10 Most Heated Rap Rivalries Of All Time

Behind the cursing, tattoos, and bullet scars, rappers are all very sensitive people. That’s the only thing that can explain how they constantly have “beefs” with other rappers over petty matters like insulting lyrics or having their chains stolen. Some rap feuds fade away quickly without much more than one line in a song, but others have grown into some of the most famous grudges in the country. Here are 10 of the most heated rap rivalries of all time.

1. Tupac Shakur vs. The Notorious B.I.G.

   Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls, had the most infamous rivalry in the rap world, and it may have been responsible for their deaths. The feud between the two former associates was tied into the battle between East Coast and West Coast rappers that exploded in the mid-’90s. Personally, Tupac blamed Biggie and some of his associates for a robbery during which he was shot several times and had expensive jewelry taken. Biggie denied the accusation, but that didn’t keep them and their recording studios from getting into a feud. Tupac released a diss song that referred to having an affair with Biggie’s wife. Biggie said it wasn’t his style to respond. In 1996, Tupac was fatally shot, and though the murderer was never convicted, many believe that Biggie paid the shooter to take Tupac’s life. Biggie was shot and killed the next year, and there have been multiple theories about who fired the shots and whether it was related to the East Coast/West Coast rivalry. Best line of the feud: “Biggie, remember when I used to let you sleep on the couch?”

2. Nas vs. Jay-Z

   Like most beefs, the years-long feud between Nasir “Nas” Jones and Jay-Z started over some small slight and festered into a battle. Jay-Z’s label was going to feature Nas on a track, but Nas never recorded his parts. This was the very beginning of the rivalry, according to some. As songs of Jay-Z and another artist on his label seemed to refer to Nas and his friends, Nas’ associates started to call for a beef. Jay-Z made the first official insult at a concert, which Nas countered in a freestyle on the radio. They both released diss songs, Jay-Z with “Supa Ugly” and Nas with “Ether.” Audiences tend to say that “Ether” was the winning battle song, and it probably didn’t help that Jay-Z’s mom made him publicly apologize after putting out “Supa Ugly.” After another diss or two and a few years, the two put aside their differences in 2006 and worked together at Def Jam Records. Best line of the feud: “You no mustache havin’, with whiskers like a rat.”

3. LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee

   Rappers are very protective of their personal style. If they feel another MC is copying them, that’s enough reason to start a feud. Kool Moe Dee felt that LL Cool J was moving in on his image and released a song, “How You Like Me Now,” aimed at LL Cool J, the video of which shows LL’s signature red hat being run over by a Jeep. The two went back and forth in a dissing, rhyming battle, but LL Cool J never took up the challenge of participating in a live battle, which Kool Moe Dee said pointed to the fact that LL wasn’t an original rapper. The rivalry eventually just fizzled out, though the winner is undetermined; many agree that Kool Moe Dee’s lyrics were better, but LL Cool J’s sales exceeded his opponent’s. Best lines of the feud: Kool Moe Dee came up with several possibilities for the meaning behind LL, like “Lazy Lemon, Little Logic, Lucky Leeched, Liver Lipped, Laborious Louse on a Loser’s Lips.”

4. Ice Cube vs. N.W.A.

   Even the best of friends sometimes get in fights. The rap group N.W.A. was formed in 1986 with Ice Cube as one of its members, along with Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and two others. The group had several successful tracks together, but in 1990, Ice Cube left the group because he felt that Eazy-E and the manager, Jerry Heller, were cheating the group out of money. N.W.A. insulted Ice Cube on their next few tracks, which caused Ice Cube to release a song called “No Vaseline” full of N.W.A. name-calling. You know it had to be a good song because Ice Cube ended up having to explain that it wasn’t anti-Semitic when he made references to Heller being a Jew. The rivalry dissipated not long after the release of “No Vaseline” when N.W.A. fell apart following Dr. Dre’s exit. Best line of the feud: “I never have dinner with the president,” referring to Eazy-E attending a luncheon with President George H.W. Bush in 1991.

