Jay-Z dissed Nicki Minaj, Drake and Ye West during a Roots Picnic freestyle on Saturday, May 30, in Philadelphia. The 56-year-old rapper wore an afro wig instead of his signature dreads extensions.
The Roots Picnic is an annual music festival founded by The Roots, who was the backing band for Jay-Z’s show. The Roots shocked fans earlier this year by announcing Jay-Z as one of the headliners for the Roots Picnic.
Jay-Z performed a 35-song set in preparation for his concerts at Yankee Stadium in NYC on July 10-11. It was his first live concert in 7 years.
The rapper started his set with “Hovi Baby,” his 2002 hit from his bestselling album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse. During his freestyle, he took aim at Drake, Nicki Minaj and Ye West, formerly Kanye. He also dissed his former business partner, Damon Dash.
In response to Drake’s Iceman disses, Jay-Z snapped: “The jig is up, ni**a. I’m up 10, wrong chart champ, ni**a, looked up to Hov, I never looked up to them.”
Fans were confused when Jay-Z stuttered and seemed to forget his lines while dissing Nicki and her husband, Ken Petty, who is accused of assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 1995.
“That lady back on that stuff, she sounds like she’s in love with ’em. Her Ken can’t even pick up… take the kid… enough of them,” he stuttered. Jay meant to say: “Her Ken can’t even pick up their kid from school,” in reference to Ken’s registered sex offender status that bars him from being around children.
“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 shades Nicki Minaj at his Roots Picnic show tonight. pic.twitter.com/PfFa6T3QRw
— Pop Tingz (@PopTingz) May 31, 2026