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The Top 20 Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time (Part 2)Aug 10 '10 (Updated Feb 09 '12) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The finale to my list, as we count down the 10 Greatest diss songs in Hip-Hop history!
Welcome back to The Top 20 Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time. I know Its been a while since the last installment, but a few things got in the way. But I'm back to finish what I started. So let's not waste any time, and dive right into the Top 10. 10. Boogie Down Productions - The Bridge is Over (dissing MC Shan and Marley Marl) One can easily call this joint "the one that started it all", as it is the blueprint for the traditional Hip-Hop diss song. But this battle was much bigger than two emcees claiming which one was better - it was about reppin' for their hoods. First there was MC Shan and his DJ Marley Marl, making their hit single "The Bridge", where they showed love to their hometown of Queensbridge, NY. But even though they were simply talking bout where they lived, two individuals took offense to Shan saying that Queensbridge was where "it all got started way back when": emcee KRS-One and DJ Scott La'Rock, known as Boogie Down Productions. Add to the fact that New York radio DJ Mr. Magic passed up on playing the duo's tape on the radio, instead showing love to Shan, you could say the war was on. the The duo responded with "South Bronx", claiming that their hood was the birthplace of Hip-Hop, throwing a few shots at Shan and Marl all the way. Shan responded with "Kill That Noise", but it would only go down as a set up for "The Bridge is Over", which would lead to KRS' big breakthrough into Hip-Hop as well as the decline of Shan's career. Body Bag Bars: "Manhattan keeps on makin it, Brooklyn keeps on takin it Bronx keeps creatin it, and Queens keeps on fakin it" [...] "They wish to battle BDP, but they cannot They must be on the dick of who? DJ Scott La'Rock Cause we don't complain nor do we play the game of favors Boogie Down Productions comes in three different flavors pick any dick for the flavor that you savor Mr. Magic might wish to come and try to save ya but instead of helpin ya out, he wants the same thing I gave ya I finally figured it out, Magic's mouth is used for suckin Roxanne Shante is only good for steady fuckin MC Shan and Marley Marl is really only bluffin like Doug E. Fresh said, I tell you now, you ain't "Nuthin" compared to Red Alert on KISS and Boogie Down Productions" 9. Eazy E feat. Dresta and B.G. Knocc Out - Real Muthaphuckkin G's (dissing Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg) While the demise of N.W.A. was already in effect after "No Vaseline", Dr. Dre pretty much sealed the deal when he left the group and Eazy E's label, Ruthless Records. It was bodygaurd Suge Knight who forced Eazy to sign over the contracts, and later Suge and Dre created Death Row Records. A bitter rivalry ensued between the two, with Dre dissing Eazy on his first solo album, "The Chronic", with the songs "Fuck Wit Dre Day (and Everybody's Celebrating)" and "Bitches Ain't Shit" (the former was released as a single, with a music video and everything). Eazy fired back with "Real Muthaphuckkin G's", doing damage to Dre's rep by revealing back-in-the-day pictures of the good doctor in lipstick and a glitter suit (from his stint in the World Class Wreckin' Cru) as well as the violent atmosphere at Death Row Records (which would be the reason why Dre would leave the label years later), and of course, revealing that he was still getting paid off of Dre's music. The song would definitely be higher on the list, if it weren't for one thing: the guest rappers. Dresta and B.G. Knocc Out weren't BAD or anything, but they were simply reiterating the point that Eazy had already made (that Dre and Snoop Dogg were "studio gangstas"), making the song sort of redundant. But either way, the damage was done. Also worth noting: the video for "Dre Day" features actor A.J. Johnson playing a mock up of Eazy called 'Sleazy E', conversing with the greedy Jerry Heller (played by Interscope exec Steve Berman ... yeah, the same guy from the Eminem albums). In response, the video for "Real Compton City G's" (as it was called for the radio) featured Eazy and his crew beating down the SAME ACTOR who played Sleazy E in the "Dre Day" vid. A very nice touch, if you ask me. Body Bag Bars: "Ayo Doctor, here's another proper track and it's phat watch the sniper, time to pay the piper and let that real shit provoke see, you's a wannabe 'loc and you'll get smoked and I hope that your fans understand when you talk about sprayin' me the same records that you makin' is payin' me" [...] (Damn E, they tried to fade you on "Dre Day"!) but "Dre Day" only made Eazy's payday! All of a sudden, Dr. Dre is a 'G Thang' but on his old album covers, he was a she-thing!" [...] "Damn, it's a trip how a nigga could switch so quick From wearing lipstick to