5. Eminem vs. Insane Clown Posse

   This rivalry actually involved some criminal activity and arrests, because sometimes words just aren’t enough. In the late ’90s, before Eminem had gained notoriety, he was handing out fliers for his release party that said Insane Clown Posse would maybe make an appearance. When he handed one to an ICP member and asked whether they would come, the member got mad that Eminem hadn’t consulted them first before putting them on the advertisement. The group then took turns trading barbs with Eminem in songs. Things escalated in 2000 when Eminem got in a fight with an ICP associate and started waving a gun; he got two years probation and a fine. The relationship has settled down, though, and the official end of the feud was marked with a friendly game of bowling. Best line of the feud: “My brain’s dead weight, I’m trying to get my head straight, but I can’t figure out which Backstreet Boy I want to impregnate.”

6. Dr. Dre vs. Eazy-E

   The group N.W.A. certainly had its problems even after Ice Cube left. When Dr. Dre was still part of the group, he grew suspicious of the way Eazy-E and Heller, the manager, were running the finances. When Eazy-E refused to release him from his contract, Dr. Dre brought in Suge Knight to help him get out of it. Suge Knight first spread rumors about Eazy-E kidnapping Heller, and when that didn’t work, he allegedly threatened Eazy-E’s family. Eazy-E let Dr. Dre out of his contract, but the rivalry only intensified from there. The two traded insults through rap songs, and Eazy-E’s album even included photos of Dr. Dre dressed in lacy clothes and make-up from his time in another crew. The beef ended when Eazy-E was diagnosed with AIDS in 1995 and he made amends with Dr. Dre; Eazy-E died a month later. Best line of the feud: “Back in ’86, you wore pumps and mascara.”

7. Lil’ Kim vs. Nicki Minaj

   No list of feuds would be complete without a cat fight. Lil’ Kim and Nicki Minaj have been going at it since Minaj burst onto the hip-hop scene in 2009. Lil’ Kim claims that Minaj has just been copying her style, while Minaj says Lil’ Kim is jealous and insecure. The feud started out with vague statements without mentioning any names, but has escalated to diss albums complete with cover art of one MC slaying the other. Each artists’ associates are involved in the squabble, too, with Ray J on the side of Lil’ Kim and Drake and Diddy siding with Minaj. The beef is still ongoing and it’s unclear when it might stop. Best line of the feud: “It must hurt to sell your album off PayPal, especially when you in the game 15 to 20. You was hot when Shaq teamed up with Penny.”

8. The Game vs. Yukmouth

   Apparently in the world of rap, tongue rings are for girls, and if you say another rapper has one, you’re in for trouble. At least, that’s the insult that really started the feud between The Game and Yukmouth. A video surfaced on the Internet in 2004 in which Yukmouth says The Game has a tongue ring. This of course led to a battle of diss songs, with The Game releasing a song using Yukmouth’s track “I Got 5 On It.” Yukmouth then made two songs and a music video aimed at The Game and started a rumor that The Game had been slapped by rapper Suge Knight. The barbs kept coming from both sides until the West Coast Peace Treaty was negotiated in 2005 and the beef was called off. Best line of the feud: “Stay off the Internet, you computer thug.”

9. 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule

   The dispute between famed rappers 50 Cent and Ja Rule doesn’t have a clear beginning. 50 Cent says it started when 50′s friend robbed Ja Rule. Ja Rule says it started when he was shooting a video in Queens, New York and 50 got jealous. One of Ja Rule’s friends ended up stabbing 50 Cent, but there’s no proof that Ja Rule was involved. 50 Cent, who was once shot nine times, only needed a few stitches after the stabbing. 50 Cent and Ja Rule released diss songs before taking their beef to Twitter earlier this year. The beef is supposedly settled now but we’ll see once Ja Rule gets out of prison. Best line of the feud: “You’s a PopTart, sweetheart. You soft in the middle.”

10. Coolio vs. Weird Al Yankovic

    This feud may not have gotten as heated as some other ones, but it’s more amusing just because you get to imagine Weird Al Yankovic in a fight. In 1996 when Weird Al recorded his song “Amish Paradise,” which is a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” he apparently thought he had permission from the hip-hop artist’s record company. But Coolio claims he never gave the OK and that he was offended by the song. No rhyming battle came about, though, and Coolio ended up accepting royalties from the song. When the two ran into each other in 2006, there seemed to be no bad blood, and Weird Al said he could now “stop wearing that bulletproof vest to the mall.” Best line of the feud: “As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain, I take a look at my wife and realize she’s very plain.”

Source: Story by Tin Sans

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