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Hip-hop feuds and rivalries, often referred to as "beefs", have existed since the 1970s. Originally, at block parties, DJs would play records and isolate the percussion breaks for the dancing masses, which was copied from Jamaican reggae music. Soon, MCs began speaking over the beats, at first simply exhorting the audience to continue dancing, but eventually expanded their time on stage to introducing themselves, shouting out friends in the audience, boasting about their own skills, and criticizing their rivals, all in good humor. The deaths of 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. have alerted rappers to the possibility of a simple feud becoming violent. Observers have claimed that the media feeds on such rivalries for headlines and blows situations out of proportion, particularly in the infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry of the 1990s. A contrasting example was the 1980s hit "Roxanne, Roxanne" by U.T.F.O., which sparked several hundred "answer records" in response, some of which were quite vituperative (see the Roxanne Wars). At the time, hip hop was not as high-profile, and the media ignored the record. The beef never made it onto the streets. The recent high-profile beef between Nas and Jay-Z, however, was carried out without ever threatening to become violent.

Contents 1 1980s feuds 1.1 Boogie Down Productions vs. The Juice Crew 1.2 LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee 2 1990s feuds 2.1 Ruthless vs. Death Row 2.2 East Coast vs. West Coast 2.3 LL Cool J vs. Canibus 3 2000s and current feuds 3.1 Nas vs. Jay-Z 3.2 Benzino vs. Eminem 3.3 Shady/Aftermath/50 Cent vs. Murder Inc./Ja Rule 3.4 50 Cent vs. The Game 4 Summaries of other known rivalries (not necessarily in chronological order)

[edit] 1980s feuds

[edit] Boogie Down Productions vs. The Juice Crew

Main article: The Bridge Wars

Boogie Down Productions, led by KRS-One, were involved in a long-running feud with Marley Marl's Juice Crew during the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s that was predominantly a dispute over boroughs of New York. The feud began with Queensbridge-based Marley Marl & MC Shan's track "The Bridge" in late 1985, in which they sung the praises of their home borough and loosely implied that Queensbridge was where hip hop "all got started". Taking offense, South Bronx-based KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions (BDP) recorded and released the track "South Bronx", which was effectively identical in terms of content to Shan and Marl's track except singing the praises of South Bronx rather than Queensbridge, and made the argument for it being the true home and birthplace of hip hop. The Juice Crew soon responded with the track "Kill The Noise" on Shan's album Down By Law which took various shots at KRS-One and mocked his taking offense in the first place: "Yo Shan, I didn't hear you say hip hop started in the Bridge on your record." "I didn't. They wanted to get on the bandwagon." KRS's main response was the Jamaican-influenced "The Bridge Is Over", and lyrics spoofing Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me":

What's the matter with your MC, Marley Marl?

Don't Bitch know you know that he's out of touch?

What's the matter with your DJ, MC Shan?

On the wheels of steel, Marlon sucks

You'd better change what comes out your speaker

You're better off talkin' 'bout your whack Puma sneaker

'Cause Bronx created hip hop, Queens will only get dropped

You're still tellin' lies to me

Everybody's talkin' 'bout the Juice Crew funny

But you're still tellin' lies to me

Most of KRS's fire was directed at Marley Marl and MC Shan specifically, though he occasionally exchanged insults with other Juice Crew members such as Mr. Magic and Roxanne Shante. Shante responded with a song aimed at Boogie Down Productions titled "Have A Nice Day" in which she rapped:

Scott La Rock, you should be ashamed,

when T La Rock said it's yours, he didn't mean his name,

and KRS One, you should go on vacation,

with your name sounding like a wack radio station

The feud quickly died down after BDP's Scott La Rock was shot dead in 1987 after attempting to calm down a domestic dispute involving BDP colleague D-Nice. With his new Stop The Violence movement, KRS-One had his attention elsewhere, and the Juice Crew did not release any further dis records for a long period after La Rock's death out of respect. However, in 1989, MC Shan attempted to restart the rivalry on his song Juice Crew Law which contained several shots at KRS. KRS took more than a year to respond, but eventually did so in 1990 on the song Black Man In Effect from the BDP (which at that point was basically only KRS-One, D-Nice having left earlier the same year) album Edutainment.

Fans remember the beef as a classic hip-hop duel. MC Shan and KRS-One themselves acknowledged the beef's important place in hip hop history when they appeared together in a commercial for the Sprite soft drink in the mid-nineties, in which they exchanged battle rhymes inside a boxing ring. However, the respective fortunes of the pair in the nineties were very different: MC Shan, considered the loser of the battle were there one, never really recovered his reputation and effectively retired, while KRS continued a successful solo career and remained an important figure in hip hop. Nevertheless, on the QB's Finest compilation (which showcased the finest Queensbridge hip hop artists) in 2001, MC Shan took one last parting shot at KRS-One: "Hip hop was set out in the dark / The Bridge was never Over, we left our mark."

[edit] LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee

Kool Moe Dee was a member of one of the earliest hip hop crews, the Treacherous Three, and claimed that LL Cool J stole his style, starting a long-running feud between them. From different interviews and magazines at the time, Kool Moe Dee felt that LL was actually believing his own hype based on the popularity and success of the Bigger and Deffer album. Supposedly, Moe Dee approached LL and talked to him, and LL either brushed him off, or went back to his old ways after the talk. There also arose rumors that Moe Dee felt that LL was imitating his rhyme style. Kool Moe Dee took the first shots with "How Ya Like Me Now," the title song from his second solo album that featured on the cover Kool Moe Dee leaning against a jeep and a LL trademark Kangol underneath the tire. The album contained the indirect diss track of the same name. While the album cover was a clear shot, "How Ya Like Me Now," was more subtle. Although he did not specifically to anyone, Kool Moe Dee indicated he was betrayed by an amateur. Taking this as a sign of disrespect, the then teenage LL responded with the energetic "Jack the Ripper." In the song LL playfully taunts Kool Moe Dee by repeatedly asking the rhetorical question "How you like me now?" He then precedes to call Kool Moe Dee a "washed up rapper" and an "old school sucker punk."

Kool Moe Dee promptly released his famous diss record, "Let's Go", rhyming:

Tryna be me, now LL stands for

Lower Level, Lack Luster

Last Least, Limp Lover

Lousy Lame, Latent Lethargic

Lazy Lemon, Little Logic

Lucky Leech, Liver Lipped

Laborious Louse on a Loser's Lips

Live in Limbo, Lyrical Lapse

Low Life with the loud raps, boy

The sequence ended with the following:

...Now look what you done did

just using your name I took those L’s,

hung ‘em on your head and rocked your bells...