smoking on Chronic at picnics and now you think you're bigger but to me you ain't nothing but a bitch ass nigga that ain't worth a food stamp and at Death Row, I hear you're getting treated like boot camp Gotta follow your Sargeant's directions or get your ass pumped with a Smith and Wesson Learn a lesson from the Eaz' Stay in your place and don't step to real motherfucking G's!" 8. Royce Da 5'9 feat. Tre Little - Malcolm X (dissing D12) The beef between Royce Da 5'9" and D12 is kind of sad, because it all boiled down to pettiness and jealousy. At one time, Royce was real close with Eminem, even performing as his hype man when he first blew up with "The Slim Shady LP" (they were introduced to each other by a mutual friend, Proof). But when Eminem opted to put his crew D12 on and sign them to his newly formed Shady Records in 2000, Royce supposedly got a little jealous. When they thought Royce dissed the Anger Management tour in a freestyle, D12 started to show more contempt to him. The beef was quiet for a long time, but was still building; it all came to a head when Royce proclaimed D12 to be "the worst fuckin' rap group ever" in an recorded interview. In response, 'D-Twizzy' recorded "Smack Down", an all-out assault on Royce over the beat to 50's "Back Down". Royce released several diss tracks in response, but the strongest of them all was "Malcolm X". Over Capone-N-Noreaga's "Bang Bang" beat, Royce takes every member of D12 to task, but he focuses mainly on Bizarre and his old friend Proof. Like in "Real Muthaphuckkin G's", the guest rapper Tre Little doesn't do much but reinforce the point that Eminem should've cleared this problem with Royce long ago ("You and Royce could squash this with one talk / step around from your security and talk to that man"), but he does throw a few hard-hitting jabs, including a reference to when Nelly supposedly called out Eminem on TRL. Whatever the circumstances surrounding the beef were, nobody can deny that Royce verbally desecrated his fellow Detroit natives. Body Bag Bars: "I don't like Proof's punk-ass, he think he tough He keep thirty niggas with him, cause he weak as fuck! I ever catch you by yourself, I'mma FUCK you up snatch your little cheap-ass chain and piece you up You better hope you and the White Boy keep in touch and be a good little hype man, or your lease is up Since Slim signed 50, I don't see your teeth as much That's good, cause you got a grill like a fuckin' truck!" [...] "I just wish Eminem would stop tellin' everybody he ain't speakin' to ME like I'm one of his hoes or somethin' How 'bout this? I ain't speakin to YOU Chump, and I'mma keep pickin on your weak ass crew" [...] "Nigga you can run or hide; I'll be on your porch with a cheeseburger tryin to lure you outside! 'Cause he's in it, Bizarre say "G-g-g-g-g-g- G-unit!" I bet you throw some extra "G's" in it just like a stutterin' fool, can't reach intelligence he sweats when he raps, cuz he got a speach impediment" [...] "Denaun and Swifty please Give it a year, both of y'all be raking 50's leaves What do I know? That other nigga y'all got in your group I don't even know his name, but he can shovel my snow" [...] "Eminem, Nelly said that he'll eat you like candy and what did you do? Got on the phone and called him up You don't wanna talk to Royce, but you'll talk to Puff?" 7. Eminem - The Sauce / Nail in the Coffin (dissing Benzino) Some might find it a bit unfair that I chose two songs from the same artist for the number 7 slot, but it's MY list, so whatever. Plus, these songs are so closely connected that when you choose one over the other, you have to usually explain why. Well, I decided to include BOTH of them so I wouldn't have to. Eminem has often been accused of picking and choosing his battles, never dissing an emcee he couldn't handle. Sure, he'll go after pop artists and crossover rappers in a heartbeat, but when a legit emcee chooses to attack him, Em either responds subliminally or chooses to ignore it completely - or, if he DOES respond directly, the song is never officially released (I.E., the "Canibitch" diss to Canibus leaking more than a YEAR after it was completed). Normally, a lowly rapper like Benzino wouldn't be on the Detroit rapper's radar, but he had to be for one reason: he co-owned half of The Source magazine, which gave Em an profile in its Unsigned Hype column back in the day. Benzino attacked Eminem twice, first with a few barbs in a mixtape joint called "I Don't Wanna", and then much more detailed in "Pull Your Skirt Up", where he claimed Eminem was a corporate puppet who was "playing by a different set of rules". In response, Eminem released two diss tracks at the same time: "The Sauce" and "Nail in the Coffin". The first one focused more on factual statements, attacking the credibility of the once-credible 'Hip-Hop bible' for adding promotion for Benzino's own group (as well as giving his group's album a 4 1/2 Mic rating), downgrading reviews of artists he had conflict with, and other corrupt