With 50 Cent in waiting and Nas in check, it looks like it’s Jay-Z Vs. Diddy for New York’s fight of the season.  The beauty of their battle is that it’s totally unacknowledged and no direct engagement is necessary, they just build on the fact that any public move they make is a media event.

Unless people really hate Jay-Z’s album (I think he’ll get a pass), my money’s on Hov.

Diddy may seem omnipresent but has he hit the P2P circuit like Jay-Z?

I think not.

But that’s tongue in cheek.  Bottom line is that Jay-Z’s coming off a world tour and has no need to establish his artistic credibility.  There seems to be some question regarding Diddy’s.

But they’re both putting in work in a way that should remind up-and-comers that it doesn’t get easier and that being a success basically means there’s more work and more distractions than ever before.

In related Jay-Z news, Hov has a tv deal with ESPN to executive produce (along with Def Jam) a boxing series called Hit Men.  Sounds like a winner to me.