As hip-hop fans, we have come to appreciate the artistry that our favorite rappers and singers put out. We love the music itself, but the drama surrounding it is what really gets people out of their seats. Here are four shocking moments that left music fans with their jaws dropped.
Death of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur Sends Shockwaves Through Hip-Hop Community
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 end 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.
Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift
Kanye West has built a reputation for being a little off the rails. But he wasn’t always that way. This was why his actions at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took many people by surprise. When Swift received the 2009 VMA for Best Female Video, Kanye West made an unexpected cameo. He took the mic from Swift and declaring that Beyonce’s music video for “Single Ladies” was one of the greatest music videos of all time. Kanye abruptly dropped the mic after making the bombshell statement leaving the entire audience stunned including Swift and Beyonce. It is considered the catalyst of what began Kanye’s downward spiral and Swift’s rise to superstardom.
Jay-Z Takes Hip-Hop Main Stream at Summer Jam 2001
Putting on performances seems to be a lost art in today’s music industry. But it wasn’t always that way. And during Hot 97’s Summer Jam set in 2001, Jay-Z put on a masterclass in crowd control. There was already a buzz in the arena prior to Hov’s set. He had a longstanding beef with fellow New York emcees, Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Nas. So many people were already expecting fireworks, but no one was prepared for what was coming next.
Hov seemingly joked that Michael Jackson was backstage at Summer Jam. And the majority of the people in the audience did not believe him. That is when he went backstage and came back on the main stage with the King of Pop leaving the crowd in a frenzy. Shortly after he would go on to perform “Ether” for the first time ever. The song takes aim at both Nas and Prodigy. During the performance of the song Jay-Z also displayed photos of Prodigy. In a tutu from when he took ballet classes as a child. It is where the phrase getting “put on the Summer Jam screen,” is derived from.
Nicki Minaj, Cardi B Get Heated at NY Fashion Week
Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are two of the most revered female rappers ever. But 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 the Bronx emcees parenting skills. Things got heated when both of the rap stars showed up to 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. It was one of the most memorable events on social media. Because Cardi would post 16-some-odd videos days later, explaining the events leading up to her and Minaj’s altercation.
