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What’s Beef? Nothing gets hip-hop fans going like a good old-fashioned rap feud. Let’s take a look at four bitter rap beefs that took over the industry.
Biggie Smalls vs. Tupac Shakur
The Death Row and Bad Boy Records beef is perhaps the most famed dispute in hip-hop history. Not just because it pitted two of the hottest emcees of all time against each other. But also because of the result. A shooting at Quad studios in the 1990s led Pac to Biggie set him up to be robbed. And eventually, the beef went from being about Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records to it being about the East Coast vs. the West Coast. Things came to a head in 1996. When Tupac Shakur was shot and killed on the Las Vegas Strip at just 25 years old. Just four Months later, during a controversial trip to Los Angeles, Biggie was gunned down while riding in a car. The same way Shakur was.
Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B
Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are two of the most revered female rappers ever. However, they are also bitter enemies. The tension began when the two artists appeared on Migos’ 2018 hit Motorsport. On the song Nicki Raps “If Cardi the QB I’m Nick Lombardi,” likening herself to legendary NFL head coach, Vince Lombardi. However, Cardi says that the version of Motorsport that she heard didn’t feature the infamous Nicki verse.
After hearing Cardi’s comments, Minaj said that she was hurt because she expected Cardi to be more grateful. Things got heated at New York Fashion Week in 2018. There had been tension between the two femcees for months. But things came to a head after Cardi saw Minaj like and unlike a social media post. One that criticized her parenting skills.
Things got heated when both of the rap stars showed up at a party during New York Fashion Week. Although Cardi and Nicki never actually came to fisticuffs it was a pretty bizarre scene. Both artists were screaming unpleasantries at each other from across the room as they were being restrained.
Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s rap feud was one of the more explosive events of 2024. The two emcees traded lyrical low blows in a series of songs. Kendrick kicked off the beef when he called out J. Cole and Drizzy on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” Where he noted there was no “Big 3” in hip-hop, but rather he stood alone as the top dog. Drake hit back when he released “Push Ups”, seemingly brushing off Kendrick, questioning whether he was even a worthy opponent.
Kendrick’s first solo shot at Drake came on his track Euphoria. Where he sends a warning shot about the dirt that he does have on him. The gloves came off in round three. In Drake’s second rebuttal titled “Family Matters” he accuses Kendrick of abusing his fiancee, Whitney Alford. He also alleges that Kendrick’s manager, Dave Free, fathered Whitney’s son and not Kendrick.
Kendrick hit back at Drake on his song “Meet The Grahams” where he appears to reveal that Drake was an absent parent to a daughter that he fathered. He then doubled down and dropped his smash hit “Not Like Us,” the next day. In the song, he accuses Drake of being a pedophile. To this point, none of the accusations made by Drake and Kendrick have been proven truthful.
Ja Rule vs. 50 Cent
Ja Rule and 50 Cent is the rap feud on this list that has the most longevity. It is still happening today. The origin of the beef between 50 and Ja starts in 1999 after Ja had his jewelry taken by one of 50’s associates during a video shoot. From that point, the two would engage in a history of violent attacks against each other.
But the rap feud got taken mainstream when 50 clowned Ja on his 2002 hit “Wanksta.” The song was in response to 50 being stabbed during an altercation with Ja’s label Murder Inc. at a New York City recording studio two years prior. That song would go on to reach Number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first time in his career he had a son enter the top 15.
For the next several years the two rap stars would continue to trade musical jabs. But 50 ultimately rose to superstardom after dropping his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin. During a 2013 beef with Angie Martinez, Ja admitted to losing the beef. However, things never really cooled completely as the two will still sporadically call each other out to this day.
