Up next in 10
The Origin and Evolution of Rap Beefs
0 views
Feb 18, 2025
#hiphop #rap #history #kendricklamar #drake Beefing in hip hop is as old as hip hop. This is how it all began and how it has evolved. In this series, we examine the origin story of some of the biggest cultural phenomenal in Black society. Subscribe to get notified when we release new videos. Check out the books we love and recommend in our Black Excellence Book Club: https://www.blackexcellence.com/store/ Some links are affiliate links, which means we earn a very tiny commission if you make a purchase. __________________________________________________________ Sharing interesting and noteworthy stories in Black culture. All content provided by Black Excellence Media, LLC is for entertainment purposes only. None of the information or advice provided is to replace professional advice. Website: https://blackexcellence.com
View Video Transcript
0:00
all these allegations that everybody's
0:01
saying right now is very dangerous
0:03
because it's almost like we want to see
0:06
other I just wanted to see a rap battle
0:07
which I enjoy I don't want to see nobody
0:08
go to jail you meet toing each other
0:10
over a rap Feud that's corny if you
0:12
going to call somebody a pedophile if
0:13
you going to call somebody a woman
0:15
beater you got to have some real proof
0:16
cuz those are some heavy
0:19
accusations from its earliest days
0:21
hip-hop has been a culture rooted in
0:23
competition whether through break
0:25
dancing battles graffiti tags vying for
0:28
prominence or MC's Trading bars in a
0:30
cipher the art form has thrived on a
0:32
spirit of rivalry however when we talk
0:35
about beef in hip-hop we're referring to
0:38
something deeper than friendly
0:40
competition beef represents conflict
0:43
personal professional or both played out
0:46
on a public stage over the decades
0:48
beefing has become a defining aspect of
0:51
hip-hop shaping careers fueling feuds
0:54
and even leading to violence to
0:56
understand its Origins and evolution we
0:59
must delve into hip Pop's history and
1:01
the broader cultural forces that shaped
1:08
[Music]
1:13
it right now all around us and so
1:16
compelling you never miss the fact
1:18
there's no Melody is a music that is all
1:21
beat Strong beat and talk it's rap music
1:24
and it sounds like
1:27
this Hip Hop was born in the Bron Bronx
1:30
in the 1970s a response to the Social
1:32
and economic challenges faced by
1:34
marginalized communities in this context
1:38
competition became a way to channel
1:39
frustration into creativity DJs like
1:42
cool herk and Grandmaster Flash would
1:44
host block parties where MC's hyped up
1:46
the crowd and boasted about their
1:48
skills these early battles were about
1:51
proving who had the best flow Rhymes and
1:53
ability to rock the mic at the heart of
1:56
these battles was respect winning a
1:58
battle meant earning your place ing the
2:00
community and solidifying your
2:02
reputation while the competition was
2:04
fierce it was largely seen as a form of
2:06
artistic expression with participants
2:08
adhering to an unspoken code of
2:10
conduct however as hip-hop grew and the
2:13
stakes got higher the nature of these
2:16
rivalries began to
2:17
shift the transition from live battles
2:20
to recorded music brought a new Dynamic
2:22
to hip-hop rivalries in the late 1970s
2:25
and early 1980s Crews like the cold
2:28
Crush brothers and the Fantastic 5
2:30
traded lyrical Jabs on wax marking some
2:33
of the first recorded instances of
2:34
hip-hop beef these early disc tracks
2:37
were often playful rooted in the same
2:39
competitive spirit that defined live
2:41
battles but as hip hop entered the
2:44
mainstream the tone of these rivalries
2:46
began to
2:47
change the success of acts like rund DMC
2:50
and LL Cool J in the 1980s demonstrated
2:54
the commercial potential of hip-hop
2:55
creating a high stakes environment where
2:57
competition extended Beyond artistic
2:59
skill to include record sales
3:02
endorsements and cultural influence dis
3:05
tracks became sharper and more personal
3:07
as artists fought to assert their
3:09
dominance in an increasingly crowded
3:10
field the late 1980s and early 1990s
3:14
often referred to as Hip Hop's Golden
3:16
Era saw the rise of some of the most
3:18
iconic beefs in the genre's history one
3:21
of the earliest and most famous was the
3:23
Rivalry between kulm mod D and LL Cool J
3:26
kulm D a veteran MC accused LL of biting
3:30
his style and disrespecting the pioneers
3:32
of hip-hop the feud played out through
3:34
dis tracks like cool Mod's How You Like
3:36
Me Now and ll's Jack the Ripper
3:39
captivating fans and setting a precedent
3:41
for how beefs could Elevate an artist's
3:43
profile another landmark Feud of this
3:46
era was the battle between boogie down
3:48
Productions bdp and the juice crew
3:51
sparked by a dispute over the birthplace
3:53
of hip-hop the feud led to Classic dis
3:56
tracks like bdps the bridg is over and
3:58
the juice Crews killed that noise these
4:01
songs not only showcased the lyrical
4:03
prowess of both Crews but also
4:05
highlighted the regional Pride that
4:06
often fueled hip-hop
4:08
rivalries the most infamous era of
4:10
hip-hop beefing came in the mid1 1990s
4:13
with the East Coast versus West Coast
4:16
rivalry this Feud epitomized by the
4:19
conflict between Tupac Shakur and the
4:21
Notorious BIG was more than just a
4:24
