Hammer Falls Short of an Ether Deathblow With Jay-Z Diss “Better Run Run!”

You have to hand it to Hammer. Regardless fo your take on his lyrical skill, he has never shied away from challenging anyone on wax. Back in his heyday, Hammer’s theatrical dance routines and squeaky clean image incited ridicule from 3rd Bass, Run DMC, and LL Cool J. Hammer made it a point to respond to each and every one of them, and even those who indirectly addressed him or used his name for punchlines, like Busta Rhymes and Eminem. In an era where emcees would rather claim you’re “hating” instead of responding to a lyrical challenge, Hammer’s attitude is in many ways refreshing to see.

The problem for Hammer is his disses have never been particularly good. The new one aimed at Jay-Z, “Better Run Run,” continues that dubious streak. Hammer’s been hyping this track for roughly a month, ever since Jay-Z mentioned his past money problems on Kanye’s “So Appalled.” It begins by showing Hammer juggling mogul duties, a clear attempt to show that not only is he handling business, but he’s on the same level as his opponent. The actual lyrics go with the concept of Jay-Z selling his soul to the devil for his current status, echoing what Nas said nine years ago on “Ether” (…you traded your soul for riches”).

Unfortunately, Hammer doesn’t really build on that concept. The bars threatening physical violence and the self-boasting are pretty tame, and are not helped at all by the dated production. What made “Ether” an excellent Jay-Z diss was Nas’ examples, however subjective, of Jay piggybacking off the work of others, and using the Roc Nation mogul’s own lyrics against him. None of that is here, and you can argue the reason is because Hammer really doesn’t have a credible reason for going at Jay. And the whole good vs. evil motif with the staged baptism is way over the top for a man that has a video like “Pumps and a Bump” on his resume.

Jay-Z is on record as stating his only competition are emcees like Eminem and Nas. By those words, you’d think he’d ignore this and keep it moving. But considering Hammer is well-respected for his contributions to Hip-Hop, and is getting a lot of press for this diss, expect Jay to respond. He won’t devote an entire track to it, but I can definitely see a few pointed bars or even an entire 16. The irony of Hammer’s devil talk is that Jay-Z is on record as stating although he believes in God, he doesn’t subscribe to the concept of Hell.

Did Hammer hurt ’em, or does he need to sit down? You decide…