Dating all the way to the genre’s early beginnings, beefs are as much a part of hip hop world as rhymes and beats. And though these war of worlds have become less violent since the days of Tupac and Biggie, they remain as prevalent as ever, even if some might me the result of shrewd marketing ploys as opposed to actual venom. Case in point, the last few months have seen a number of hip hop’s hottest MC tangled in notable disagreements. CoS News Editor Chris Coplan took up the task of breaking down some of the more intriguing story lines…
In case you hadn’t noticed, musicians have huge egos. Something about thousands or millions of people adoring you can turn you into an instant divo or diva. We don’t blame them; we’d all be the same way. The only insight we might add is often that newfound heightened sense of self is split. Thankfully, some people take that fame and channel it into charity work or representing an organization; then again, others tackle paparazzis on the beach. But of all the ways to handle feeling superior, rap beefs may be the most interesting.
Born from an offhanded lyric or a dispute over a neighborhood or city, rap beefs are the definition of monster ego battling monster ego. Despite their prevalence in building hip-hop in its early years, beefs haven’t gone away despite the mellowing of rappers overall and the decreased instances of actual violence. Instead, rap beefs have been bolstered by our modern electronic age. And while there may never be a clear cut winner, it’s usually the fans left smiling from the added releases and sheer excitement of it all.