Music

In hip-hop, your hood is everything; if you’re going to rep a place you don’t have roots in, you had better hope the people that live there stand ten toes behind you. In response to Shawty Lo’s accusations that he wasn’t actually from Bankhead in Atlanta, GA, T.I unleashed “What Up, What’s Haapnin.” Housed on his Billboard 200-topping Paper Trail LP, the blazing Drumma Boy-helmed track finds T.I. using a triumphant instrumental to soundtrack his laid-back – but still direct – shots at Shawty Lo.

“Hey, what I care ’bout who you asking saying they ain’t heard of me/ I’m certified certainly your videos ain’t hurting me/ I still ride with the windows rolled down/ All around the A-town,” he ruthlessly spits. Equal parts screw-the-haters anthem and effective narrative reclamation, T.I. killed plenty of birds with one stone, making “What Up, What’s Haapnin” one of the best – and smartest – diss tracks in hip-hop history. — KYLE DENIS

Roxanne Shanté, the woman who started it all. With “Roxanne’s Revenge,” a diss track in response to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” Shanté effectively pioneered the concept of putting rap beef on wax. With nary a hook or a chorus, Shanté spends five minutes tearing into each member of UTFO over a beat crafted by a then-unknown Marley Marl. According to Roxanne, The Kangol Kid “ain’t got money, and he ain’t got the loot,” The Educated Rapper hides his thirst behind his supposed intellect and Doctor Ice “don’t even know how to operate.”

With a verse dedicated to each crew member, Shanté developed a diss approach that stars like Kendrick Lamar would emulate 40 years later on cuts like “Meet the Grahams.” Between sparking the Roxanne Wars and changing the course of hip-hop history, “Roxanne’s Revenge” is an easy all-timer.  — K.D.

Once upon a time, the biggest rap label in the world had an all encompassing beef with the biggest rap magazine in the world. Without getting into the messy details, the short of it was: After The Source gave Eminem’s fourth album The Eminem Show four mics out of five, Eminem posited that the reason the score wasn’t higher was due to the magazine’s co-owner Raymond “Benzino” Scott having an issue with him. Benzino took offense and dropped a couple diss tracks including “Pull Your Skirt Up” and “Die Another Day.”

Eminem responded with an entire mixtape called Shady Times: Invasion Pt. 1. And despite that tape having a bunch of tracks aimed at The Source and Benzino, the kill shot was “A Nail in the Coffin.” For nearly five minutes, Eminem goes completely in on Benzino by clowning his failed rap career, questioning his street cred and calling him broke. This song and beef is not the reason The Source fell off, but it definitely marked the start of what would turn out to be a swift decline from the top of the rap media world. — DAMIEN SCOTT

Do you remember Stanley Drayton? Probably not. He was a Harlem rapper who is best known for playing Wise in the Hype Williams’ 1998 feature film Belly. He was also the guy Cam’ron eviscerated with one of the most disrespectful diss tracks of all time.

Twenty years ago Cam’ron was on top of the world. He was still riding high off the success of his Come Home With Me album as well as his group’s beloved project Diplomatic Immunity. He was also gearing up to release his most anticipated album, Purple Haze. But despite being booked and busy, Cam took time out of his schedule to loop up The 45 King’s beat for Eminem’s “Stan” and lyrically slaughter the guy who went by Stan Spit. Cam wastes no time getting super personal, rapping, “I was nice to you, a real brother instead/ I hung out with you on Mother’s Day because you’re mother’s dead.” Cam then accuses Stan of trying to get on by dissing him before claiming to have slept with his wife. It’s just brutal. — D.S.

After getting mocked as “Sleazy-E” and jabbed by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg across The Chronic, Eazy-E recruited Ruthless newcomers Dresta and B.G. Knocc Out for his bristling “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” response. Even if Dresta ghostwrote Eazy’s bars, his pugnacious raps convey such conviction that it makes it seem if they’re actually his. The Ruthless Records frontman clowns Dre for acting as a fake Crip and laughs straight to the bank as he says he was still cashing checks courtesy of Dre thanks to his deal with Ruthless prior to joining Interscope.

“Motherf–k Dre! Motherf–k Snoop! Motherf–k Death Row,” he brashly raps to make his venomous hatred clear. Eazy-E returns to address Dre’s history of domestic violence and reminds him of his time running with the World Class Wreckin’ Cru to damage his gangster image. Despite its explicit nature, 1993’s “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” went on to break through as a mainstream hit and give the N.W.A. frontman his highest-charting Hot 100 entry ever, with a peak of No. 42. — MICHAEL SAPONARA

Nicki Minaj may have reached previously unfathomable heights in her career, but it took a fellow New Yorker to knock the Queen of the Barbz down a few pegs. Over Nas’ iconic “Ether” beat, Remy Ma offered up “Shether,” a blistering seven-minute takedown of Minaj, in which the “Conceited” rapper took aim at her plastic surgery, alleged sexual relations with prominent men in the hip-hop industry, and her allegiance to abusers.