LL failed to reply to the song for two years, opening himself up to further disses by many other rappers, most notably gangsta rap pioneerIce-T. LL also abandoned the hard-core image that he had previously popularized, instead moving toward a more commercial fare (which emphasized New Jack Swing-love ballads). Critics scoffed at this new direction with the release of Walking With a Panther (1989). The genre was becoming increasingly socially conscious, abandoning the music's early themes of partying and braggadocio, and adopting more socially aware issues such as drug abuse, poverty, racism, and African American empowerment. These events resulted in the deterioration of LL’s credibility with some members of the hip hop community: in one instance, he was booed off the stage at the Apollo Theater in New York City during a performance. However, in 1990, LL released the highly anticipated Mama Said Knock You Out, reasserting his status and reviving his credibility amongst hip hop purists. LL also re-ignited his feud with Kool Moe Dee(as well as dissing MC Hammer and striking back at Ice-T) with the comical diss track, "To The Break Of Dawn".

Homeboy hold on, my rhymes are so strong

Nothing can go wrong. So why do you prolong

songs that ain't strong, brother you're dead wrong

and got the nerve to have them Star Trek shades on...

heh, you can't handle the whole weight

Skin needs lotion

Teeth need Colgate

Wise up, you little burnt up French fry

"I'm That Type of Guy"

In essence, LL became the first emcee beaten in battle to ask for a rematch, and followed up with several subliminal attacks in other records (a battle practice for which he is known), including the title track, as well as "Jingling Baby," and "Murdergram." Moe Dee soon responded to all of the tracks with the single, "Deathblow," which was dismissed as unspectacular due mostly to Teddy Riley’s production use of a dated James Brown sample.

[edit] 1990s feuds

[edit] Ruthless vs. Death Row

The original lineup of N.W.A. splintered when Ice Cube left the group and a war of words developed between Cube and the remaining members of N.W.A., particularly Eazy-E. In his battle raps, Ice Cube accused Eazy-E and his partner Jerry Heller of taking the lion's share of the group's profits. Eventually, Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. found that Cube was right: Wright and Heller were in fact skimming money off the top, and the pair left the crew behind. This effectively meant the end of N.W.A; Dre began his solo career, forming the highly influential Death Row Records with former bodyguard Suge Knight. When he released his first solo album The Chronic, he began a well-publicized feud with his ex-band mate by constantly poking fun of Eazy-E on the song and the video for Dre Day, where Eazy was a money hungry character called Sleazy-E who eventually ended up on the streets begging for money, Bitches Ain't Shit, which includes the lyric "I used to know a bitch named Eric Wright" and on "The Chronic Intro" where Snoop yells out that they can suck Deeez Nuuuts.

Eazy-E responded directly by releasing the EP It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa. The single released from this album, "Real Muthaphuckkin G's," featured lyrics filled with disses toward Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and its video showed pictures of Dr. Dre in makeup and a glitter suit taken during the days he was in the "World Class Wreckin' Cru". He also responded with the self titled song "It's On",

Dre and Snoop were both heard dissing the label on The Chronic; later, Snoop Doggy Dogg had small disses to Eazy E such as "HIV-Pussy havin ass muthafucka". Tha Dogg Pound would take shots on their own debut, Dogg Food, such as the line "Ain't got no love for no hoes in harmony": a reference to Ruthless Records' successful new act, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony from Cleveland. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony responded back with a minor diss on the last track of the E. 1999 Eternal album entitled "Shotz To Tha Double Glock",with Layzie Bone saying "Cleveland Browns, Dogg Pound hoes it's on". Dogg Pound's What Would You Do included some lines aimed at Ruthless Records and BG Knocc Out: "Oh yeah, Fuck BG Knocc Out and every nigga down with him" and "For instance, let's take these Ruthless fools, these Ruthless fools and the Pound in one room", in response, Knocc Out and Dresta recorded the diss track entitled DPG/K, from their album Real Brothas. More tension between Death Row and Ruthless sprung up when the latter label's act Above the Law accused Dre of stealing their G-Funk sound for his album and taking credit for it. This resulted in Ruthless recording artist Kokane putting a diss called "Don't Bite The Phunk" with Above The Law's Cold 187um, off his album "Funk Upon A Rhyme". There was also an episode on a golf course when Nate Dogg and some other people from Tha Dogg Pound were attacked by Eazy's crew armed with golf-clubs.

Eazy E also disses Death Row Records on his next album Str8 off tha streetz of muthaphukkin Compton with the tracks "Ole School Shit" and his own version of "Wut Would You Do'.In 1996, prominent Death Row artist 2Pac was featured on the Bone Thugs' second album The Art Of War, essentially ending the feud.

[edit] East Coast vs. West Coast

Main article: East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry

Arguably the most famous rap feud of recent times, the rivalry between the East Coast's Bad Boy Records and the West Coast's Death Row Records consisted of shots from Death Row toward various acts and, more specifically, Bad Boy, although the media billed it as a "rap war" between two coasts. Fans of and from both scenes denounced each other's native artists, engulfing all of rap culture.

Hip hop had originated in the streets of New York, and the city remained the undisputed capital of hip hop until the late '80s, when N.W.A. & others put the West on the map. After he co-founded Death Row Records with former bodyguard Marion "Suge" Knight, producer/rapper Dr. Dre's debut The Chronic became one of the biggest-selling hip hop albums in history, going three-times platinum, and was followed shortly by Snoop Doggy Dogg's breakout album Doggystyle in 1993, which went four-times platinum. Suge Knight's Death Row Records had built up a successful roster of stars, most notably Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Tha Dogg Pound. Following the release of Dre's The Chronic and Snoop's Doggystyle, West Coast hip hop dominated the mainstream. While East Coast albums such as Nas's Illmatic and the Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) received critical accolades, it wouldn't be until the double-platinum success of The Notorious B.I.G.'s (commonly known as "Biggie Smalls" or "Biggie") 1994 release Ready to Die that the region would receive substantial mainstream attention.

East Coast hip-hop purists generally disdained the de-emphasized lyricism of West Coast rap, claiming that the G-funk style Dre pioneered on The Chronic and Doggystyle relied heavily on funky, catchy beats and simple gangsta rhymes. The East Coast would be returned to the mainstream when CEO Sean "Puffy" Combs's Bad Boy Records released The Notorious B.I.G.'s double-platinum Ready to Die. The success of Combs and Biggie did not go over well with Suge Knight, who had maintained a near-monopoly on mainstream rap from 1992-94 and now had an East Coast competitor.

Bad Boy and Death Row entered conflict with one another after 2Pac was shot five times at a New York recording studio on November 30, 1994, and publicly blamed his former close friend Notorious B.I.G and Bad Boy CEO Sean "Puffy" Combs. Though no hard evidence has ever connected Bad Boy to the shooting or shown that either Biggie or Combs had foreknowledge of it, Tupac claimed that they were acting suspiciously afterwards.

