Nowadays, everyone is into rap beef. Drake and Kendrick Lamar set the stage, or more accurately, just Kendrick’s slew of brutal takedowns. With the mammoth success of “Not Like Us,” it proved that this kind of back and forth can be massive for hip-hop. Afterwards, rappers got into a bunch of pseudo rap beefs in the name of competition. There may be some truth to it but it’s easy to tell who was jumping in for the sake of attention and marketing.
However, it wasn’t always like this. A lot of feuds in hip-hop usually stayed within the genre. It was a staple in the culture when two people had issues with one another. Think of TI vs Lil Flip or DJ Quik vs MC Eiht, moments that outsiders might not totally understand. But there are some that even non-rap fans might know a bit about through sheer cultural zeitgeist. Here are four that fit the bill.
Four Rap Beefs Casual Hip-Hop Fans Remember
Jay-Z vs Nas
If you can spawn a new word entirely, you have to be here. A lot of the particulars and smaller diss tracks probably don’t last as much. However, everyone should know the two massive jabs at one another, Jay-Z’s “Takeover” and Nas’ “Ether.” The latter is such a scathing diss, people use ‘ether’ as a verb for total annihilation. Inevitably, Hov and Esco patched things up but this is a beef anyone with a passing interest in hip-hop should remember.
50 Cent vs Ja Rule
50 Cent made his empire off of indulging in rap beefs. He made his name before he ever got famous by antagonizing rappers on “How to Rob.” He’s made enemies out of everyone, from Fat Joe and Jadakiss to even his own G-Unit members like Young Buck and The Game. Even today, 50 will still go back and forth with Rick Ross or troll Diddy while he’s in court.
However, none of this matters if 50 doesn’t absolutely obliterate Ja Rule early in his career. Moreover, it’s much different from your formal diss tracks too. 50 made it a point to mix scathing disses with unimpeachable hits. Additionally, he would harness his credibility and juxtapose it next to Ja’s softer R&B crossover hits and obvious Tupac and DMX cosplay. “I Smell P***y” is phenomenal trolling and “Back Down” still remains one of the meanest disses in hip-hop history. Meanwhile, “Wanksta” is a maniacal playground insult turned smash hit you could hear on the radio.
There’s no telling how far 50 would’ve actually made it had he not made it a point to start rap beefs with literally everyone. Regardless, Ja Rule was the big sacrificial lamb and even passive hip-hop fans think of him as a punchline accordingly.
Drake vs Meek Mill
Drake was already a big superstar before his big spat with Meek Mill. Take Care was a goldmine of hits, ditto for Nothing Was The Same. Additionally, he was already a bit battle tested, sparring with Common and throwing shots at Pusha T in defense of Lil Wayne years before their formal feud.
However, people still looked at Drake as kind of soft. As much as he proved he was a great rapper on records like “Tuscan Leather,” some colder listeners still looked at him as the “Marvin’s Room” guy. Ultimately, Drake couldn’t shake the tenderness that really made him endearing in the first place.
All of this changes when he sparks one of the most prolific rap beefs in history with Meek Mill. How we got there is still a bit silly, jealousy over Nicki Minaj turned into Meek bringing up charges that Drake used a ghostwriter. It’s one of rap’s big cardinal sins and it could’ve shot his credibility for good. However, after a tepid “Charged Up,” Drake launches “Back to Back.” Beating a real battle rapper with a massive hit and a pretty set of disses only raised his status even further. People took Drake seriously and he proved that he could be both a tough guy who would indulge in mafioso later, with someone who can wield memes in his advantage. It’s these two skills that made Drake the biggest rapper in the world for such a long time, all tracing back to Meek Mill.
Biggie vs Tupac
This is the defining feud of all rap beefs. Anyone with even a passing interest in hip-hop will know how Tupac and Biggie’s feud radically altered the complexion of the genre. Unfortunately, it’s their deaths that reverberate throughout the landscape, how beef could cause people to lose their lives. It stopped becoming a battle of machismo and who’s better. Instead, it resulted in the genre and culture losing two of its primary stars.
Still, people quote the opening lines of “Hit ‘Em Up.” People still remember the piercing menace of “Who Shot Ya,” a record that wasn’t even intended as a real diss. The Bad Boy vs Death Row barbs between Diddy and Suge Knight was box office. Who knows where we would be if Pac and Biggie eventually came back together? Unfortunately, people will always remember this beef and wonder what could’ve been.
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