Over the decades, rappers have been feuding some real and some fake. What are some of the biggest feuds in rap history and what led to it?
Let’s discuss some of the biggest rapper feuds that you probably haven’t heard about.
Drake vs Meek Mill
Is Drake a rap artist who writes his own songs? That was the question that sparked one of the most famous international rap beefs of all time. A feud that roiled the hip-hop industry from its start in 2015 to its final and four years later. “Stop comparing Drake to me too, he doesn’t write his own raps,” Meek said in a tweet.
The accusation sparked a barrage of accusations and threats. Drake’s ostensible ghost writer Atlanta rapper Quinton Miller was soon revealed and chimed in. Drake’s longtime producer and collaborator defined the Toronto native as more than a rapper and thus not bound to the community’s codes and customs. Then there were tracks that were meant to be a diss track. Drake released charged up in July 2015, followed by Back to Back. Before Meek could respond, the damage had already been done.
By the time Meek dropped “Wanna know,” despite his reputation for tenderness, Drake became recognized as a formidable opponent in the feud. This feud was officially put to rest with the release of Meek Mill’s Going bad featuring Drake in 2019.
Tupac versus the Notorious BIG
Tupac Shakur’s battle with the Notorious BIG has become the standard bearer for every hip-hop view afterwards. It was a microcosm of a greater East Coast versus West Coast or New York versus Los Angeles rivalry as it featured probably the two greatest rappers of all time.
In 1993, Biggie who grew up in Brooklyn and Tupac who was based in Los Angeles met for the first time. They became friends and performed together at Madison Square garden in New York later that year. The partnership had deteriorated by 1994.
On his way to record with BIG, Tupac was assaulted and shot in times square. He accused Biggie and his manager Puff Daddy of being involved. Biggie released “Who Shot Ya” later that year which was largely viewed as a Tupac diss track.
The feud became the focal point of a long-running coastal field that dates back to at least 1991 and 1995. At that year’s source awards in New York, Serge Knight, the CEO of LA-based Death Row records took jabs at Puff Daddy’s label Bad Boy records. Later, he signed Pac and helped him get out of jail.
Pac appeared on a number of tracks targeting Bad Boy artists such as BIG. While filming the music video for “New York” in New York City at the end of the year, West Coast group Hot Dog Pound came under assault. Tupac was tragically slain in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996 bringing the battle to an end.
BIG was killed in a shootout in Los Angeles six months later. Both artists were at the heyday of their careers.
50 cent versus Rick Ross
Rick Ross and 50 cent are locked in a legal dispute in which 50 cent could be forced to pay 5 million according to history that seems too outrageous to be true. The two have been feuding since the 2009 BET awards when 50 cent allegedly gave Rick Ross the wrong look and they’ve been at odds ever since.
50 cent sparked the feud when he posted a video in 2010 of Ross’s baby Mom Lestonia Levinson getting intimate with her ex-boyfriend Maurice Murray. 50 cent doctored the footage by putting himself into the tape and then posting it online. In some strange and misogynistic sort of retaliation towards Ross in 2010, Levinson filed an emotional distressed lawsuit which was finally resolved at trial with 50 cent sentenced to pay Levinson 5 million.
50 cent then filed for bankruptcy in order to restrict the amount of harm he might cause.
Cardi B versus Nicki Minaj
How quickly things have changed. Rapper brawls were common at the recording studios and on street corners in the 1990s and early 2000s. They were performing at the Harper’s Bazaar new york fashion week party in 2018 when Cardi B allegedly tossed her shoe at Nicki Minaj and attempted to assault her there.
The heel throwing event was the tipping point in a conflict that had been smouldering under a veil of media denials for years. The two New York rappers have collaborated on songs and exchanged love tweets but reports of a few persisted. Cardi B took subtle jabs at Nicki Minaj during her song on Migos motorsport, but afterwards denied any animosity in the interviews.
Pusha T and Drake
Drake and Pusha T have a long history of feuding. Drake was a target because of his ties to Little Wayne. Drake and Pusha’s feud began to gain traction in 2011. Pusha T released “Don’t act with me,” a song that sampled Drake’s dreams money can buy in which Drake supposedly disses Pusha subliminally.
In 2012, Push released Exodus 23:1. On your favorite rapper, Pusha T fired shots at Lil Wayne and Drake retaliated with a promise of violence on Tuscan Leather from his 2013 album “Nothing was the same.”
On two birds one stone, Drake took aim at Pusha T’s drug dealing history in 2016. Pusha T then released Infrared, a track from his 2018 album Daytona, reigniting the feud between himself and Drizzy.
Drake was chastised by Push for employing ghost riders in retaliation. Drake released Duppy freestyle which took aim at both Pusha T and Kanye West. The story of Adion was then released by Push. Drake is seen in blackface in an old photo shoot for the single’s artwork. The song drew lots of attention and elicited a lot of responses especially from hip-hop fans.
When Pusha disclosed that Drake had a secret son, it was one of the most breathless bars on the album. Drake later stated he has a son on his 2018 Scorpion albums track “Emotionless” and March 14. Drizzy and Sophie Brousseau a former adult film star have a son named Adonis. Drake stated in 2019 that he had no desire to reconcile with Pusha T.
Last year on a leaked Pop Smoke song, the Virginia lyricist appeared to trash Aubry and Drake also dropped some limited bars on Hedy’s only you freestyle. This beef has never been officially laid to rest but it is currently dormant.
Nicki minaj versus Lil Kim
It didn’t take long for the narrow-minded music business to draw parallels between Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim who both have a flair for extravagant clothes and controversy.
When Lil Kim’s attention was brought to Nicki Minaj, she accused her of stealing her look. The two then were embroiled in a diss track relay aided by their respective record labels. No doubt after all, any publicity is good publicity.
Eminem versus Machine Gun Kelly
Machine Gun and Eminem Kelly’s dissatisfaction extends back to May of 2012. It all started when MGK made a remark on twitter regarding Eminem’s daughter Haley after a photo of Haley went viral. In October of 2015, MGK accused Eminem of having him blackballed from the shade 45 satellite radio station during an interview about his sophomore album.