The feud further escalated after Suge Knight mocked Combs at the Source Awards in August 1995, announcing to the assembly of artists and industry figures: "If you don't want the owner of your label on your album, all up in your video or on your tour, come to Death Row," referring to Combs's ad-libbing in the background of certain Biggie songs. Combs attempted to defuse the situation in a later acceptance speech, saying that he respected Suge and Dr. Dre's work and that the East-West feud had to stop. However, a later performance by Death Row's Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg was booed (to which Snoop infamously and angrily responded, "The East Coast ain't got no love for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and Death Row?").

The feud intensified with a number of incidents. In September 1995, a close friend of Knight's was gunned down at a birthday party thrown for producer Jermaine Dupri in Atlanta, Georgia, for which Knight publicly blamed Bad Boy Records. Then, in December, while filming the video for the Dogg Pound's song "New York, New York" in Manhattan, Snoop Dogg's trailer was shot at numerous times (though it was empty). The video itself was controversial, featuring Death Row artists knocking over New York skyscrapers and landmarks, to which many East Coast artists and fans took offense. There was also suspicion that the song itself was also targeted at Bad Boy Records and New York in general, though this is unlikely as the song is in fact a remake of a Grandmaster Flash song, features only generic braggadocio/battle rhymes with nothing that could be interpreted as a specific attack on the East, and was written and recorded before the Bad Boy/Death Row feud began. Capone-N-Noreaga responded with "LA, LA" featuring Mobb Deep, which got them involved in the feud. The Boot Camp Clik joined in by recording with 2Pac; they had also called him out on the track "Won On Won" on the "Soul In The Hole" soundtrack right before B.I.G.'s demise.

In 1995, The Notorious B.I.G. released the track "Who Shot Ya." While it had been recorded before Tupac's '94 shooting and most fans interpreted it as a generic braggadocio/gangsta track like the aforementioned "New York, New York," 2Pac claimed that it was a subliminal mocking his '95 shooting. In early 1996, 2Pac released the infamous dis track "Hit 'Em Up," in which he claimed to have had sex with the Notorious B.I.G's wife Faith Evans, also rapping "This ain't no freestyle battle, y'all niggas getting killed" in one verse and "Who shot me but you punks didn't finish/Now you 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace, nigga I hit 'em up!" in the hook. Pac also added at the end whilst talking "My fo-fo makes sure all your kids don't grow" which may have been aimed at Jay-Z. "Hit 'Em Up" proved to be the biggest spark in the feud, and some have questioned whether Tupac's claims that he slept with Evans and that Bad Boy set him up were driven by publicity following his signing with Death Row.

B.I.G. jokingly responded on Jay-Z's "Brooklyn's Finest," rapping "If Faith had twins she'd probably have two Pacs/Get it? Tu...pac's" in one verse. In March 1996, at the Soul Train Awards in Miami, the respective entourages of Bad Boy and Death Row met in the parking lot and guns were drawn. Although an armed staring contest was all this confrontation eventually amounted to, it was readily apparent to hip hop fans and artists that this rivalry was getting out of hand, and going far beyond the heated, but never violent, lyrical battles for superiority of the past.

On September 7, 1996 2Pac was shot several times in Las Vegas, dying a few days later on Friday 13. On March 9, 1997, Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in California. Both murders remain unsolved, and numerous theories (some of them conspiracy theories) have sprung up. These include, most notoriously, that 2Pac faked his own death. Later in 1997, several rappers, including Bizzy Bone, Doug E. Fresh and Snoop Dogg met at the request of Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam and pledged to forgive any slights that may be related to the rivalry and deaths of 2Pac and Biggie.

Prior to his death, 2pac had also come into separate disputes with several other East Coast rappers.

Mobb Deep proved his greatest adversaries. Some friends of 2Pac had been apparently snubbed by the group at one of their concerts, and when word of the incident reached a then-jailed Tupac he sent out a message to Mobb Deep threatening violence. Mobb Deep immediately responded with the incredible diss track "Drop a Gem on 'Em" which, occurred after 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up" single which mocked Mobb Deep. This is the only official diss aimed back at 2Pac by another artist in his lifetime. The song features the lines "got the whole of New York state, pointin' at your face.... your days are numbered to low digits".

Nas also angered Tupac by appearing to mock 2Pac with the line "Fake thug, no love, you get the slug, CB4 gusto your luck? No..." in the track "The Message," although Nas denied that this line was ever aimed at Pac. Even Chino XL, an underground rapper from New Jersey with no eye on mainstream domination and no ties to Bad Boy Records, Nas or Mobb Deep, incurred 2pac's wrath on "Hit Em Up" by using him in a somewhat ambiguous simile "By this industry, I'm trying not to get ###### like 2Pac in jail" (ironically, the track to which this line belongs is a duet with proud West Coast representative Ras Kass). Chino soon responded with a freestyle on live radio, either ignored or not heard by Tupac.

[edit] LL Cool J vs. Canibus

After the large-scale beef between 2Pac and various East Coast artists, and the resulting deaths of 2Pac and Biggie, many MCs and fans began to feel paranoid that any further battles might escalate to the same level. The first high-profile battle since then became the late '90's Canibus/LL rivalry, which gained much attention partially because fans were afraid things might get out of hand.

The battle began when LL brought in Canibus, Method Man, DMX and Redman for the Phenomenon song "4,3,2,1" in 1997. Canibus contributed a verse, which included the line "L, is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that" (referring to the tattoo of a microphone LL did indeed have on his arm). LL wrote a response into his own verse, claiming he felt disrespected: "The symbol on my arm is off limits to challengers...You don't wanna borrow that, you wanna idolize", creating a small battle within the song. Before the song was released, Cool J asked Canibus to change the line. Canibus claims that LL also promised to remove his lines as well. LL denies this, claiming that he told Canibus that no one would know who he was talking about if Canibus' verse was changed.

Nevertheless, Canibus complied, and the song was released. However, the original version began surfacing, and people started piecing together what had happened. Canibus began telling fans the full story, saying he was mad that Cool J hadn't removed his response. He went on to diss LL with the single "Second Round K.O.," featuring LL Cool J's one-time friend Mike Tyson cheering Canibus on in the background.

LL's response was titled "The Ripper Strikes Back," where he attacks not only Canibus, but Mike Tyson, Canibus' producer Wyclef and the rest of The Fugees. LL then followed with another track titled "Back Where I Belong," where he accused Canibus of biting his rhymes and saying Bis was a Canadian claiming to be from New York City. Canibus responded to both songs with the track "Rip the Jacker," a mix-tape song recorded over LL Cool J's "I'm Bad" instrumental. This would later spawn his alter-ego, an aggressive battle-rapper by the same name.

Wyclef responded to LL's initial attacks in "The Ripper Strikes Back" with his own song "What's Clef Got to Do With It;" LL retaliated with the underground track "Rasta Imposter." Wyclef and Cool J have ended their own feud; the main beef has since declined to subliminal potshots, with neither directly and openly dissing the other, and seems unlikely to heat back up.

