Where’s the Beef!?

Hip-Hop’s Most Notorious Feuds

By Jasen T. Davis

Hip-hop music is about artistic expression, attitude, respect, power and money. These emotional themes make for dramatic spectacles as the industry’s biggest personalities tear each other up to be on top, or, in the immortal words of the great American philosopher Ice Cube, “It’s the crab-in-a-bucket syndrome.”

Here are some ferocious rivalries from the occasionally histrionic history of hip-hop.

Tupac Shakur vs. Notorious B.I.G.

During the early ’90s, West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur (a.k.a. 2Pac) dominated the American rap scene. His feud with Biggie Smalls (a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G.), an East Coast rhymeslinger of equal fame and influence, began when Shakur was shot five times and robbed by gunmen as he was entering Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan to meet with Smalls. Shakur survived, and accused Smalls of setting him up. Tupac wrote more than a few songs highlighting his resentment, including the 1996 hit single “Hit ‘Em Up.” Biggie responded with the song “Who Shot Ya?” while the media whipped the fight into a frenzy that drove up record sales.

Kanye West vs. George W. Bush

Kanye West is one of hip-hop’s most dramatic personalities, and his theatrics are legendary. The man spoke the truth in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans. In a benefit concert for NBC, Kanye West and actor Mike Meyers were both giving a prepared speech when West said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” West had felt, like many others, that the Bush administration had done little to help the African-American survivors of the hurricane. West later declared his regret for the incident, and Bush accepted West’s apology, but the fact remained that when it came to hip-hop rivalries, West could be a big game hunter.

Jay-Z vs. Nas

In the art of hip-hop, the dis song is an established ritual, where insults are hurled and egos collide like planets. When Jay-Z bashed Nas live on New York radio in 1997, the battle was on, and dis songs were hurled like fiery cannon balls between the two artists. Nas gave Jay-Z some hate in “Stillmatic Freestyle,” and Jay-Z taunted back with “Takeover.” Nas came up with “Ether.” It was two heavyweights, beating each other bloody while the crowd roared.

Eazy-E vs. Dr. Dre

Hell hath no fury like old friends scorned, and when gangster hip-hop pioneer group N.W.A. split up in early ’90s, former members Dr. Dre and Eazy-E went on the warpath against each other over the break up.

In his early ’90s magnum opus The Chronic, Dre blasted Eazy with a dis song. Eazy-E responded with It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, an album that is almost entirely devoted to trashing Dr. Dre. Ouch.

Ice Cube vs. Cypress Hill

When it comes to dropping hip-hop bombs, few pummel the opposition harder and heavier than the legendary Ice Cube. In “No Rest for the Wicked,” Cypress Hill accused Ice Cube’s side project, Westside Connection, of stealing their material.

Cube and Westside Connection responded with “King of the Hill,” where Cube and his bandmates WC and Mack 10 made fun of Cypress’ vocal style (to put it mildly) and threatened Cypress Hill with prison-style beatings.