Kanye West And JAY Z
JAY-Z and Kanye West’s beef is reportedly due to the latter’s rant in a concert last year. Pictured: Rappers attend the 2012 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012. Getty Images/Michael Buckner

JAY-Z and Kanye West’s feud may have been going on longer than people initally believed.

JAY-Z and West made headlines earlier this week when Kim Kardashian’s husband left the former’s music streaming service, Tidal. According to a TMZ report, West reportedly terminated his partnership with them because JAY-Z’s company breached their contract and owed him millions of dollars. However, Beyoncé’s husband may have implied in his new album that the beef between them actually stems from the tirade West went on during a concert last year that did not sit well with the “Empire State of Mind” rapper.

JAY-Z’s new album, “4:44,” contained lyrics which many took as a jab at West. “I know people backstab you / I felt bad too/ But this [expletive] everybody attitude ain’t natural / But you ain’t a saint, this ain’t kumbaye / But you got hurt because you did cool by ‘Ye / You gave him $20 million without blinkin’ / He gave you 20 minutes on stage,” JAY-Z raps.

READ: Kanye West leaves JAY-Z’s Tidal due to a financial dispute?

In the song, JAY-Z also asks what West was thinking when he ranted about his supposed friends onstage during a concert. “But if everybody’s crazy, you’re the one that’s insane,” he continues.

The rant JAY-Z seems to be referring to happened during West’s Nov. 19 concert in Sacramento. Mid-concert, West suddenly began attacking Beyoncé. The rapper then lashed out at JAY-Z for apparently shutting him out of his life. “Kanye was days away from going to a psych ward with some really serious mental issues. We get why [JAY-Z] was upset, but give Kanye a break,” said a source close to West told TMZ of the feud.

The same insider added that West did not expect that JAY-Z would take jabs at him in his new album. The “Stronger” rapper was reportedly shocked when he learned about JAY-Z’s song for him.

Earlier reports claimed that West left JAY-Z’s Tidal because of their financial dispute. West’s “The Life of Pablo” album reportedly brought in 1.5 million new subscribers to Tidal, but he did not receive the bonus check promised to him. His legal counsel added that Tidal should have reimbursed the music video released through their service, but the company did not. The streaming service allegedly owes him $3 million.

As for Tidal’s side of the story, the company has refused to recognize the termination West filed and claimed that the rapper did not deliver the videos required by the contract. They also fired back at West and threatened to sue him should he go to another music streaming service because they have an exclusive contract.

But despite his ongoing feud with West, JAY-Z still has a lot of things to be happy about. He and Beyoncé have finally released the names of their newborn twins. The couple named their baby girl and boy, Rumi and Sir Carter. The names are a tribute to a Persian poet named Jelaluddin Rumi and one of his most famous quotes.

What’s your take on West and JAY-Z’s feud? Drop a comment below.