[edit] 2000s and current feuds

[edit] Nas vs. Jay-Z

Main article: Nas vs. Jay-Z

The feud between these hip hop legends is widely considered the most captivating of recent times. ^{[citation needed]} Tension between the two supposedly dates as far back as 1996, when Nas refused to make a guest appearance on Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt. However, the relationship between the two rappers remained peaceful (Jay-Z even giving a shoutout to Nas in his album liner notes^{[citation needed]}), and the tension did not escalate to full-blown rivalry until after the death of the Notorious B.I.G. The position of best rapper in New York (also known as the King of New York) seemed vacant after the death of Biggie, and fans were eager to see who would take over.

Beef involved many of the rappers, especially the Roc-a-Fella Records crew, who got on all-out war against Nas. However, the feud died down somewhat toward the end of 2002, with no real winner decided (arguments go on to this day in the hip hop community about who came out on top overall, with the results of a Hot 97 radio phone-in revealing a 58% - 42% split in favor of Nas), and both Nas & Jay-Z have since paid tribute to each other in interviews, likening the battle to a world title boxing match that pitched the best against the best, and pleased with the entertainment it provided fans. The rivalry also impacted their careers critically and commercially. The battle was significant in that it revived the trend of using ‘beefs’ as a source for publicity and promotion for hip hop artists, originally unpopular following the tragic deaths of 2Pac and Biggie, now prevalent within the hip hop community.

In what may be perhaps a pivotal moment in hip hop history, the feud was formally ended in October 2005 at Jay-Z's I Declare War concert, where Nas made a special guest appearance and performed the hook to "Dead Presidents" and a few of his own tracks such as "NY State of Mind" and "Hate Me Now". In 2005 at another 105.1 concert Jay and Nas reunited on stage and performed a song together. In January 2006, Nas signed with Jay-Z's Def Jam, further emphasizing the truce and raising expectations for a possible collaboration. Nas and Jay-Z are now good friends and are coming out with a new single called "Black Republicans" expected to release December 2006.

[edit] Benzino vs. Eminem

For further information see Benzino article (more information at The Source article).

Although it is not clear why Benzino, then co-owner of The Source Magazine, decided to air out his issues with multi-platinum rapper Eminem, he claims that Eminem's success was hurting Black and Latino artists. He started a campaign against the corporations that are controlling and supporting Eminem. Benzino stated that Eminem can talk about emotions, while Black rappers are forced to talk about materialistic things.

One possible contributing factor for Eminem's concerns was Benzino's rating of his critically-acclaimed and 9x platinum sophomore album The Marshall Mathers LP. The Source gave him a 2-mic rating (4 mics following protests) for his critically-acclaimed album, while Benzino's Made Men received 4.5 mics. Eminem blasted the magazine on the track "Say What You Say" from his follow-up album The Eminem Show, rapping in the final verse, "Five mics in The Source ?, ain't holdin' my fucking breath/But I'll suffocate for the respect 'fore I breathe to collect a fucking check."

Benzino countered with "Pull Ya Skirt Up" and "Die Another Day", the latter of which included the lyrics "You're the rap David Duke/The rap Hitler... I'm the rap Malcolm, the rap Martin". Benzino has explained in interviews that he fears Eminem's fame is the beginning of the end for the Black domination of hip hop; he has also linked Eminem with the consumerism of modern hip hop, and repeated his original statement over the differences in issues in the music Em produces. However, many observers noted that not only is Benzino bi-racial himself, but that Dave Mays, co-owner and founder of The Source, is white.

Eminem responded quickly to Benzino's track with the songs "Nail In The Coffin" and "The Sauce", calling him an "83-year-old fake Pacino", and questioning the credibility of both Benzino as a rapper and The Source as a magazine. Most of the hip hop community stood behind Eminem (including most famously Russell Simmons), and many accused Benzino of criticizing and slandering hip hop's biggest star solely to both boost his unsuccessful career as a rapper and to boost the profile of The Source magazine, which unsurprisingly sided unequivocally with Benzino during the feud and ran a series of anti-Eminem and anti-Shady/Aftermath articles and features. The Source coverage no doubt aided Benzino's cause among many, but for many others it further ruined a magazine whose popularity was fading. Despite criticizing Eminem and his label-mates such as Dr Dre and 50 Cent within its pages, The Source continued to put these prolific record-selling artists on the cover of the magazine.The Source released details of two tapes of a young Eminem it had received, featuring the future star rapping about how black women are "only after your money" in romantic relationships (he apparently just suffered an acrimonious split from a black girlfriend) and in another song using the word "nigger". This caused considerable outcry among many rappers, though few said anything more damning than asking for a public apology. Eminem did in fact promptly and publicly apologize, and later elaborated on the incident in the song "Yellow Brick Road" from his Encore album.

But I've heard people say they heard the tape, and it ain't that bad

But it was, I singled out a whole race

And for that I apologize, I was wrong

Cause no matter what color a girl is she's still a hoe

The Source were forced to pay Eminem for defamation and copyright infringement, and lost major advertising as a result, most notably from major labels Virgin, Elektra, Interscope, Motown, and more recently Def Jam. It's noted that Benzino has recorded an album from each of the labels before they pulled out of The Source Magazine. The hip hop magazine XXL also became involved in the Eminem/Benzino/Source rivalry. XXL, formerly an enemy of Eminem, decided to join forces with Shady Records to discredit The Source. XXL, launched in 1997, has always been in competition with The Source for readership, and indeed was initially started by former Source employees. Dissing Benzino on "Nail In The Coffin", Eminem tells the Source co-owner "I don't need your little fucking magazine / I got XXL's number anyways...". With the entire Interscope label effectively involved in Eminem's feud with The Source, Interscope artists began to flock to XXL, who happily granted them increased coverage, which in turn boosted sales for the magazine.

It has been said that Eminem won the battle and that it was obvious that Benzino had started the feud as nothing more than a publicity stunt to bolster his unsuccessful reputation in Hip-Hop. Dave Mays was recently fired from the staff of The Source, and Benzino has completely sold his shares of stock, claiming "I found the Source not speaking for the little guys (minorities) anymore,"^{[citation needed]} still claiming that he was defending rap music as a racial crusade. (The magazine said on its front page, "Now 100% Benzino free"). The magazine's April 2006 issue said about Benzino and Mays' ouster that they currently are patching up many relationships damaged by the actions of Mays and Benzino, including that with Interscope Records.