While “Shether” is far from Remy’s most technically impressive rap performance, her palpable conviction is the real source of power on “Shether.” In fact, that conviction is probably what holds up best about her diss – aside from the fact that a lot of her jabs still ring true to this day. “And I got a few words for the moms of the young Barbz/ Guess who supports a child molester? Nicki Minaj/ You paid for your brother’s wedding? That’s hella foul/ How you spendin’ money to support a pedophile?” she spits. — K.D. 

Who knew a love song could f–k up the game? After Common dropped his ode to hip-hop, “I Used to Love H.E.R.” on his sophomore album Resurrection, erstwhile N.W.A. member Ice Cube took offense to what he believed was a thinly veiled attack on him and his California compatriots. So, to defend his coast’s honor, Cube rallied his Westside Connection troops and dropped “Westside Slaughterhouse” where the trio — including WC and Mack 10 — fires shots any and everyone who’s had something negative to say about the West Coast. Cube wastes no time going at Common, spitting: “All you suckas wanna diss the Pacific/ But you busta n—as never get specific/ Used to Love H.E.R., mad ‘cause we f–ked her/ Pussy-whipped B—H with no Common Sense!”

Many thought Common, the chill, conscious brother from Chi Town, would leave well enough alone. After all, this was Ice Cube, one of the progenitors of gangster rap and the guy who went dropped what many consider to be the best diss record of all time. But, nah. Common, who had recently shortened his name, knocked some sense into Ice Cube with “The B—h In Yoo.” This time there were no subliminal bars—Common gets right to it, spitting, “A b—h n—a with a attitude named Cube/ Stepped to the Com’ with a feud/ Now, what the F–K I look like dissin’ a whole coast?/ You ain’t made shit dope since AmeriKKKa’s Most.” Over two scathing verses, Common questions Cube’s gangsta credentials and even sends a few strays at Mack 10 and WC. — D.S.

Ja Rule still sees 50 Cent in his nightmares and hears comic Alex Thomas butchering the pronunciation of his government name. Because he’s one of the pettiest rappers of all time, 50’s managed to keep feuding with Ja two decades after their initial clash. The vicious “Back Down” was only part of the onslaught from the G-Unit boss against Ja and Murder Inc.

On the track, 50 Cent diabolically threatens to wipe Ja Rule’s family off the planet. “Your mammy, your pappy, that b—h you chasin’/ Your little dirty-a– kids, I’ll f—ing erase ’em,” he spews. 50 even makes light-hearted jabs, comparing Ja Rule to a Pop Tart and the Cookie Monster, sound hard. He then spits on Ja’s status in rap, saying Jay-Z and DMX are the only reason he was anything of note. The Get Rich or Die Tryin’ deep cut was another checkmate running up the score for the rap beef savant. — M.S.

In what is already being billed as arguably the greatest rap battle of all-time, Drake Vs. Kendrick Lamar featured double-digit diss records, including seven in a week. One of the feud’s highlights featured Drake’s “Family Matters,” a seven-minute diatribe aimed at Lamar and Drizzy’s adversaries. With callous disregard, Drake aimed to behead the Compton MCs with caustic barbs, including domestic violence allegations against his fiancé, Whitney. “Your baby mama captions always screamin’, ‘Save me’/ You did her dirty all your life, you tryna make peace,” spewed Drake. 

The potential fatality came when Drake claimed that one of Kendrick’s kids belonged to his manager, Dave Free. “Why you never hold your son and tell him, “Say cheese”?” Drizzy said. Though Drake’s retaliation was potent, it was short-lived, when Lamar trounced the OVO MC less than a half hour after “Family’s” release with his ego-crushing “Meet the Grahams.” — CARL LAMARRE

After Jay-Z punched in a scalding offering with 2001’s “Takeover,” hip-hop fans wondered if Hov buried Nas and his legacy for good. Instead of retreating, Nas took ample time to recalibrate and, after three months, whipped up “Ether.” Nestled inside his comeback album Stillmatic, a trigger-happy Nas left no crumbs, claiming Jay-Z was merely a fanboy who borrowed his style from Biggie and the Queens MC. With a snarling Tupac sample saying “F–k Jay-Z,” Esco mocked Jay-Z for taking Tae Bo classes, how Eminem nuked him on “Renegade,” and his physical features or lack thereof. “Foxy got you hot ’cause you kept your face in her p—y/ What you think, you getting girls now ’cause of your looks?” asked Nas.  

