Music

Bodmon kicked things off right on New Year’s Day with the release of “The Ruler’s Back,” an incendiary diss where he criticized the West Coast for overconfidence following Kendrick Lamar’s victory against Drake in 2024.

“Too much West Coast d—k lickin’/ I’m hearin’ n—as throwin’ rocks, really ain’t s—t stickin’/
‘Cause if we talkin’ bar for bar, really it’s slim pickings,” he raps at one point.

The track caught certain West Coast rapper’s attention, but for the first few days no one seemed interested in biting back.

West Coast battle rapper Daylyt was the first one to step into the ring. He dropped the song “HYU” a week after Joey’s return, and fired a few warning shots in the air. He showed love for New York City, but asked that Joey watch his mouth, or face an all out war.

“To my n—as out in Harlem, thanks for all that you’ve done/ To them n—as over the bridge, we tell ’em ‘Don’t be dumb’/ To the uptown, to the downtown, to the midtown, I love y’all/ The West up, but I’ll never dub y’all, for real,” he spits.

Despite Daylyt’s warnings, Ray Vaughn opened fire on Joey Bada$$ on his song “Crashout Heritage.”

“What’s with the sneak dissin’? Takin’ shots at us, then hide the Uzi/ ‘Cause the only badass the world was recognizin’ is Boosie/ Please don’t get confused with shootin’ the movies, we really shootin’,” he rapped. Vaughn then proceeded to call out a few figures who stood by Drake during the 2024 rap battle against K-Dot, including incarcerated rapper Tory Lanez.

The TDE rapper concluded his track by issuing another warning to Joey Bad, and demanded he cease the hostility at once or face his wrath.

“I mean, look at the evidence/ Got love for every region, but the smart thing to do is to stay the f—k away from mines,” Vaughn raps.

Needless to say, Joey didn’t heed the warnings. He responded with “Sorry Not Sorry” a few days later, a Conductor Williams-led beat where he doubles down on everything he said on “The Ruler’s Back.”

“F—k it, I want all the smoke, put my crеdit on the line/ ‘Cause n—as can’t f—k with me, we talkin’ ’bout it line for line/ The audacity of this n—a, he must be out his mind/ Haunted by the ghost of Biggie and Pac, I’m them combined,” Joey raps.

Pro Era rapper CJ Fly also came to Bodmon’s defense, launching his own freestyle over Daylyt’s previously released “HYU” diss track. Titled “HIYU Freestyle,” CJ pounded his chest alongside Joey Bada$$, telling the West Coast to stop tip-toeing around a rap battle.

“We Brooklyn cats that do a little acting but ain’t Hollywood/ It’s ’bout to get dark, won’t see the light of day/ Tell son he need to lighten up, because we’ve seen more brighter rays/ And if we talking bars, we got wide array/ You better watch out for the sharks while tryna ride the wave,” CJ spat.

Daylyt clearly took Joey and CJ’s words to heart, and fired some return shots on his “YHRR” diss track a few weeks later. The title is seemingly trolling the popular New York catchphrase, and in the song, Daylyt responds by saying there is no rap battle to be had because of how washed up the disses have been so far.

“When we thinking fly, we thinking spirits/ Sent your lil man out there, s—t is so lame/ All we get is typing in these comment sections,” Daylyt raps. He follows it up with more insults later in the song: You n—as sound dumb!/ One of my lines your whole album!”

Ray Vaughn also stepped back in to drop off “Impossible Patty,” which served as another reminder to Joey that he’s gotta start being more direct with his disses if he wants this beef to pop off.

Vaughn rapped: “Rappers turned actors, got the nerve of bein’ indirect/ I don’t get it yet/ Just know they bad for business, based on all they past decisions/ Spent a band to make ’em twitch like DJ Akademiks.”

Joey would soon do just that.

Joey listened to what the West Coast was telling him, and dropped off “Pardon Me” a few days later. On the track, Joey said he’s moving more strategically than the rappers who targeted him, and that he’s playing the long game here.

“Better check your mate, I’m playing chess with you, not checkers,” he rapped. “Set the record straight, I’m at your breast plate, you n—s bench weight.”

He then said that he’ll start taking this feud more seriously when the West Coast starts dropping bars that actually impact him. In the meantime, this feud remained “practice” for Bodmon.