[edit] Shady/Aftermath/50 Cent vs. Murder Inc./Ja Rule

Before even signing to Eminem's and Dr. Dre's labels, 50 Cent was engaged in a well-publicized dispute with rapper Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Records. The conflict's origin remains a mystery. However, many believe that Queens drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGrifth funded and provided the start-up money for Murder, Inc. Ja Rule and Supreme have had beef with 50 Cent and allegedly ordered his attempted murder in 2000. Their feud started when 50 Cent released the song "Ghetto Qu'ran", which dropped the names of McGrifth as well as several of his associates. This has led to 50 being labeled a snitch by many. Other accounts have ranged from an alleged robbery of Ja Rule's jewelry by a friend of 50's, to Ja Rule and Murder Inc. supposedly snubbing a young and star-struck 50 Cent at a video shoot, to 50 Cent's shooter being Ja Rule's bodyguard. It is possible that all or some of these things have led to this beef. Whatever the case, the hostility didn't reach public ears until 50 Cent released his fiery, but subliminal, diss track, "Life's On The Line." This led to two violent confrontations between the rappers. The first was a meeting where 50 Cent punched Ja, which caused a fight. The second confrontation occurred in a New York studio, where rapper Black Child, a member of Murder, Inc. stabbed 50 Cent. Black Child claimed that 50 cent was reaching for a gun during the fight.

Regardless of the physical repercussions, 50 Cent continued to make the rivalry a cornerstone of his music career. He released numerous mixtapes, insulting Ja Rule and Murder Inc. Before the release of Get Rich Or Die Tryin', Murder, Inc. began a smear campaign against the rapper. A restraining order document began floating around the Internet stating that 50 Cent had filed an order of protection against label CEO, Irv Gotti and Black Child. This helped forge the belief that 50 Cent is a "snitch" or a police informant.

Although 50 Cent dismissed the claims, the bad publicity continues to be a tool used among various rappers who engage in beef with his rap collective G-Unit. In fact, further investigation from New York lawyers found that the document could have been, and was most likely, signed by a judge without 50 Cent's consent or knowledge. The practice is common place in New York for victims of multiple attacks when their assaulter are released from jail.

The rivalry reached a boiling point for Murder Inc., which had remained silent for the most part, when 50 Cent released his second album-length battle rap, entitled "Back Down." In the song 50, who was always known for his hold-no-tongue approach to battling, insulted, joked and dissed Ja Rule and his label into action. In response, Black Child, along with fellow Murder Inc. rapper Cadillac Tah, countered with their own mix tape disses. Ja Rule, however, remained quiet. 50 Cent continued his barrage, releasing the Tupac assisted "Realest Killaz" where he addressed Ja Rule's penchant for imitating the slain rapper. This prompted Ja Rule to finally respond with the songs "War is On," "Guess Who Shot Ya" and "Loose Change." This all culminated into Ja Rule releasing Blood in My Eye, which was, in effect, a 50 Cent diss album.

Ja Rule eventually tried to squash the beef with 50 Cent by using Minister Louis Farrakhan in a televised interview. However, the attempt at peace lost credibility as the interview was scheduled a day before Blood In My Eye was released. As a result most fans, along with 50 Cent dismissed the interview as a blatant publicity stunt.

Ja Rule also had a small rivalry with 50's label-mates Eminem, D12 ,Dr.Dre, and Obie Trice. Ja Rule insulted Eminem's ex-wife and daughter in a song and Eminem responded on a mix tape by DJ Kay Slay with a freestyle collaboration with 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes in a Tupac Parody titled "Hail Mary 2003". Although they exchanged heated words, most fans did not take it seriously in the shadow of 50 vs. Ja Rule. Eminem also dissed him with another underground song with G-unit entitled "Bump Heads" (and various other songs with out the G-Unit). Dr. Dre also fired back with Obie Trice and Eminem on track called Shit Hits The Fan, included in Cheers, which Dr. Dre finally fires back on a beef ten years after Ruthless vs. Death Row beef, claiming Ja Rule's "pussy, you're not Pac, I knew him / Pac was a real n####, you're a just a fucking insult to him."

Since then, 50 Cent's sophomore album, "The Massacre," sold millions, yet has been criticized for not being able to recapture the level of hype "Get Rich or Die Trying" set. Ja Rule released "R.U.L.E" with the successful single, "New York," featuring Jadakiss and Fat Joe. Interestingly enough, this single prompted 50 Cent to enter a feud with the two featured artists (See article on Piggy Bank for details).When Eminem called it quits in "Like Toy Soldiers," Ja agreed, saying that he was exhausted with feuds and has recently released a greatest hits album entitled, "Exodus."

Although it seemed as the feud was over, Ja Rule has returned to the beef with "21 Gunz" which is to debut on the Murder Inc Mix tape: MI:3 Friday, May 12, 2006[1]. It can be heard, along with some of his other new songs on his MySpace site[2]. On the mix tape Mo Money in da Bank Pt 4, Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent replied with "Return of Ja Fool".

[edit] 50 Cent vs. The Game

Not long before this feud began, The Game had been signed to G-Unit Records (while simultaneously signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment), and had subsequently achieved great success with his album The Documentary and the singles "How We Do" and "Hate It Or Love It", both of which featured 50 Cent.

However, the sudden feud between the pair (who had been marketed as close associates, almost in a mentor/protege relationship) started from alleged rumors that The Game had recorded with former G-Unit nemesis Joe Budden on a track that was released in 2004. Things escalated after 50's second album, The Massacre, was released and had several lyrics dissing other rappers; among them Nas, Fat Joe and Jadakiss; The Game soon appeared on New York radio claiming he had no beef with any of the rappers 50 Cent targeted, and was not involved. Taking offense at what he perceived as Game's disloyalty, 50 Cent appeared on the radio soon after to announce that he had officially dropped The Game from G-Unit, claiming that The Game owed him more credit for songs that he had helped in writing and recording, and that Game should have openly supported 50 in his feuds.

The Game rebutted this explanation, however, stating that 50's alleged jealousy over the success of The Documentary (which resulted in 50's album "the Massacre" being pushed back from February to March) caused them to feud while on tour. The beef escalated as one member of The Game's entourage was shot outside of the Hot 97 radio station in New York, landing him in the hospital. The battle appeared to be escalating dangerously, but within a few weeks, The Game and 50 Cent ended their feud, deciding to give money to charity and apologizing for their actions.

Many fans felt that the supposed feud, and particularly the incident at the radio station was a publicity stunt designed to boost the sales of the two albums the pair had just released. Nevertheless, even after the situation had apparently deflated, 50 Cent and G-Unit continued to feud with The Game, denouncing his street credibility in the media and claiming that without their support, he will not score a hit from his second album. 50 Cent also sued The Game's manager Jimmy Henchmen over unauthorized filming for a documentary about Kelvin Martin. The Game was then highly critical of 50 Cent during a performance at the Summer Jam festival, leading chants of "G-Unot". After the performance at Summer Jam, The Game responded with a hard hitting diss titled "300 Bars and Runnin'" which addresses 50 Cent and G-Unit.

50 Cent has mixed feelings toward the diss but nevertheless he responded through his "Piggybank" video. The video features The Game dressed as a Mr. Potato Head and his many other nemeses named in the song in parodies of major characters on television. The feud continued escalating, as former Bloods and fans of The Game began protesting events that feature 50 Cent and G-Unit.

