According to Beans, Hov is known for protecting his image and was persistent in making sure fans saw him co-sign Wayne to avoid one-sided comparisons.

“A lot of Jay-Z fans are my fans too,” Beans explained in an interview. “At the end of the days, Memphis Bleek’s fake too. F*ck outta here. I ain’t trying to hear that. Bleek got the same characteristics, man…Lil Wayne professed the ‘Greatest Rapper Alive’ and was getting the momentum. Lil Wayne can rap, Lil Wayne can spit, in my point of view. I like Lil Wayne, he should have kept moving with it and then Jay come and tell Lil Wayne he gonna pass the baton to him then Lil Wayne falls back…Kanye West was coming at you, if you listen to the ‘Big Brother’ record, it’s the same thing…That’s one thing about me, I ain’t no liar and Jay-Z knows that sh*t…Go back to the B.Coming record, ‘I Can’t Go On This Way,’ listen to the beginning of that record. All you gotta do is listen to it.

Cash Money Records’ Baby also vouched for Wayne saying the rapper’s lyrical talent bypasses Hov.

“No n*gga in the business itself make more money than us,” Baby explained in an interview. “More than Wayne, than us.

So how could a motherf*cker even want that title if he ain’t making the most and I don’t think the n*gga can rap better and I don’t think the people feel him like that, it ain’t about us, it’s about the people.

I think we do the most. So if I win the most championships, it must mean I’m the best. That’s how I look at it, we make the most money. Until a n*gga can come by and say he make more money Cash Money, Young Money, why would you want to say you’re the best? And that’s a personal pride, you can live with that on your own.