"I was really just saying a rhyme that rhymed with 'Ultra Black,'" Nas said to Power 106 on Friday. "I didn't even think of it, you know what I'm saying? It's all love."
In his song, "Ultra Black," Nas attempted to uplift those that look like him and name-dropped a few people in the process.
"Sometimes I'm over-black, even my clothes are black/Cash Money with the white tee and the soldier rag," Nas raps. "We going ultra black, unapologetically black/The opposite of Doja Cat, Michael Blackson black."
This sparked attention due to the discovery of Doja Cat's recent pastime. In June, fans discovered that Doja Cat frequents Tiny Chat. This chatroom website is known to be home to White supremacists and other radical groups. Doja Cat also released a song called "Dindu Nuffin" before reaching mainstream success. In doing so, fans pointed out that she immortalized "Dindu Nuffin"—a phrase used to discredit Black victims of police brutality.
Doja Cat has since explained her actions, but her apologies weren't well-received by her Black fan base. This led some to believe that Nas was attacking Doja for her perceived self-hate. Yet, Nas explained that he was merely making a comparison and trying to be clever.
"It was just like 'Michael Blackson black,'" Nas continued. "They're bars. Just lines. We play with words, man."
Still, in the height of this chaos, Doja Cat revealed that her new single will be named "N.A.S." "Ultra Black" is featured on Nas' collaborative album with Hit-Boy, King's Disease, which dropped on Friday.
