Rap beef - one of my favourite aspects of the competitive nature of Hip Hop. What other genres have dedicated songs designed to assassinate another artist? It's great and is always entertaining. The tracks on this list range from city-based competitiveness to disrespectful onslaughts that tear into the poor bastards soul who is on the receiving end. Be it a friendly skill-based rivalry or beef built in malice, I hope you enjoy reading about these songs and maybe checking them out if you haven't heard them previously.
Legendary diss tracks like Ether, The Takeover, Hit Em Up and No Vaseline are some of the most popular diss tracks Hip Hop has witnessed, and for good reason. But for this list, I tried to omit those songs that we all already know and love. I tried to pick 8 diss tracks that people may just be discovering and are slightly towards the niche-end of the spectrum. I also tried to pick 8 tracks from 8 different beefs too, just to keep it more interesting. In no particular order...
Mickey Factz - WRAiTH (Royce da 5'9 Diss) - 2021
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| Royce (left) & Mickey Factz (right) |
This summer 2021 beef was one of the oddest, with the prominent members of the beef not necessarily having that many personal issues with one another. On one side was Lupe Fiasco and Micky Factz, and on the other was Royce. This was ultimately born out of competitiveness and a search to see who is the hardest MC. Royce dropped the more neutral, syllable-heavy track Silence of the Lambda, that was more of a skill demonstration rather than anything directly malicious. Whereas Lupe and Micky dropped the personal bars. And this is where we come to WRAiTH. After various Instagram live arguments between everyone involved and a few lesser-known diss tracks dropped, for example the one Osyrus dropped over the Killshot beat, Micky dropped his gem. Not only does he pick apart Royce's rhyme style, adopting the flow of Royce himself and some other contemporaries such as Ransom, Micky weaved between ill pieces of wordplay as well as reeling off ridiculous flows like when he delivered the following mucky lyrics - "defendin' the best and nevertheless, adrenaline been in my chest, he getting regrets for ever discrediting vets while living off Eminem's mess".
Oh my word, the "checkin' boxes" scheme was insane. This whole beef felt 'back-pack' as fuck mixed with battle rap enthusiasm. I'm not sure how Royce, Micky and Lupe feel about eachother now, but I would love them to bury the hatchet and do music together, because this interaction demonstrated they still have insane raw talent. The tracks were incredibly entertaining and you should certainly give this track a try if you have not yet. It's on Spotify and YouTube.
"Ni**a talkin' checkin' boxes, Y-3 all the time, never a check in boxes, you'll find this chicken head dismembered in checker boxes, I'm Bobby Fischer you playing chess with checker boxes, he love MMA, everyday he checking boxers, Joe Budden dick riding, look at Royce checking boxers, money and the mailman I see the check in boxes, your chick be in my DMs when I check inboxes."
Pace Won - Rap Music (Eminem Diss) - 2004
"I read a book about how he a crook and no good, that's why he hiding from Suge, why he had to pack his bags and move his things from the hood, so scared, he wouldn't move back if he could".
"So this is real dirt I'm kicking on y'all, won't you battle me? Stop picking on Ja, scary little bitch, you a soldier? Not true, the truth just is you wanna be Pac too".
"See, you just got a charge cause you shook with a gun, got yourself in trouble now look what you done, low down and shifty only on camera, shit, compared to him I'm Tony Montana".
J.Cole - 1985 (Mumble/Clout Rap Diss) - 2018
This is really one of them songs you gotta go listen to. The Beat is immense too and focuses the lyrics really well. Cole explains how rappers earn their money in the current music landscape, what popular rappers should be focusing their money on, the influence they may have on young children, how that then effects society, why their style of Hip Hop is only temporary and why Cole himself will prove to be a timeless MC - jheez he gets through a lot! This is all done in a methodical, rhyme scheme-heavy, consistent and intelligent manner, with great hints of wit as well. There's a great tempo and movement through the song, and Cole almost sounds like a teacher at times, but also by the end he has proven, in this song alone, that he is an MC not to be fucked with and lyrically these guys can't touch him. Summed up with this bar - "I wish you good luck, I'm hoping for your sake that you ain't dumb as you look, and you call yourself playing with my name then I really know you're fucked.". This is a polite diss track but Cole reminds you that he still has some bite.
I also love Cole's "middle child" reflection on Hip Hop as he muses that rap music has fallen off lyrically and is not the grittier and more authentic sound that it used to be, Cole rhymes, "I hear your music and I know that rap's changed, a bunch of folks would say that that's a bad thing, 'cause everything's commercial and it's pop now, trap drums is the shit that's hot now". A couple other bars that I particularly enjoy are "come here lil man let me talk with ya, see if I can paint for you the large picture" and "one day them kids that's listening gon' grow up, and get too old for that shit that made you blow up, now your show's looking light 'cause they don't show up, which unfortunately means the money slow up". Really, take the time to listen to this song and take in the lyrics and the clear and vivid nature of them. And if you have heard this track already, you know how much of a good song it is.