things he's done for the magazine. The latter was more comedic, resorting to personal attacks on Benzino's age, his braided hair, and his lack of fame, wrapping it all up with a sing-song hook. One can easily say that "The Sauce" is the stronger track cause it's based on facts, but "Nail in the Coffin" has too many laugh-out-loud lines for it to be discredited that quickly. Eminem has destroyed many rappers on diss tracks, but never before had he gone THIS HARD at somebody... Body Bag Bars: The Sauce "....when the Unsigned Hype column at The Source was like our only source of light When the Mics used to mean somethin, a four was like you were the shit, now its like the least you get three and a half now just means you a piece of shit four and a half or five, means you Biggie, Jigga, Nas, or Benzino! Shit, I dont think you even realize you playin with motherfuckers lives" [...] "No more Source with street cred, them days is dead Ray's got AKs to Dave Mays' head Every issue there's an eight page Made Men spread" [...] "Just know that Benzino's wack no matter how many times I say his name, he'll never blow, jack Your better off tryin to bring RSO back Look at your track record, thats how far it goes back It's extortion, and Ray owns a portion so half of the staff up there is fresh outta jail from Boston Bullyin and bossing Dave like a slave they've completely brainwashed him and forced him to stay locked in his own office, afraid of the softest, fakest, wannabe gangster in New York" Nail in the Coffin "I would never claim to be no Ray Benzino an 83 year old fake Pachino so how can he hold me over some balcony without throwin his lower back out as soon as he goes to lift me? Please don't, youl probably fall with me and our asses will both be history but then again, youl'll finally get your wish cause you'll be 'all over the street' like 50 Cent" [...] "You swear that you in the streets hustlin You sit behind a fuckin desk at The Source butt-kissin and beggin motherfuckers for guest appearences and you can even get the clearances cause real lyricists don't even respect you or take you serious It's not that we don't like you, we HATE you, period!" [...] "You're broke as fuck, you suck, you're a fuckin' joke If you was really sellin coke, well then what the fuck you stop for dummy?! If you slew some crack you'd make alot more money than you do from rap You never had no security, you'll never be famous You'll never now what its like to be rich, lifes a bitch, aint it Raymond?" 6. Common - The Bitch in Yoo (dissing Ice Cube) This is one of the more interesting tracks on the list for two reasons: 1) because it comes from an emcee whose never really been known for battling that much, and 2) because it all stems from a misunderstanding. Chicago emcee Common (back then known as Common Sense) released a single called "I Used to Love H.E.R.", the first (of many) to personify Hip-Hop as a female. However, Ice Cube took umbrage with the song because he thought Common was implying that the West Coast made Hip-Hop more commercial. Cube taken the song out of context and ran with it, and even though Com said he didn't mean anything by it, Cube had already gone on the offense with "Westside Slaughterhouse": "Used to love her, mad cause we fucked her / stupid ass bitch with no Common Sense". Even though he wasn't really a battle emcee, Common had no choice but to respond, so he teamed up with legendary producer Pete Rock and came out with "The Bitch in Yoo". Surprisingly enough, Com brings the venom, calling Cube a washed up rapper turned actor, criticizing for taking what he said out of context, his one-dimensional beat selection, and his wack crew (Westside Connection). Like B-Real of Cypress Hill, we find Cube using his own song titles against him, and it works even better here than it did on "No Rest for the Wicked". Above all else, it proved that Cube didn't have much left in the musical department, giving him perhaps the biggest L of his career. Body Bag Bars: "A bitch 'Nigga wit an Attitude' named Cube stepped to the Com wit a feud Now what the fuck I look like dissing a whole coast? You ain't made shit dope since AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted to cease from the Midwest to the East on the dick of the East for your first release" [...] ""Natural Born Killa", nigga you natural born God Read, rich, got the nerve to say you rob Hyprocrite, I'm filling out your "Death Certificate" slanging bean pies and St. Ide's in the same sentence Should have repented, on the 16th of October get some beats besides George Clinton to rock over rap career is over, better off acting what trouble I see, you're managing WC and Wack 10" [...] "There's a thin line between the fake and the real grafted ass nigga, I see through your "Glass Shield" had skills once upon a time on this project, yo... I'mma have to wreck a Ho'shea I heard a ho say you her favorite rapper (So what?) so I had to slap her and violate you, a Muslim drinking brew Your nigga