“They mind struck, tell ’em step them rhymes up, slime/ Know I’m worth y’all time, but y’all just ain’t worth mine,” Joey rapped, “Nobody knows your name, kid, but I know what your aim is/ I shoot you, I’m brainless, you shoot me, you famous.”

After months of silence from both parties, Ray Vaughn stepped back into the fold with his “Justin Credible Freestyle.” Picking up exactly where he left off, the rapper implied that Joey’s got zero hits and that as an MC he doesn’t do his job.

“Don’t need an opinion from a n—a who ain’t reachin’ the top/ Claiming they got hits but they ain’t doing they job/ Ain’t had a hit since like 19/99, what happened to the vibes/ Oh, you turned a lil’ nas/ Call of Duty live/ Goofy n—a better pick a squad/ ‘Cause they not like us,” he raps.

During his “Red Bull Freestyle” alongside Big Sean and TDE spitter Ab-Soul, Joey bit back at Ab and the West Coast, right after the latter admitted the situation was getting awkward.

“In which case, Joey, you put me in a sticky predicament,” Soulo rapped. “I had to show solidarity to my syndicate/ Nah, you know anybody can get it/ In such a way that it will make any physician conflicted/ But listen, the 47’s still on my tricep/ Pass the pot, let me skillet, I’m quite the chef/ Pro Era the masters, that ain’t ever incorrect/ But it’s still TDE ’til 3000 and forever/ Lyt was heavy and Ray definitely stepped/ But this is hip-hop, you know we still on that.”

Joey ultimately responded by firing more shots, and saying that he’s trying to ignite another East and West Coast rivalry — but without the violence.

“First off, I could never hate the West Coast/ But since n—as comin’ for Joe, f— it then, let’s go/ N—as must’ve forgot what Dot said on ‘Control’/ There’s still a buncha sensitive rappers in they pajama clothes/ I guess this ain’t no East versus West/ I just think that I’m the best, as a matter fact, I know,” he raps.

Ray Vaughn wasted no time getting back after Joey, dropping off “Hoe Era” 24 hours later. The TDE rapper’s most direct diss track at the time accused Bodmon of being irrelevant, and said he should refrain from rapping at all costs.

“Run, Joey, run, we gon’ aim it at your backpack/Real shit, you should act more, you should rap less/Every verse ass, what that BBL cost?” Vaughn spat.

Elsewhere, he added that just because he was hanging out with Ab-Soul at the Red Bull Freestyle, doesn’t mean he’s got a soul of his own.

“I can send him to the stars, he get paid for/ But standin’ next to Soul ain’t gon’ save yours,” he continued.

Going bar-for-bar with Ray, Joey shot back again with “The Finals.” In this diss track, he took aim directly at Vaughn, criticizing his role in TDE’s stacked roster.

“What kinda Top Dawg is you? You more Shih Tzu/You was cloned in the lab, dog, you artificial/You known for your label, not because your art official,” Joey rapped.

He later fired a few strays at REASON, who left TDE to go the independent route last year. Joey instead claimed that REASON was dropped, and that Vaughn was next on the chopping block.

“You’re the next n—a gettin’ dropped off thе Top roster/ And I’ma be the REASON (Yеah), okay, bet/ You sick dog lookin’ for beef with a seasoned vet,” he spat.

Clearly REASON got wind of what Joey was spittin’, and decided to respond the following day with “The Dead Apple.”

“Dear Joey Joe, ain’t expect my name to be spoken/ That s—t really hurt my heart, I can truly say that it’s broken/ I get it’s just a bar, but when I sit down and focus/ It’s a coast jealousy that you n—as thought we ain’t noticed,” he raps.

He went on to say how he used to idolize Joey and Pro Era, but that he’s fallen off in recent years. REASON also shouted out Ray Vaughn and reaffirmed that this battle is his, but that he couldn’t let Joey’s sneak diss slide.

“Haha, don’t worry Ray Vaughn, I ain’t gon/ I ain’t gon’ take your battle, I’m just/ Doin’ a light jab off the principle,” he rapped.

West Coast rapper AZ Chike, who notably appeared on Kendrick’s GNX cut “peekaboo,” entered the chat a few days later to attack Joey in his own way. He called out the Pro Era leader for never having a hit song, and claimed he’s not worth all this commotion.

“Tag me in, time to get a n—a gone/ Yeah, you bad to the ass/ I’m just bad to the bone/ Gave you a lil’ snippet, you ain’t even worth a song/ Shout to opium, I’ll destroy you on my lone/ How you a pro from your era, still ain’t make a hit song/ N—a stick to the script, should’ve stayed in your zone,” Chike rapped.