Royce da 5'9 - Malcolm X (D12 Diss) 2003
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| Proof (left) and Royce (right) |
Being one close to the harsher streets of the D, this diss track by the self-proclaimed "Malcolm X" is one of the meanest and toughest on the list. The heavy boom-bap instrumental is tormented with menacing chimes and thumping drums. Over the thudding, intense backdrop, Royce delivers punchline after punchline, taking shots at the D12 members one by one. Royce exposes how the signing of 50 Cent to Shady and Aftermath Records could result in D12 themselves being shelved by Dre and Em, with the lines, "Denaun and Swifty please, give it a year both y'all be raking 50's leaves". He questions the relevance and importance of Kuniva in a bar which cleverly avoids namechecking the MC, "what do I know, that other ni**a y'all got in your group, I don't even know his name but he can shovel my snow" - a criticism D12 would later parody in the comedy track My Band. The disses to Bizarre are slightly surface level, essentially fat-shaming him, "ni**a you can run or hide, I'll be on your porch with a cheeseburger, trying to lure you outside". Despite Eminem trying to stay out of the crossfire in this beef, very much taking a backseat, he does takes some damage with these bars "I just wish Eminem would stop telling everybody he ain't speaking to me, like I'm one of his hoes or something, how about this, I ain't speaking to you, CHUMP". Eminem flirted with the idea of getting involved on his Conspiracy Freestyle which recently dropped on streaming platforms as part of the expanded edition of The Eminem Show, but mostly he left this one untouched.
The most interesting bars for me were when Royce takes aim for the D12 leader, and Detroit Hip Hop mogul, Proof. Being the unofficial mayor of Detroit Hip Hop, it is rare to hear someone disrespect Proof that is not in a battle rap format and actually has malice behind it. Proof is almost a Godly figure that you cannot imagine someone being brave enough to disrespect, especially not an MC from Detroit. But Royce does, which for me changes the feel of the song to something that is much more serious and potent and something that the listener needs to take as such. Royce questions the dynamic between Proof and long-time best friend Eminem - "you better hope you and the white boy keep in touch, and be a good little hype man or your lease is up, since Slim signed 50 I don't see your teeth as much, that's good 'cause you got a grill like a fucking truck". It is brilliant that this beef was ultimately squashed. Royce and Eminem re-forged a relationship together and went on to record music once again in collaboration. The sad circumstances of Proof's passing were a catalyst for this. RIP Proof, RIP Bugz.
Eminem - Bully (Benzino & Ja Rule Diss) (2003)
The hypnotic flows harmonise with the bouncy instrumental as Eminem reels off lyric after lyric of contained aggression, every rhyme designed to rip apart his opponents. Em executives several rhyme schemes which tend to change every 2 bars, meaning not only are these verses extremely dynamic and memorable, they are extremely accessible and fun. The way Eminem gels with the beat is GOAT-level stuff - when people question Eminem's rhyming abilities, point them in this direction. I love the internal rhymes that lead up to the final rhyme scheme of each bar, see this one for example - "now I'm not trying to make no more enemies no more unfortunately there's so many other motherfuckers that just are, they just keep houndin' at me and now that I'm down with 50 suddenly now I got beef with this fagg*t Ja".
Eminem shreds up Ja Rule and Benzino, with bars that poke fun of their jealousy of him and Shady Records, their drug problems and the lack of respect they have within the industry. But really, the compelling thing about this song is Eminem's monotone but infectious delivery and the sinister vibe he creates. Combining his lyrical wit, his eye for a punchline and an ear for a pocket, this diss track is perfect. Em spits some of the hardest shit he's spat, and these lines below are my favourite:
"Now what bothers me the most about Hip Hop is we so close to picking up where we left off with Big and Pac, we just lost Jam Master J, Big L got blasted away, plus we lost Bugz, Slang Ton and Freaky-Tah, it's like a never ending cycle that just seems to come full circle everybody's gotta be so fuckin' hard, and I'm not excluding myself 'cause I've been stupid as well, been known to lose it when someone says something smart, but as we grow as men we learn to let shit go but then again there's only so much bullshit we can really stand, we all get reps to uphold when someone steps on our toes it's no exception it goes for every man, but if Irv really gave a fuck about Ja like he claims he does he'd wake him up and make his boy get off them drugs, but he just keeps feeding him pills so if that E doesn't kill him someone from G-Unit will and I ain't buzzed".
Masta Ace - Acknowledge (Boogieman Diss) - 2001
Acknowledge has that 'classic' feel to it. It is heard immediately with the gentle strings, vibrant beat scratches and cool boom-bap drums. Masta Ace's delivery and tone is perfect as he 'sons' Boogieman. Not only is he exposing Boogieman to be a lesser man, he is most importantly showing himself to be the lesser rapper. Belittling Boogieman's skills, relevance and originality with clever wordplay and relentless punchlines falling every 2 to 4 bars. The level of disrespect is high, but because it is full of wit and clever snipes, the track feels fun and is an enjoyable listen. The feel of the song means even if you're ignorant to the fact that it's a diss, you could still like it. Here are a couple of my favourite lines from Acknowledge:
In response to Boogieman's diss track to Masta Ace 'Just You Wait' - "I don't know what was worse, the track or the verse, Imma get to your producer, but I'm smacking you first".
