Mos Def speaks with Angie Martinez on Hot 97 about his previous remarks claiming he’s the greatest rapper alive. Mos Def states that the comment was taken out of context, and then discusses what prompted him to address the issue. He disputes Jay-Z‘s claim that he’s the greatest rapper alive, and questions what that is based on. He speaks on his idea for a battle, and his idea for a dream team (Mos Def, Black Thought, MF Doom, Jay Electronica, and Nas). He’s calling it the Battle of New Orleans.
Mos Def makes it clear that by Jay-Z claiming he is the greatest rapper alive, he is essentially declaring himself greater than the likes of Rakim, Slick Rick, and others despite the fact that they are still living. I think Mos Def is making a very legitimate point in that Jay-Z is essentially disrespecting hip hop as a whole in that nature. Finally, at the end, Mos Def shouts out Dame Dash. You do the math on that one.