Daylyt added fuel to the fire by dropping off “WRD2MIMVA” the same day. On this joint, he called out Joey’s intention to battle Kendrick Lamar, and said the Brooklyn rapper’s bars are so mediocre K-Dot would never waste his time.

The battle rapper venomously spits: “Mediocre nameflips, your play so cheesy/ Okay, Joe, I’m on my J.O.Easy/ I work without a sweat/ It’s ’bout bars/ A reply from Ken? Oh, I doubt, mark/ You couldn’t kill Kenny with South Park, that’s a hood story.”

Pro Era’s CJ Fly wasted no time getting back in the booth. The rapper dropped off “STINGray” hours after AZ Chike and Daylyt popped off, and criticized the two rappers’ inability to make an impact.

“Heard your lil’ diss song, I was honestly amused/ Said that you could use the clout, thats why you chose us as your muse,” he spat, later adding, “Come at Joey/You’ll get jumped like Kangaroos/I don’t care what set you claiming if you cuz or you piru/You still food/Since it’s beef you want/Well done, you getting chewed.”

Brooklyn’s own Kai Ca$h also squeezed in a reply before May 19 came to a close, dropping his diss track “Knicks in 6.” The song again took aim at the West Coast’s tepid impact in the beef so far, with Kai saying that he was “a fan of the battle until you involved the whole New York.”

“N—as yawning, all that boring shit you spewing it ain’t sparring/ It’s just shadowboxing,” he spat.

Jadakiss’ son also came to New York’s aid on May 19, dropping his diss track “Bobby Mercer.” In his entry, the super star rapper’s son added that the only poppin’ West Coast rapper right now is K-Dot, and that no one else from the west should be acting superior.

“My Timbs on, on Crenshaw/ Up in Bossa Nova wit’ all my gems on/ Dot is only hot, rest of y’all just bench warm/ And clout chasin’, I could do this without Jason/ Paint the scene red without maintenance/ It’s a bloody murder, these Vic’s Sweet, I’m a fuckin’ Mercer,” he adds.

In his Loaded Lux-assisted entry, Joey Bada$$ came hungry for war. He called out K-Dot, Ray Vaughn and anyone else who wants smoke.

“I’m the real boogeyman, y’all n—-s should be afraid/ Get the general, I’m killing his troops,” he raps while teasing Lamar. “Don’t make me Pulitzer, better be wise because/ I’m dottin T’s and cross your eyes like Whitaker.”

He also had time to come for AZ Chike a little bit too.

“Look, Ray Vaughn was so last week/ Now, I’m hearing s–t about some n—a named ‘Ass Cheek’/ Who wanna be the next victim/ How many Top Dawgs will it take to sick ’em,” Joey spews.

Ray Vaughn fired back with “Golden Eye,” where he called out Joey for his alleged close ties with disgraced music mogul Diddy. He also clowned him for allowing Ice Spice, Tekashi 6ix9ne and Troy Ave to claim “King of New York” status over the years.

“With the clout chasin’, going after Dot for the control/ F—k the clout chasin’, n—a, why you givin’ up your hole?/ Oh, you a badass, a bad boy, there he go/ Tryna cook a fake beef ’cause Puffy called you Sloppy Joe?/ F—k it, I’ll be the Kendrick copy/ N—a, that’s better than bukkakes/ You Diddy’s sidekick how you got somethin’ to say/ At the freakoff for a week and you was callin’ me gay,” Ray Vaughn rapped.

Early the next morning, Daylyt issued a response to the events of May 19. On “Ayo,” Daylyt continued to troll Joey for thinking K-Dot would ever grace him with a response, and accused the Pro Era leader of acting too cool to be in a serious beef.

“Back to you Joe, all that acting ain’t in the trenches/ Don’t be acting cool, Joe/ Oh, I mean I snap for the fences/ Bro done brought in my opp, oh he think I’m gon’ get Kendrick,” Daylyt added.

Joey wasted no time getting back in the booth to drop off “Crash Dummy.” Over 2Pac’s legendary “Hit Em Up” beat, the Pro Era captain ignored all the other West Coast critics and instead tried to keep his foot right on Ray Vaughn’s throat.

“When I’m done with you, Top won’t let you drop like Karrahbooo,” he rapped. “Guaranteed this the last time we ever hear from you.”