With his classic rebuttal, Nas spearheaded a revival in the battle, ultimately securing the once-elusive victory. This was more than just a win—it was a game-changer. “Ether” not only relaunched Nas’s supremacy in the hip-hop world, but it also instantly elevated Stillmatic to the status of one of his most revered albums. This was the moment that revitalized his career, solidifying his status as the modern-day God MC. — C.L. 

“Creepy,” “sadistic,” “insane” — all adjectives you can use to describe this song. Everyone thought Drake was in the lead in 2024’s marquee beef when he dropped the song and video for “Family Matters” on that fateful Friday night. Then, about 30 minutes later, Kendrick replied with “meet the grahams” and immediately squashed it like it never existed.

We’ve never seen anything like it. The artwork reveal of the items supposedly included in the Dennis Graham Dossier, along with Lamar having a conversation with each member of Drake’s family — including his alleged daughter — over those somber Alchemist keys is an absolute masterclass in maniacal behavior. The boogeyman everyone was referring to comes out at the end as Dot calls Drake a liar. People are lying to themselves about this song not having much replay value because this track sounds crazy in the whip and is currently sitting at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. — ANGEL DIAZ

Ice Cube hailed “No Vaseline” as the best diss track ever, but it comes in at No. 4 on our list. The West Coast legend couldn’t wait for his former N.W.A. running mates to provoke him so he could go nuclear with the raw “No Vaseline.” Cube eviscerates Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E, Yella and the pioneering group’s manager, Jerry Heller, one by one. He flagrantly insults Eazy, labeling him as a “f—-t” and scoffs at him accepting an invite to the White House.

Cube then turns his attention to Jerry Heller and calls out the N.W.A. manager for what he believed were shady financial practices, which was the main reason Cube ditched the Compton crew in the first place. N.W.A. waved the white flag and didn’t even bother responding knowing they couldn’t keep up with the prolific MC. Even Suge Knight included “No Vaseline” on the Death Row Greatest Hits compilation to dig at Dr. Dre for leaving the terrorizing label. — M.S.

You know a song is disrespectful when your mom makes you apologize for it. That’s what happened after Jay dropped this diss record in response to Nas’ “Ether.” The first half features Jigga rapping over Nas’ “Got Ur Self a Gun” as he questions the Queens rapper’s street credibility. But it’s when the beat switches to Dr. Dre’s “Bad Intentions” when things get “super ugly” — Jay brags about sleeping with Nas’s baby mother Carmen Bryan while also dry snitching on Allen Iverson’s as well. The song proved to be a mistake, though: As Carmen told Vlad TV, “It was an emotional reaction to an ass whooping.” This was apparent from jump as Jay appeared on Angie Martinez’s show on Hot 97 afterwards sounding regretful.  — A.D.  

The battle between Drake and Pusha T was relatively quick, due to the latter’s lyrical death grip. Vowing to deliver a “Surgical Summer,” Pusha T was on the defense after Drake tried to incinerate his foe on “Duppy Freestyle.” After name-dropping Push’s fiancée, the Clipse MC returned with a vengeance, unveiling to the world Drake’s son Adonis and his alleged plans to reveal him as part of an Adidas campaign: “You are hiding a child, let that boy come home/ Deadbeat mothaf–ka playin’ border patrol/ Adonis is your son/ And he deserves more than an Adidas press run, that’s real,” said Push.  

The disrespect was apparent as Push skated through Drake’s family tree, calling his father “a deadbeat” and his mother Sandy, a woman who’ll always be in last place. The final straw came when Pusha poked fun at Drake’s longtime producer, 40, and his Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis: “OVO 40, hunched over like he 80, tick, tick, tick / How much time he got? That man is sick, sick, sick,” Push taunted. Though Drake never released a full-blown rebuttal, he addressed Pusha’s “Adidon” record during The Shop, acknowledging his son and pledging to “be a great father.” — C.L.

They said diss records need to include facts. That they need to be more respectful. That the trolling is getting to be too much. For better or worse, this track — along with the likes of “No Vaseline” and “Dre Day” — set the standard for diss songs. “Hit ‘Em Up” was in response to the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya.” Whether or not that song was directed at 2Pac clearly didn’t matter, the fact that it was released a few months after Pac was shot and robbed at New York’s Quad Studios was enough for him.

2Pac namedropping Mobb Deep, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Lil Kim, and Chino XL made it seem that he was beefing with all of New York and, in turn, the East Coast. This is why the media and fans assumed it was an East Coast vs. West Coast thing, even though the other cats rapping on the track with Pac were from New York and New Jersey. Nearly 30 years later, “Hit ‘Em Up” serves as both the gold standard when it comes to diss records, and as a cautionary tale of how things can go disastrously left afterwards. — A.D.