In January 2006, The Game took the beef to new level by releasing an entire DVD devoted to the fall-out entitled "Stop Snitchin' Stop Lyin'" along with a mixtape, with a lot of claims that this would be his final involvement with the beef. After this many Game fans started stating that The Game had won the beef, until 50 Cent came out with the track "Not Rich, Still Lyin'" which featured 50 Cent imitating The Game. The G-Unit has started to respond on numerous underground mixtapes. On G-Unit radio 50 Cent came out with another track called "Paper Chaser" off the mixtape G-Unit Radio, Part 21: Hate It Or Love It. The Game tried to end the feud however, 50 Cent would not allow this, and featured The Game as a male stripper on the cover of G-Unit Radio 22. In XXL magazine, 50 Cent says he doubts The Game will succeed on his second album without him. 50 Cent claims The Game is a good rapper but is not a good song writer. 50 Cent says he wrote six songs on the album but The Game claims he didn't write anything. In a response to the mixtape of G-unit Radio 22, The Game came out with the track "The Funeral 100 Bars" aimed at the whole G-Unit camp. Although both rappers were once signed to the same label, this feud has led to The Game leaving Aftermath Entertainment, in order to completely resolve the matter. Resulting in The Game going to Geffen Records and recording his sophmore album The Doctor's Advocate without 50 cent nor Dr. Dre.

[edit] Summaries of other known rivalries (not necessarily in chronological order)

• T.I. vs. Lil Flip: What started this feud is when T.I asked to be in one of Lil Flip's songs but Lil Flip refused it leading up to a fight in one of the studios involving T.I and Lil Flip along with some friends of both of the rappers. They have also been recording songs dissing each other. T.I. used his mixtape featuring DJ Drama, Humpty Hump (Lil' Flip's former manager) & Scarface called "Gangsta Grillz : Down With The King" to diss Flip, while Flip used DJ Envy's & Big Mike's mixtapes to diss T.I.. They've also appeared in concerts dissing each other.

• Chamillionaire vs. Mike Jones: It started when Jones said that Chamillionaire copied his style but Chamillionaire said that Jones was jealous because his records were selling more than those of Jones. Chamillionaire dissed Jones on the first CD of his album The Mixtape Messiah & he called him Dyke Jones , Mike Jones also released his diss songs.However the beef has been squashed at the encouragement of Paul Wall & other Texas rappers.

• MF DOOM vs. GM Grimm: Feud featuring former partners.

• MC Lyte vs. Antoinette: Female rappers quarrel over legacy in rap.

• Tim Dog vs. Compton: Around the time when West Coast rappers were becoming popular, Bronx rapper Tim Dog was tired of being overlooked by them and recorded the underground track Fuck Compton. The track sparked a rip-wave in hip hop at the time and sparked a flurry of disses from DJ Quik, "Way 2 Fonky", "The Last Word", Tweedy Bird Loc, "Fuck The South Bronx",Comptons Most Wanted, "Who's Fucking Who", Dr. Dre "The $20 Sack Pyramid", and from Long Beach rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg on the track "Dre Day". Tim responded with "Dog Baby" and "Bitch With A Perm" which are both parodies of "Dre Day" and "Gin & Juice."

• MC Shan vs. LL Cool J: Shan calls LL out for beat-biting on LL's hit "Rock Da Bells.

• LL Cool J vs. Ice-T; Ice-T dissed LL Cool J on his track "I'm Your Pusher", offering a hip-hop junkie some LL Cool J, and the junkie told Ice-T "you can keep that". LL responded with a verse in "To Da Break Of Dawn", where he called Ice-T a "hip-hop racoon" and stated "a brother with a perm deserves to get burned". The beef died out soon afterwards.

• X-Clan vs. KRS-One: KRS made attacks on stage against the Clan, who fire back; feud fizzles after Clan is disbanded.

• X-Clan vs. 3rd Bass: Afro-centric Clan call out White group for signing with a top label ahead of black artists.

• MC Eiht vs. DJ Quik: Popular rappers spar; possible ties to gangs.

• Jay-Z vs. Terror Squad: Jay feuded with Big Pun and Fat Joe of the Squad following an incident at a New York nightclub in which the Squad demanded Jay get off so they could start. Track battles followed.

• G-Unit vs. D-Block: This started before the now well known beef known today. After 50 Cent released "How 2 Rob", J-Hood released a freestyle in 2000 (but it hasn't surfaced until 2002) on 50 Cent's "Life's On The Line" beat dissing 50 Cent & Madd Rapper. 50 Disses Jadakiss In The "Piggy Bank" song, after the latter joined with Fat Joe and Ja Rule on the infamous "New York" diss. Since then, they've been exchanging many & harsh disses towards each other on songs & on radio.

• Jay-Z vs. Mobb Deep: 2001 feud mainly between Jay and Prodigy, reported squashed by MTV.

• Roc-A-Fella vs. The Diplomats: Originally between Jay-Z and Cam'ron over the presidency of Roc, grew into back and forth beefing between the two groups. Juelz Santana remains neutral while JR Writer and Jim Jones was defending his groupmate, Cam'Ron, who had beef with Jay previously. Jay-Z responded to Jim Jones on a song called "Brooklyn High", over the "We Fly High" beat he said "Men lie, Women Lie, numbers dont" refering to Jones' then poor soundscan performance. Jones and Juelz Santana then did a "Beef Mix" of "We Fly High" dissing Jay. The beef has continued with CamRon's "You Must Not Know About Me" and Dipset member JR Writer's "I Got 'Em" diss tracks.Both can heard at allhiphop.com

• Princess Superstar vs.Eminem:The beef came about when Rap magazines and media called indie rapper Princess Superstar a female Eminem clone. On her album is she dissed Eminem on the track Welcome to my world.Eminem took a little stab back on freestyle called "You Can't Be Like Me" in the line "You Won't catch me rapping about Babysitters". In a Interview with The Clash Magazine Princess Superstar said "what ever you compare me to, don't use the E word or use the M&M logo."

