Jay-Z calls out Drake, Kanye and Nicki Minaj during first headline show in five years

Jay-Z hit out at Drake, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj during his first solo US performance in more than five years over the weekend at Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic.

After taking to the stage on Sunday, May 30, for his long-awaited festival return, Jay-Z launched into a thorny freestyle seemingly calling out his hip hop peers.

Following an opening performance of his 2002 track ‘Hovi Baby’, Jay-Z entered a diss-loaded four-minute-long a capella freestyle, first making an apparent dig at Drake.

Mixmag clothing capsules: Check out the collection at mixmag.shop 

"My net worth went up again / my next update, the jig is up," he rapped, referencing Drake’s track ‘Janice STFU’ from his new album ‘ICEMAN’. "Wrong chart, champ, you gotta look up again."

He seemingly called out Drake again for not owning his mastering rights: "Them crackers got your publishing gangsta, go talk tough to them / don’t talk success to me."

Jay-Z apparently went on to hit out at Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty, who is a convicted sex offender. "That lady back on the stuff, she sound like she in love with him / her Ken can’t even pick up they kids," he rapped.

Read this next: The evolution of rap beef: 34 of the best hip hop diss tracks

Elsewhere, the Brooklyn rapper also seemingly dissed Kanye, now Ye, who last year made scornful comments about Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s children in a rant on X.

"You ever heard of wonder-kin? My children are some of them," he spat. "Have you n****s no shame? You trying to get under skin? I’ll really get under skin."

His performance at Roots Picnic marked his first festival show in some seven years. During the 90-minute headline set, which featured over 30 tracks including a slew of his biggest hits, Jay-Z also linked up with hip hop collective The Roots on stage.

Check out some clips of Jay-Z's freestyle below.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor