Preamble:
This is an effort for me to catalogue some writing from when I was an intern writing blogs and doing PR for a music studio after I graduated way back in 2010. I’ve managed to recover some old blog posts via the Wayback Machine. I’ve done some light formatting and editing because the typos are embarrassing.
I don’t remember why I was called Companaro Jack.
Notes:
- I was reminded of this post by the recent Kendrick Lamar/Drake feud, which made me want to go digging to see if I could find it.
- I am simply baffled that I didn’t include links to the songs in this article. Why on earth didn’t I do that? I have added them all separately for the sake of this re-post.
- Couldn’t find Part 2. I vaguely remember writing it.
Did I Hurt Your Feelings? Part 1
May 14, 2010
Once again, Companero Jack here.
Friendly competition and rivalry has a tendency to bring forth some amazing work from people. This is why I like rap battles so much. Take two emcees and let their creativity flow. In an arena setting, it’s (for the most part) all in fun. However, from time to time, rappers and their egos hurt each other’s feelings, which results in some incredible music and hilarious, angry punchlines.
This first part is going to deal just with hip-hop since diss tracks are relatively common in rap. For the non-rap kids, I plan on compiling another diss track list that isn’t genre-specific. And be warned, youngsters: the videos most likely contain naughty words and much meanness.
I’m going to go ahead and thank Wikipedia for filling me in on some of the details regarding the stories.
The Bitch in Yoo – Common (vs. Ice Cube)
Likely one of Common’s best songs was a story about hip-hop called ‘I Used to Love H.E.R.’ The song was released in the early 90s during the height of the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry. Allegedly, Ice Cube didn’t take too kindly to the parts of the song that could be interpreted as implying that West Coast Gangsta rap was a factor contributing to the over-commercialization of hip-hop and was fueling its decline. After recording a few generic songs taking shots at the East Coast, Ice Cube and his group, Westside Connection, mentioned Common by name in a song. The result was the following track released by Common, in which he absolutely rips Ice Cube to shreds.
Second Round K.O. – Canibus (vs. LL Cool J)
Despite not really making any waves in the past few years, while Canibus was in his prime he was generally held as one of the best battle rappers of the time. While he was still coming up with his career, Canibus collaborated with LL Cool J on the track ‘4, 3, 2, 1” from LL’s Phenomenon album. While recording, a line from Canibus that was apparently giving respect to LL was misconstrued as an insult, leading to LL’s verse basically being a scathing attack on Canibus. Following the release of “4, 3, 2, 1” as a single, Canibus released ‘Second Round K.O.” with the help of his then-producer Wyclef Jean and featuring a cameo by Mike Tyson. The Canibus/LL feud went on for a while until it just sort of fizzled away, but it’s been pretty firmly established that Canibus won.
Acknowledge – Masta Ace (vs. Boogie Man)
The story goes that underground emcee Boogie Man had accused Masta Ace of copying his style on a song. This eventually led to a battle at a Lyricist Lounge event, which apparently Masta Ace had lost. Some time afterwards, Masta Ace released ‘Acknowledge’ which is hands-down my favourite diss track. The charm in it comes from the tone that Ace uses: not harsh or angry, just very calm and matter-of-fact.
How to Rob – 50 Cent (vs. Pretty much everybody)
I’m not at all a fan of 50 Cent, aside from maybe a few songs. Before he really gained his recognition (and got shot), 50 made a bit of a name for himself by releasing a song detailing how he was going to rob pretty much everybody important in the world of hip-hop. The song was in fun, but 50 still managed to get a few angry responses from the likes of Jay-Z, Big Pun, Ghostface and Kurupt.
Hit ‘Em Up – Tupac & the Outlawz (vs. Notorious B.I.G.)
Before their respective coasts killed them, there was quite a lot of bad blood between Biggie and Tupac. This all started after Tupac was shot outside of a Bad Boy recording studio, after which Biggie released the aptly titled ‘Who Shot Ya?’ which Tupac took as Biggie basically saying “I did!” And thus, the East Coast/West Coast feud began. A few years later, the head figures are killed, and everyone realizes how stupid the whole thing was. Some absolutely vicious songs were released, one of which was ‘Hit ‘Em Up.’
You Don’t Really Want it, Ova Here & The Real Hip Hop – KRS-One (vs. Nelly)
I hate Nelly, and curiously enough, I love KRS-One. KRS has achieved such a legendary status that there’s not really anything negative that you can say about him. He got to that level by being amazing. He regularly speaks out about the over-commercialization of rap, and said something that Nelly took offense to, and thusly recorded a diss track towards KRS. KRS retaliated with a barrage songs towards Nelly. In his own words, “I can slap him around for days,” and he totally can. In one of those songs, he tells people not to buy Nelly’s album. Sucks to be Nelly.
I’m well aware that not everyone appreciates hip-hop as much as I do, so be sure to check back soon for Did I Hurt Your Feelings? Part 2: The Non-Rap Edition.