personal dispute it represented a
4:26
cultural and Geographic divide within
4:28
hipop the Rivalry began with subtle Jabs
4:31
and escalated into a full-blown war with
4:33
Tupac's hit him up and Biggie who shotya
4:38
serving as fiery Declarations of
4:40
animosity media outlets and record
4:42
labels Amplified the conflict framing it
4:44
as a battle for the soul of hip-hop
4:47
tragically the feud culminated in the
4:49
murders of both Tupac and Biggie
4:51
highlighting the deadly consequences of
4:53
unchecked
4:55
rivalries hip-hop beefs were not
4:57
exclusively between male rappers either
4:59
in the 9s Lil Kim and Foxy Brown were
5:02
involved in a beef and before that
5:04
rapper roxan Shante pretty much took on
5:07
every female rapper in the game in fact
5:10
some hip-hop historians believe roxan
5:12
Shante gave birth to beefing in
5:15
hip-hop in the 2000s and Beyond the
5:18
nature of hip-hop beefs shifted once
5:20
again influenced by the rise of social
5:22
media and changes in the music industry
5:25
platforms like Twitter Instagram and
5:27
YouTube provided artists with new ways
5:29
to engage in public feuds often in real
5:32
time these platforms also gave fans a
5:34
front row seat to the drama blurring the
5:37
line between entertainment and
5:40
reality one of the most notable beefs of
5:43
the modern era was the Rivalry between
5:45
50 Cent and Ja Rule their Feud which
5:48
began in the early 2000s involved diss
5:51
tracks interviews and even physical
5:54
altercations 50 cents Relentless attacks
5:57
including songs like back down
5:59
significantly damaged jaw ru's career
6:01
illustrating the power of a
6:03
well-executed beef to shape public
6:05
perception more recently feuds like
6:07
Drake versus Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj
6:10
versus cardi B have demonstrated how
6:12
beefs can dominate headlines and drive
6:14
streaming numbers dis tracks like
6:16
Drake's backtack and social media
6:18
exchanges between Rivals have kept the
6:20
tradition of beef alive even as the
6:22
stakes have shifted in the streaming era
6:25
other iconic hip-hop beefs include Jay-Z
6:27
versus Nas Ice Cube versus NWA e e
6:31
versus Dr Dre Gucci m versus Young Jeezy
6:35
50 Cent versus The Game and Nicki Minaj
6:38
and cardi B and then there is the most
6:41
epic beef of our time the beef between
6:45
modern-day hip-hop heavyweights Kendrick
6:47
Lamar and Drake the Rivalry between
6:50
Drake and Kendrick Lamar has evolved
6:52
into one of hip-hop's most compelling
6:54
narratives their relationship once
6:56
marked by mutual respect has trans
6:59
formed into a public Feud that has
7:01
captivated fans and the music industry
7:03
alike in 2011 Drake featured Kendrick on
7:07
the track buried alive interlude from
7:09
his album take care this collaboration
7:13
hinted at a promising alliance between
7:15
the two artists however in 2013
7:18
Kendrick's provocative verse on big
7:20
Sha's control named Drake among other
7:23
rappers he aimed to surpass introducing
7:25
a Competitive Edge to their Dynamic
7:28
Kendrick later described this as as
7:29
friendly competition but it planted the
7:32
seeds for future
7:33
Discord the simmering tension escalated
7:36
in October 2023 when Drake and Jay Cole
7:38
released firstperson shooter wherein
7:41
Cole referred to himself Drake and
7:43
Kendrick as the big three of modern
7:45
hip-hop Kendrick responded in March 2024
7:49
with the track like that dismissing the
7:51
big three notion and asserting his
7:53
dominance saying there is no big three
7:55
there is just
7:57
him this bold declaration intent ified
7:59
the Rivalry prompting a series of dis
8:01
tracks between the artists the feud
8:03
reached New Heights with Kendrick's
8:05
release of not like us a track that
8:07
included severe allegations against
8:09
Drake Drake countered with his own dis
8:12
tracks leading to a heated exchange that
8:14
extended beyond
8:15
music in November 2024 Drake filed a
8:19
lawsuit against their shared record
8:20
label Universal Music Group accusing
8:23
them of failing to prevent the release
8:24
of not like us and alleging defamation
8:28
This legal battle underscored that rat
8:29
beefs have come a long way from friendly
8:31
competition to feuds that can end one's
8:34
career and Destroy
8:36
reputation in February 2025 Kendrick's
8:40
performance at the Super Bowl halftime
8:41
show featured not like us reigniting
8:44
public interest in the
8:47
feud while beefing has undoubtedly
8:49
contributed to some of Hip Hop's most
8:51
memorable moments it has also come with
8:53
significant consequences on one hand
8:56
rivalries can push artists to elevate
8:58
their craft resulting in iconic music on
9:02
the other hand they can perpetuate
9:04
negativity escalate into violence and
9:06
overshadow the Artistry at the heart of
9:08
the
9:10
culture the origins of beefing and Hip
9:13
Hop are deeply intertwined with the
9:14
culture's competitive Spirit from the
9:16
early days of battle rap in the Bronx to
9:18
the global stage of the modern music
9:20
industry rivalries have played a central
9:22
role in shaping the genre as hip-hop
9:25
continues to evolve the culture's
9:27
ability to navigate conflict will remain
9:29
defining challenge by understanding the
9:31
history and dynamics of beefing we can
9:33
appreciate its contributions while
9:35
working to ensure that the spirit of
9:37
hip-hop creativity unity and resilience
9:40
remains at the Forefront