Fivio Foreign just kept it all the way real about his musical influences — and he says Nas wasn’t really one of them.
The Brooklyn drill star sat down with Jim Jones for a new episode of Artist 2 Artist, part of Jones’ IFC Factory platform, where the two chopped it up about rap legacies, eras, and what truly shaped their sounds.
Fivio Keeps It Honest: “I Can’t Quote a Nas Bar”
When the convo shifted to Nas, Fivio didn’t hold back.
“I’m not saying that the man is wack or he’s not a legend,” Fivio explained. “I got a song with the n—a. I got a song on the album and the album got a Grammy, but I can’t sit there and say a Nas bar to you or a song — I like ‘One Mic.’”
Instead, Fivio said his teenage playlist was dominated by Chicago drill pioneers — especially Chief Keef, who had the biggest influence on his sound.
“I was infatuated with that whole wave,” Fivio admitted. “That’s what I was listening to when I was growing up. That’s what shaped me.”
Jim Jones: “Nas Was My Era”
Jones, who came up during hip hop’s golden 90s era, gave his own perspective:
“That’s what I want the people to know — but I can, ’cause Nas was my era. I came up f—kin’ with Nas. I know the Nas sh—t. But moving forward, I started a whole new era and a whole new genre and a generation of people…I just be doing me.”
The conversation highlighted the generational gap in hip hop influences — with Jones standing on the classics and Fivio pointing to drill as his foundation.
Chicago Drill → New York Drill
Fivio doubled down on his love for Chief Keef and Chicago’s scene, crediting it for inspiring his own lane in New York drill.
“That whole energy was everything to me,” he said, noting that without Keef, his music might not sound the same today.
Viral Moments & Hip Hop Legacy
The two also touched on how viral drama follows artists in this era. Fivio recently went viral after clashing with streamer PlaqueBoyMax and Lil Tjay in a heated livestream argument over smoking inside an Airbnb.
Jim, on the other hand, has been pulled into his own legacy debates — most recently when a college student claimed on a podcast that Dipset had more influence than Nas, sparking a wave of heated online discussions.
Hip Hop Generations Collide
What’s clear is that both rappers see themselves as products of their own eras. For Jim, Nas represents a lyrical cornerstone. For Fivio, Chief Keef represents the raw energy that birthed a new wave.
And while they may not agree on influences, both acknowledge that the culture is always evolving — with each generation leaving its own mark.
