Nas is—more than anything else—a master of perspective, as wise as the old owl. Toward the middle of his new song “Thun,” he serves up a lucid glimpse into the past and present, threading a historic rap battle with aspiration and themes of personal and cultural evolution.

“No beef or rivals, they playin’ ‘Ether’ on TIDAL/Brothers can do anything when they decide to/In a Range Rover, dissecting bars from ‘Takeover’/Sometimes I text Hova like, ‘Nigga, this ain’t over,’ laughin’,” he raps. At the time “Takeover” and “Ether” were released over 20 years ago, streaming services—let alone one owned by rappers—weren’t a thing. But the beef between Jay-Z and Esco very much was. Following the release of “Ether,” Hov unloaded “Supa Ugly,” a scathing rebuttal with a line so heinous his own mother had him call into Hot 97 to make an apology.