• 50 Cent vs. P.Diddy: Ma$e was going to be signed to G-Unit records but Sean "Puffy" Combs still owns the publishing and rights to Ma$e. 50 cent went on Shade 45 radio and debuted a track dissing P. Diddy called "The Bomb" a short track dissing Diddy and then is followed by 50 Cent saying he wont be invited to a party and "I don't want to do the (Mase) deal no more!". Shortly after, Diddy responded on the track "I'm Richer Bitch." 50 Cent debuted another diss track called "get down" with Tony Yayo and the new member of G-unit Hot Rod

• Jackie O vs.Foxy Brown:

• 50 Cent vs. Wu-Tang Clan: 50 Cent has been trying to start beef with the Wu-Tang Clan, mainly Ghostface Killah, since he began rapping. He's dissed them on "Too Hot", "Fuck you Ghostface" and of course "How to Rob" and he have ripped several beats from them (see "I don't need em" and "That's what's up"). The Clan for the most part have ignored him, though on Ghostface's "Supreme Clientele" album "Knuckles" a.k.a. Clyde Smith(which was actually Raekwon who had just changed the pitch of his voice) explained to 50 on there why they won't bark back at him because "niggas ain't tryin let you come in the game and act like you gonna live off their strength". Masta Killah also made reference to him on Wu-Tang Clan's "One Blood Under W" on the album "The W" stating "Fuck fame, I shoot a hole through a 50 cent piece to test my aim/How dare you call the gods in vain not knowin the seriousness of this and why I came". The Wu Tang affiliated group American Cream Team also dissed 50 on a track called "Who Is 50 Cent".

• Eminem vs. Nelly: This feud is relatively recent and quiet one. Nelly started it when he appeared on MTV's "Total Request Live" about 2 years back. He sent out a number of disses and seemingly violent comments towards Eminem, reiterating his dislike for the Detroit-based rapper. Nelly said that Eminem was talking about Nelly behind his back, or so he heard. He then proceeded to say that Shady better not go on tour in St. Louis, Nelly's hometown, because the St. Lunatics would would make short work of them. He even goes on to say, that he "eats m&ms". Eminem replied to Nelly's disses by releasing a song called "Detroit Grammar". However, it is rumored that Nelly phoned to apologize to Eminem after saying he eats M&M's, and this is the most likely reason for this beef stopping.

• 50 Cent vs. Fat Joe: 50 Cent points out that Fat Joe had painted a target on themselves for partnering up with Ja Rule while filming a video in which the rapper took shots at him. He recorded the track "Piggy Bank" and attacked Fat Joe and other rappers for their association with Ja Rule. Then, Fat Joe attacked back on a diss called "My 44" (most referred to as "Fuck 50"). But 50 Cent wasn't done, he & Tony Yayo took more shots at him on "I Run NY". Even though things cooled down, at 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, while Fat Joe was on stage, members of the G-Unit heckled Joe, which was audible on the TV broadcast. In response, Fat Joe said that all of the police presence in the venue was "courtesy of G-Unit," which related to Joe's lyrical accusations that 50 was a "snitch" who runs with "5-0. " 50 Cent and G-Unit retaliated on set later in the show at the end of their performance by shouting obscenities toward Fat Joe and Terror Squad, which were censored by MTV. Also, Pistol Pete (a non-rapping member of Terror Squad) appeared on The Game's "Stop Snitchin' Stop Lyin" DVD & disrespected Tony Yayo of G-Unit, Chris Lighty (owner of Violator records whom had ties to 50 Cent), & James Cruz (50 Cent's manager) & claims he chased Tony Yayo near a jewelry store. In XXL's December 2006 issue Fat Joe kept dissing 50 Cent & G-Unit.

• Loon vs. Mase: Ma$e says that Loon stole his style and Loon calls Ma$e fake'

• Sole vs. El-Producto: Beef started in the late 90's when Sole thought he was being dissed subliminally on the track "End To End Burner" by El-P's group Company Flow, and released his own track, "Dear Elpee", which was a huge underground hit and was entirely devoted to attacking El-P, Company Flow, and all record/distribution companies involved. Company Flow returned the favor with "Linda Tripp", which included several snippets of a recorded phone conversation between Sole and El-P where Sole came across as afraid of El-P, stated that he "loved Company Flow", and wanted "to be down" with El-P and Co-Flow. While the track was received with almost equal popularity amongst underground hip-hop fans, there was a bit of a backlash due to El-P's usage of his phone conversation. The beef eventually died down as both artists moved on, but Sole, and to a lesser effect his Anticon label, are viewed as having their credibility damaged due to Sole's contradictory tone being played out on Co-Flow's "Linda Tripp".

• 50 Cent vs. Nas: 50 Cent claimed that Nas had made disparaging comments about him and his G-Unit camp while performing at a New York concert. The rapper has denounced Nas as a traitor over the allying himself with Ja Rule and Irv Gotti. He dissed Nas on "Piggy Bank" and Nas dissed him on "MC Burial". Nas however claims to still have "a lotta love" for 50 and that 50 is still bitter over Jennifer Lopez choosing a remix of her "It's Gonna Be Alright" which had a version with 50, but the version with Nas was the one that gained circulation and recognition. According to Nas, there are other situations and moves 50 didn't understand Nas make when they were both together at Columbia Records. As of Summer 2006, the beef has settled down with nothing coming from either camp. However that may change with Nas' next LP, Hip-Hop is Dead.

• 50 Cent vs. Shyne: This beef started when 50 Cent did a freestyle on Hot 97 over Jay-Z's "1-900-Hustler" beat, after Shyne had Irv Gotti produce his album Godfather Buried Alive. 50 rapped "I heard Irv (referring to Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti) tryin' to sign Shyne so I ain't got no love for him, tell him 50 Cent said he soft and won't shoot up the club again (referring to an altercation in a night club that involved P. Diddy and Shyne, who at the time was a bodyguard for Diddy, resulting in Shyne firing a weapon in what he said was self-defense, and later being incarcerated.) This diss line can be found on Shyne's "If I Could Start From Scratch" mixtape. Shyne then dissed 50 Cent on his second album Godfather Buried Alive, with the track "For The Record", which he recorded over the phone from prison. 50 Cent recorded the track "Piggy Bank" and attacked Shyne for his association with Ja Rule and Murder Inc.

• Jay-Z vs. D-Block: Jay-Z has ended his feud with all the members of D-Block except Sheek Louch.

• The L.O.X vs. P. Diddy: Stemmed from The L.O.X. deciding to leave Bad Boy, against Puffy's wishes. Peace is supposedly made when all appear at Jay-Z's "I Declare War" concert, along with Nas, who had a brief feud with Puffy himself. Restarted when D-Block complained on Hot 97 that Puffy would not sell them their publishing back, Jadakiss describing their legal situation as "like slavery" & threatened to throw a refrigerator off the roof of a building to kill him. Puffy responded to the group on-air, before hanging up eventually. Afterwards, the deal was negotiated, and no mention of their situation has arose.

• Jay-Z vs. R. Kelly: Stemmed from their aborted 2004 concert tour, ending in New York with a backstage brawl, as well as a couple of diss records, has died down.

• Trick Trick vs. Styles P.: A drunk Styles P. reportedly disses the City of Detroit and is beaten for it. Feud is currently inactive.