"Imma diss you via email and then through a fax, Imma diss you by two-way, I ain't gon' never relax, Imma diss you over fast, slow track or no track, if your shit wasn't so whack I'd diss you to your track".
The closing bar - "And don't answer back this is hard shit to follow, and you can't spit ni**a so you obviously must swallow, motherfucker".
Joyner Lucas - Zeze Remix (Tory Lanez Diss) - 2018
The track I am talking about today is the 4th and final track of the beef, and that is Joyner's Zeze remix. In my original post, I labelled this song as "underwhelming", but on reflection, I really like this track. Don't get me wrong, the instrumental does play a part and is one of the best trap instrumentals ever in my opinion. Extremely catchy and I love the original Kodak Black tune, but this remix adds another dimension to it.
From stacked, double-time flows to creative and unique perspectives as Joyner raps as "Tory's dad", all the way to hugely memorable and fun lyrical moments, this track is great. Not the best in the series, but my favourite for sure and one with the most listenability. I remember first-time listening getting goosebumps when the beat drops Joyner spits "this ain't what you wanted they been waiting for it, I'm Joyner Lucas what the fuck you think you take me for". As someone who'd only been into Joyner's music for a couple years and seeing him as an underrated MC, it was great to see him get his shine from the Kamikaze feature with Em and then to finally see him go at someone lyrically was awesome. Like I said, out the 4 tracks, the disses on this one probably packed the least malice or weight, but he still had cold bars and cute shots - "you call yourself Tory after The Notorious BIG, Biggie turning in his grave when he hears your shit". Known for some class remixes of popular trap hits, the lines "I just did a show and got lit ya little ni**a and my freestyles killing your originals ni**a". As well as stunting on Tory, Joyner attacks Tory's appearance (height), his lack of originality and authenticity and his tendency to bite other artists, notably Kendrick Lamar and Kendrick's track The Art of Peer Pressure whilst also providing a time stamp of the exact section that Tory copied. Joyner also fits in some nice rebuttals to previous shots Tory took.
Overall, some great tracks to enjoy between the two rappers and they seem amicable now, so really we can look back at this war in a positive light and remember it for the healthy competitive spirit that it had.
50 Cent - Be a Gentleman (Jay-Z Diss) - 2002
Before the glitz and the fame, 50 Cent was a rugged hustler on the streets of Queens, New York where he dominated the mixtape game. Guess Who's Back was not only key to 50's signing to Shady and Aftermath Records, it is a mixtape that will go down as one of the greatest of all time. It had everything you want in an underground record. Shit-load of lyrics, gritty and vivid storytelling, mucky boom-bap beats and authenticity that is sometimes harder to find in the mainstream. 50's rough round the edges style is reflected in the mixtape, and the song we are going to talk about here, Be a Gentleman.
Be a Gentleman is 50's claim to the throne of New York, and he sees Jay-Z as the current king. 50 aims straight for the top, with his underrated wit and greazy, cutting lines. Starting off his manifesto with "no more freestyles and verses killing Sticky and Ja, I'm moving on now, I got bigger fish to fry".
50's wit comes in where he mocks Jay-Z lyrics such as "Can I Live" and "Feelin' It". First with the line "You gon' talk about your chips til we run in your crib, then you gon' ask dumb questions like "Can I Live".
The highlight of the track is where 50 adopts the same catchy melody from "Feelin it", the 1996 Reasonable Doubt track, but he re-fixes his own lyrics into it - "Ni**as is feeling it, the Benz pulling up on the set, me jumping out 30 thou' on my neck".
Not the deepest or fleshed out of diss tracks at all, but at just 2 minutes 42 seconds, Be a Gentleman is full of energy and is extremely fun to listen to. Being able to listen back to this early 2000's 50 and hearing the pure hunger, drive and ambition in his music is incredible, especially knowing what 50 when on to achieve. Whether you prefer Jay-Z over 50 Cent or not, it must have been amazing to see 50 put not just New York, but the whole of Hip Hop on alert as soon as he arrived.
Honourable Mentions:
- Drake - Back To Back (Meek Mill Diss)
- Pusha T - The Story of Adidon (Drake Diss)
- Obie Trice ft Dr Dre & Eminem - Shit Hits the Fan (Ja Rule Diss)
- Tory Lanez - Litty Again (Freestyle) (Joyner Lucas Diss)
- Lupe Fiasco - Steve Jobs (Royce da 5'9 Diss)
Thanks for reading, what is your favourite diss track?
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