’ single “Ultra Black” came out last week, a line mentioning Doja Cat was perceived by the masses to be a diss towards the “Say So” artist after she was recently exposed for frequenting TinyChats with alleged white supremacists.
“Sometimes I’m over-black, even my clothes are black/Cash Money with the white tee and the soldier rag,” Nas raps on the Hit-Boy-produced King’s Disease track. “We going ultra black, unapologetically black/The opposite of Doja Cat, Michael Blackson black.”
Many took that line to be a swipe at Doja’s past and perceived self-hate. The 24-year-old, who is both Black and white, has since dismissed those claims and has offered up an apology along with an explanation for her behavior.
During a recent visit to Los Angeles radio station Power 106, Nas clarified that the line wasn’t meant to be a diss at all and there’s no beef.
“I was really just saying a rhyme that rhymed with ‘ultra Black,’” Nas told Power 106 on Friday (Aug. 21). “I didn’t even think of it, you know what I’m saying? It’s all love.”
Apparently, the famed lyricist was just trying to find another word that worked with scheme of the song.
“It was just like ‘Michael Blackson black,’” Nas continued. “They’re bars. Just lines. We play with words, man.”
Doja is now slated to drop a new single titled “N.A.S.” coming out as soon as next week, though she says it’s not about the New York rapper. The song’s title is an acronym for the name of a song that she previously teased to fans and was planning to release anyway.
“Which is funny! It’s kinda nice, because that was before the fact,” she said of the song’s title. “If you know what I’m talking about, then you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, you don’t.”