The war of words between Rochester underground heavyweight 38 Spesh and Harlem legend Jim Jones has escalated into a full-blown lyrical free-for-all, dragging in Jadakiss, Fat Joe, and DJ Khaled, after Spesh declared open season on hip-hop royalty. The feud erupted earlier this week when Spesh, real name Justin Herrell, went on the Battlefield podcast and accused Jadakiss of avoiding a rematch since their 2021 collaboration âSunday Schoolâ with Benny the Butcher.
âI did a record with Benny and Kiss and I had the best verse on the record.
I smoked the record,â Spesh said, directly challenging the Lox icon. âThatâs why JD Kiss donât want to do a song â cuz he had the best verse, because he ainât want to get outshine.â The claim struck a nerve in the New York rap scene, where Jadakiss is revered as one of the most battle-tested lyricists of his generation.
Jadakiss responded swiftly, enlisting Fat Joe and DJ Khaled for a diss track titled âAroma,â which premiered live on the Joe and Jada podcast. âIâve been obliterating shit for years,â Kiss rapped, targeting Spesh directly. âIs this about a verse or is this about a career?â
Fat Joe added his own venom, and Khaled provided theatrical hype, jumping on couches and blowing air horns.
But instead of backing down, 38 Spesh expanded his target list. He went after DJ Khaledâs authenticity, questioning his behavior around Palestinian family versus industry peers.
âKhaled, do you speak like that when you around your Palestinian people or you just speak like that when you around niggas?â Spesh asked on a follow-up interview. Then he took aim at Fat Joe and Jadakissâs age, mocking them for rapping about đčđđđ aromas at â50, 60 years old.â
âI donât want to hear no 50-year-old nigga talk about the aroma of drugs,â Spesh said, aging up the veteran rappers in real time. He declared open warfare: âIâm shooting at everybody. I donât give a fuck.â
That blanket challenge caught the attention of Jim Jones, a longtime ally of Jadakiss and a cornerstone of Harlemâs Dipset legacy.
Jim Jones had already warned Spesh against tangling with Kiss. On a podcast, Jones said Spesh lacked the âammunitionâ and career longevity to compete.
âFreddy Special is nice, you heard? I dig it and shit like that,â Jones said, using a nickname for Spesh. âBut come on, bro.
Levels. He might need an FN with a switch. He got to change his whole name to Jada.
Like 38 come with how many bullets? I donât think you got enough ammo in your arsenal or enough years to be shooting at a marksman like that.â
Spesh fired back with a devastating verbal takedown, questioning Jim Jonesâs very right to have an opinion on lyrical skill.
âYou ainât qualified to speak on this. This is about balls. Itâs about niggas that know how to rap with balls.
Youâve never been mentioned in that conversation. Nobody never said Jim Jones smoked everybody on the track.â The insult went beyond typical diss â it was an assertion that Jones didnât belong in the same conversation as elite lyricists.
The response from Jim Jones came quickly via Instagram Story. He stood by his original comments, reiterating that Spesh was biting off more than he could chew. âASAP.
Donât get it confused, bro. Tonight we going to walk. I told my young book Iâm going to give him a deal if he bites you,â Jones said in a video, referencing a young associate.
âYou ainât even got enough money to talk to me. You not even allowed to be talking to me in any type of way like that.â The threat of street violence was implicit, echoing the tone of classic New York rap beef.
38 Spesh responded in kind, upping the ante. âGreen light is on your motherfucking ass. We on you, bro.
You fucked me,â he said in a separate clip. The exchange has now drawn in multiple camps, with fans speculating on social media about potential diss tracks and face-to-face confrontations.
To understand the magnitude of this feud, one must know 38 Speshâs background.
Born Justin Herrell in Rochester, New York, he earned his name from the 38 Special revolver. He rose through the early 2000s underground, working with DJ Green Lantern, and served time before returning to become a cornerstone of the gritty boom-bap revival. His ties to Griselda run deep â he and Benny the Butcher cut their first tapes together in a Buffalo studio around 2005.
Spesh built his own Trust Gang movement, collaborating with legends like Kool G Rap, DJ Premier, and Pete Rock, and mentored artists like Shay Neveau.
This isnât a case of an internet rapper chasing clout. Spesh commands deep respect in underground circles, but he has never achieved the mainstream recognition of Jadakiss, Fat Joe, or Jim Jones.
His âshooting at everybodyâ energy appears to be a demand for his flowers â a declaration that his lyrical ability deserves placement alongside hip-hopâs royalty.
The feud has now reached a boiling point with no diss tracks officially released, though both sides have hinted at recordings. Jadakiss has already dropped âAroma,â which directly addresses Spesh.
Jim Jones, known for his memorable battles and street credibility, may be crafting a response. Meanwhile, Fat Joe and DJ Khaled have remained mostly silent, letting their verse on âAromaâ speak for itself.
Industry insiders are watching closely.
âThis is classic New York hip-hop,â said radio personality Angela Yee in a statement. âItâs about respect, lineage, and who really has the pen game. 38 Spesh is a formidable lyricist, but heâs challenging icons with decades of loyalty and hits.
Itâs high risk, high reward.â
Rap historian and podcast host Jeff âChairmanâ Mao noted that the beef mirrors the territorial battles of the 1990s. âYou have a younger upstart from outside the five boroughs coming for the heads of established kings.
Thatâs how legends are made or broken. Speshâs angle â that Jim Jones isnât even qualified to judge bars â is a novel approach. Itâs not about who can fight; itâs about who can rap.
Thatâs a dangerous game when your opponent is Jim Jones, who has survived real street beefs.â
As of press time, neither Jadakiss nor Fat Joe has directly responded to Speshâs latest comments about their age and relevance. DJ Khaled has posted cryptic messages on social media, including a video of himself smiling while listening to âAroma.â
Jim Jones remains active on Instagram, dropping hints that he has more to say. 38 Spesh has not backed down, releasing a freestyle snippet that takes aim at âthe whole Dipset religion.â
The unfolding đčđđ¶đđ¶ has captivated the hip-hop community, drawing comparisons to past feuds like Jay-Z vs.
Nas or 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule. However, this beef carries a unique edge â itâs not just about who is tougher, but about who has the right to speak on lyrical greatness.
38 Spesh has drawn a line in the sand: if you havenât been named as someone who âsmoked a track,â you have no place in the conversation about bars. That standard questions the credentials of half the industry.
Observers are waiting to see if Jim Jones will unleash a recorded reply.
The Dipset veteran has never shied away from a challenge, though his recent output has been more focused on business ventures and legacy. A diss track from Jones could either revive his lyrical reputation or backfire if Speshâs skills prove superior. Meanwhile, 38 Spesh is positioning himself as the voice of the underground, standing up against what he perceives as a gatekeeping system.
âThis is about levels, but not the ones Jim Jones talked about,â said music journalist TourĂ© in a social media post. â38 Spesh is saying the level of respect should be based on ability, not years served. Thatâs a revolutionary idea in a genre that often confuses longevity with greatness.â
The feud shows no signs of cooling. With multiple parties involved and personal insults flying, a physical altercation or a massive diss track could be imminent. For now, fans are devouring every interview, Instagram story, and podcast clip.
The green light is on â and according to 38 Spesh, everyone is a target. Whether he can back up his words remains the central question. But one thing is certain: this is no longer a minor squabble.
It has become an all-out war for the soul of New York rap. Stay locked.