• Dr. Dre vs. Uncle Luke: The feud started when Luke dissed N.W.A on one of his videos.So Dr. Dre although no longer part of the group he and his new protege Snoop Doggy Dogg dissed him on the track Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybodys Celebrating) and its video. Luke responded with Cowards In Compton. Although he did not rap on it he did appear on the interludes, Rappers JT Money and Clayvoise did the rapping. The video was a complete parody of the clip for Dre's hit Nuthin But A G Thang and had heavy airplay.There is a remix to the song called Dr. Dre Is A Bitch Ass (Cowards In Compton Deathrow Remix).A Compton rapper named Tweedy Bird Loc also dissed him for the name of his track Cowards In Compton on the track "Fuck Miami", Luke never responded. Although, the feud between him and Dre is over, Luke is considering recording a Snoop Dogg diss as Snoop dissed him in public recently.

• Westside Connection vs. Common: In a preview of the East Coast/West Coast rap war, Ice Cube's Connection hits Common for lyrics deemed to be offensive to the West. The feud started over some verses in Common "I Used to Love H.E.R." that Ice Cube believed portrayed the West Coast's contributions as detrimental to hip-hop. Cube responsed with Westside Slaughterhouse with the assistance Of fellow Westside Connection membors Mack 10 and WC and on the remix to "Hoo Bangin'" with "I'm bombin' on Common Sense / Chicago is mine / nigga hit the fence." Common later responds with the track "I See The B**** In You", in which he dedicates the whole song to criticizing Ice Cube "Now What The F*** Do I look, dissing a whole coast?/You ain't made sh** dope since Amerikkka's Most-/ Wanted Deceased" and his group Westside Connection. The feud was later called off, and nothing's been heard since.

• LL Cool J vs. MC Hammer: Short-lived feud that mainly involved LL dissing Hammer on the second verse of "To Da Break Of Dawn".

• The Luniz vs. Too $hort: Oakland rappers clash over the former's lyrics; squashed.

• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony vs. Do Or Die, Twista & Three 6 Mafia: Midwest feud over copying of style; dissolved rather quickly.

• Westside Connection vs. Cypress Hill: The feud started when B Real invited Ice Cube for a look at a hook for their new album. Soon after Cube recorded the song Friday which had the hook Throw Your Neighbourhood In The Air which was similiar to Cypress Hills Throw Your Set In The Air. Feeling dissed they recorded the track No Rest For The Wicked.In response Cube responded with Cross Em Out And Put A K and King Of The Hill with the assistance of his Westside Connection group. WC chose to remain neutral in the feud whereas Mack 10 was featured heavilly dissing Cypress Hill. Cubes cousin Kam who had a recent fall out with him joined the feud by having his good friend Solo steal Cubes Westside Connection necklace in a brawl in Chicago and handed it to B Real.Soon after Cypress responded with Ice Cube Killa which has the same beat as King Of The Hill. The song not only disses Ice Cube but Mack 10 also for his involvment in the beef.Soon Cube and B Real began to diss each other in public and at concerts such as when B real took photos of himself with Cubes necklace. The feud almost boiled to a racial war. The two rappers soon ended their problems on TV and with a few Phone calls and have even collaberated on a few songs.

• Lil' Kim vs. Foxy Brown: Brown accused Kim of slavishly imitating her style, and Kim accused Brown of the same. After a series of back and forths, the beef reached its climax in 2001 when Kim's entourage traded gunfire with Capone-N-Noreaga's entourage outside of the Hot 97 studio in New York City. In 2005 Lil' Kim was convicted of perjury and lying before a Grand Jury when questioned regarding the incident. She was sentenced to a year and one day at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, which she reported to on September 19, 2005. On Lil' Kim's latest album, The Naked Truth, Kim attacks Foxy Brown once again on the track "Quiet", mentioning an alleged incident where Jacki-O beat up Foxy Brown in a Florida studio, thus implying that Foxy’s bad girl status is null and void. Kim aggravates the sore by threatening to go after Foxy’s alleged ghostwriters.[3]

• DMX vs. Kurupt: This feud stems from DMX sleeping with Kurupt's then girlfriend Foxy Brown. Kurupt would release an attack on DMX, his record label Ruff Ryders, the rap super group The Firm, Ja Rule and producer Irv Gotti on a song called Calling Out Names which was later released on album Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha. DMX's diss track toward Kurrupt came in the form of Bring Your Whole Crew from the album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. There has been no visible conclusion to this rivalry.

• DMX vs. Ja Rule: DMX claimed his one-time ally Ja Rule had copied his rap style, and had gotten rich as a result. Ja Rule responded by bringing up DMX's drug abuse and questioning his sexuality. DMX jumped on bandwagon when Shady Records artist were feuding with Ja Rule, releasing a few diss tracks on Cradle 2 The Grave Soundtrack, one that's well-known, Go To Sleep (feat. Eminem and Obie Trice). The beef ended with Irv Gotti speaking with both artists.

• Shady/Aftermath vs. Jermaine Dupri: Jermaine stated in an interview that he was a more capable producer than Dr. Dre or Timbaland. Dre and Timbaland took offense, although Jermaine tried to rationalize that what he meant was that he simply did more as a music producer than the other two (writing R&B song lyrics for Usher, in addition to creating his instrumentals, for example). Dre then recorded a verse ("Say What You Say" dissing Jermaine on Eminem's album The Eminem Show, mocking Jermaine for, amongst other things, achieving his initial successes with "10 and 11 year olds" (referencing Jermaine's first signed act Kris Kross and more recently Bow Wow). Xzibit, at the time an artist readily affiliated with Aftermath, also mocked Jermaine Dupri in a radio freestyle, and the Atlanta producer then traded dis tracks with Dr. Dre, Eminem and Xzibit for approximately a year.

• Nas vs. Cormega: In 1996, Nas started a rap supergroup called The Firm consisting of Foxy Brown, AZ, Cormega and obviously Nas. Steve Stoute, Nas' manager and owner of Trackmasters Entertainment would only allow Cormega, Nas' longtime friend into the group if he joined Trackmasters Entertainment. Cormega refused to join and was replaced by a rapper named Nature. It has not been confirmed if Nature was just put on the team because he was a better rapper or not. On tracks by Cormega from The Realness such as "Thun & Kicko" with Mobb Deep and "You Don't Want It", Nas gets dissed. Nas responded to these disses on the track "Destroy & Rebuild" from Stillmatic where he attacked many Queensbridge rappers. Some believe that Nas extended the beef to Mobb Deep and Nature. Cormega however made disses to Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Nas on his album The True Meaning also. Mega also released an underground track "A Slick Response" that makes fun of Nas' Slick Rick-like delivery on "Destroy & Rebuild". Nas and Cormega have reportedly squashed their beef.

• Eminem vs. Insane Clown Posse

• Trey Songz vs. The Game: Trey Songz recent work with Shady/Aftermath artists such as Obie Trice have made The Game dislike Trey, and even call him out on numerous radio interviews. Songz will also appear on Lil Eazy E's upcoming single "This Ain't A Game," which is considered to be a diss track aimed towards The Game.

• Papoose vs. Cassidy:

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