Hip-hop’s glamorisation of gangs and violence has always been one of its most troubling attributes. But it’s fair to say that the genre might not have become the major worldwide musical force it is today without the headline-grabbing conflicts between its biggest players. Here’s a look at five of the biggest feuds to have emerged over the years.
N.W.A. vs Ice Cube
It might not have been the most dramatic, but the feud which occurred following Ice Cube’s departure from N.W.A. can perhaps lay claim to being rap’s first high-profile. Unimpressed with one of their members going AWOL, the controversial crew spent much of their subsequent two albums describing him as a traitor in no uncertain terms. Ice Cube initially kept a dignified silence but eventually exacted his revenge on his second solo album, Death Certificate, with the track, “No Vaseline,” which proclaimed his former posse to be phonies and Eazy-E, in particular, as a snitch.
Easy-E vs Dr. Dre
Eazy-E’s character was also called into question on “Dre Day,” a track on Dr. Dre’s solo debut, The Chronic, which portrayed him as a money-hungry street beggar, while on “Bitches Ain’t S**t,” Dre also referred to him as ‘a bitch he once knew.’ Eazy-E immediately responded with the It’s On (Dr.Dre) 187um Killa E.P., which featured several disses against his former bandmate and Snoop Dogg, whilst the video for “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” showed several image of Dre in make-up and a dressed in a glittery suit. However, the pair decided to make amends shortly before Eazy-E’s AIDS-related death in 1995.
Tupac vs Notorious B.I.G.
By far the most famous and indeed most tragic feud in hip-hop history, the war that resulted in the death of the decade’s two most iconic rappers began in 1994 when Tupac Shakur was shot five times at a New York recording studio, with the blame laying squarely at his one-time friend, The Notorious B.I.G., and rival label Bad Boy Records. A year later, Death Row had to deal with two further shootings when Suge Knight’s close friend was gunned down at a birthday party and Snoop Dogg’s empty trailer was shot at. Several diss tracks ensued, including one where Biggie appeared to mock Tupac’s shooting (“Who Shot Ya”) and one where Tupac claimed to have had sex with Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans, (“Hit ‘Em Up”). But the battle eventually escalated into murder, with Tupac fatally shot outside in Las Vegas in 1996, just six months before Biggie was shot and killed in Los Angeles.
Nas vs Jay-Z
Nas and Jay-Z have since compared their feud to that of a world title boxing match, but at several points their intense rivalry looked like it was about to spill over into something more sinister. After four years of attempts to claim the King of New York throne that had been left vacant by Biggie’s death, the tension between the pair increased in 2001 when Jay-Z openly mocked Nas at the Summer Jam hip-hop festival. Nas then retaliated with diss tracks attacking his rival’s misogynistic lyrics, while the Jigga Man responded by claiming he’d slept with the mother of Nas’ daughter. Things threatened to turn even uglier when Nas attempted to hang an effigy of Jay-Z during a festival set, but after various pay-per-view rap battles failed to come to fruition, the pair eventually called a truce, even sharing the same stage during Jay-Z’s I Declare War tour in 2005.
50 Cent vs The Game
Despite a minor shooting incident outside a New York radio station, the biggest rap feud of the 00s appeared to be more of a publicity stunt than a genuine life-or-death rivalry. Indeed, The Game was actually signed to 50 Cent’s G-Unit label when they first started to become sworn enemies, with the former accusing the latter of being jealous of the success of his debut album, The Documentary. After a member of The Game’s entourage was shot in the leg, the pair announced that they had decided to kiss and make up but then spent the next few years recording a barrage of diss tracks, with The Game even releasing an entire DVD dedicated to the fall-out in 2006. Promises of a second reconciliation have so far failed to materialise and the pair continue to squabble to this day, rather conveniently every time they have a new record out.
Hip-Hop’s Biggest Feuds
Hip-hop’s glamorisation of gangs and violence has always been one of its most troubling attributes. But it’s fair to say that the genre might not have become the major worldwide musical force it is today without the headline-grabbing conflicts between its biggest players. Here’s a look at five of the biggest feuds to have emerged over the years.
N.W.A. vs Ice Cube
It might not have been the most dramatic, but the feud which occurred following Ice Cube’s departure from N.W.A. can perhaps lay claim to being rap’s first high-profile. Unimpressed with one of their members going AWOL, the controversial crew spent much of their subsequent two albums describing him as a traitor in no uncertain terms. Ice Cube initially kept a dignified silence but eventually exacted his revenge on his second solo album, Death Certificate, with the track, “No Vaseline,” which proclaimed his former posse to be phonies and Eazy-E, in particular, as a snitch.
Easy-E vs Dr. Dre
Eazy-E’s character was also called into question on “Dre Day,” a track on Dr. Dre’s solo debut, The Chronic, which portrayed him as a money-hungry street beggar, while on “Bitches Ain’t S**t,” Dre also referred to him as ‘a bitch he once knew.’ Eazy-E immediately responded with the It’s On (Dr.Dre) 187um Killa E.P., which featured several disses against his former bandmate and Snoop Dogg, whilst the video for “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” showed several image of Dre in make-up and a dressed in a glittery suit. However, the pair decided to make amends shortly before Eazy-E’s AIDS-related death in 1995.
Tupac vs Notorious B.I.G.
By far the most famous and indeed most tragic feud in hip-hop history, the war that resulted in the death of the decade’s two most iconic rappers began in 1994 when Tupac Shakur was shot five times at a New York recording studio, with the blame laying squarely at his one-time friend, The Notorious B.I.G., and rival label Bad Boy Records. A year later, Death Row had to deal with two further shootings when Suge Knight’s close friend was gunned down at a birthday party and Snoop Dogg’s empty trailer was shot at. Several diss tracks ensued, including one where Biggie appeared to mock Tupac’s shooting (“Who Shot Ya”) and one where Tupac claimed to have had sex with Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans, (“Hit ‘Em Up”). But the battle eventually escalated into murder, with Tupac fatally shot outside in Las Vegas in 1996, just six months before Biggie was shot and killed in Los Angeles.
Nas vs Jay-Z
Nas and Jay-Z have since compared their feud to that of a world title boxing match, but at several points their intense rivalry looked like it was about to spill over into something more sinister. After four years of attempts to claim the King of New York throne that had been left vacant by Biggie’s death, the tension between the pair increased in 2001 when Jay-Z openly mocked Nas at the Summer Jam hip-hop festival. Nas then retaliated with diss tracks attacking his rival’s misogynistic lyrics, while the Jigga Man responded by claiming he’d slept with the mother of Nas’ daughter. Things threatened to turn even uglier when Nas attempted to hang an effigy of Jay-Z during a festival set, but after various pay-per-view rap battles failed to come to fruition, the pair eventually called a truce, even sharing the same stage during Jay-Z’s I Declare War tour in 2005.
50 Cent vs The Game
Despite a minor shooting incident outside a New York radio station, the biggest rap feud of the 00s appeared to be more of a publicity stunt than a genuine life-or-death rivalry. Indeed, The Game was actually signed to 50 Cent’s G-Unit label when they first started to become sworn enemies, with the former accusing the latter of being jealous of the success of his debut album, The Documentary. After a member of The Game’s entourage was shot in the leg, the pair announced that they had decided to kiss and make up but then spent the next few years recording a barrage of diss tracks, with The Game even releasing an entire DVD dedicated to the fall-out in 2006. Promises of a second reconciliation have so far failed to materialise and the pair continue to squabble to this day, rather conveniently every time they have a new record out.
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