It has been 20 years since Brooklyn native Jay-Z and Queens rapper Nas ended one of the most notorious hip hop feuds in music history.
But their latest battle wasn’t about music.
After Jay-Z lost his Times Square casino bid last week, Nas is helping to expand one in Queens!
The “Illmatic” rapper learned that he won the casino race on Thursday, when a board unanimously voted that Resorts World Casino can expand with a $5.5 billion integrated resort in the borough, making it the largest in the country.
“On behalf of the entire Resorts World team, I want to thank the Community Advisory Committee for recognizing the impact we will have not only on Queens but all of New York City and State,” Robert DeSalvia, president of the gaming and hospitality group, Genting Americas East, said in a statement.
“We are incredibly grateful to the large number of residents, partners, and supporters who touted this project, without a single person speaking against it. This is a testament to our mission — solidified over the last 15 years — to be the best neighbor possible here in Queens,” he added.
Nas announced his partnership with Resorts World in June with a splashy video, declaring, “The future is not something you wait for. It’s something you build… We’re committed to Queens and, in Queens, the future is now!”
Queens native and retired NBA star Kenny “The Jet” Smith is also backing the project, and has unveiled “The Jet Center,” “a state-of-the-art sports and media complex that will serve as the centerpiece of the Resorts World Innovation Campus,” according to a press release.
We exclusively reported in 2024 that Jay-Z and his Roc Nation company proposed $250 million in grant money for Hells Kitchen should they hit the jackpot with their Caesars Palace Times Square casino deal.
A six-member state community advisory committee nixed that idea in a 4 to 2 vote last week.
Queens borough president, Donovan Richards, quipped during Thursday’s vote: “Sorry, Jay-Z. We win again!”
The post Nas wins NYC casino battle over Jay-Z decades after famous rap beef appeared first on Page Six.