ain't no Mack 10, he's a 22" 5. Canibus - Second Round K.O. (dissing LL Cool J) Just about everybody knows the history of this feud, so I'll be as brief with this one as possible: Hip-Hop veteran LL Cool J invited the up-and-coming Canibus to rap on the song "4, 3, 2, 1" with him, Method Man, Redman, and DMX. Canibus wrote a line in the song, referencing LL's tattoo of a microphone on his arm ("L, is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that"), which he supposedly meant as a sign of respect. LL took offense and retaliated in his verse ("Let's get back to this mic on my arm / if it ever left my side, it'd transform into a time bomb / you don't wanna borrow that, you wanna idolize"). According to Bis, he sat down with LL and resolved it, with L telling Bis that if Bis changed his verse, then he would change his. But LL went back on his word and didn't change it, telling Bis that as long as his verse was changed, then no one would know L's verse was aimed at him. But when the original version leaked and peope started putting the pieces together, Canibus decided that he needed to defend himself. And so came "Second Round K.O.", the most popular song Canibus has ever released and, as Big D put it, the song that would both make AND break the lyrical giant. Canibus goes in on Cool J here, refusing to let him forget the "bitch move" he pulled on him (10 years later, Bis would do something similar with Eminem and D12... but thats a story for another day). But thats not all: he criticized him for solely appealing to the female fans and accused him of hiding a drug habit, and just went all-out on him. The feud went a little farther with a few more songs, but it eventually fizzled out. Even though this track may have shortened his commercial longevity, I think that there's no doubt in anyone's mind that he had LL's number on "Second Round K.O." Body Bag Bars: "I'mma let the WORLD know the truth, you don't want me to shine You studied my rhyme, then you laid your vocals after mine That's a bitch move, somethin that a homo rapper would do So when you say that you 'Platinum', you only droppin 'Clue's' I studied your background, read the book that you wrote researched your footnotes, 'bout how you used to sniff coke frontin' like a drug-free role model, you disgust me I know bitches that seen you smoke weed recently You walk around showin off your body cause it sells plus to avoid the fact that you ain't got skills mad at me cause I kick that shit REAL niggas feel while 99% of your fans wear high heels" [...] "And if you really want to show off, we can get it on Live in front of the cameras on your own sitcom I'll let you kick a verse, fuck it, I'll let you kick em all I'll even wait for the studio audience to applaud {studio audience cheers} Now watch me rip the tat from your arm Kick you in the groin, stick you for your Vanguard award in front of your mom, your 1st, 2nd and 3rd born make your wife get on the horn, call Minister Farrakhan" [...] "You done spitted some wack shit-it and probably thought that because it's been a minute I'll forget it?! FUCK THAT! 'Cause like Common and Cube, I see "The Bitch In Yoo" and I'mma make the world see it too, motherfucker!" 4. Jay-Z - Takeover (dissing Nas and Mobb Deep) When your one of the biggest rappers in the world, you're naturally going to have a horde of challengers to your throne. Case in point, Jay-Z had his fair share of haters talking greasy about him on the side. For example, Prodigy of Mobb Deep had been dissing Jay-Z in radio interviews and in The Source magazine, and even threw a dart at his crew on the song "Mobb Niggaz" ("This ain't The Roc nigga, we ain't them faggot ass niggas"). So he decided to strike back with "Takeover", which he premiered in a two-verse form at live Summer Jam 2001. In the case of Prodigy, he revealed that his thug image was all a facade, and reinforced his point by placing a picture of young Prodigy in a tutu on the stadium's big screens. That picture did irreversible damage to Mobb Deep's credibility, and that alone gives this song high marks. But the real story here is diss to Nas; their feud had been subliminally building for some time now, and when he ended his Summerjam performance with the line "Ask Nas, he don't want it with Hov, NOOOOOO!", Nas quickly responded with a freestyle over the "Paid in Full" beat, taking potshots at the Jigga man. Jay would go back and record a third verse for the album version, going all out on Nas, telling him how hard he fell off, insinuates that his 'Escobar' thug lifestyle is fabricated, and reveals that MC Serch was robbing him of his money when Nas first had his record deal. Jay-Z would later go on to have make much shittier diss tracks to Nas and other emcees ("Super Ugly", "Brooklyn High", and "Dig a Hole"), but "Takeover" forever cements his legacy and shows that at one time, he truly could not be touched by ANY of his contemporaries. Body Bag Bars: "I don't care if you 'Mobb Deep', I hold triggers to crews you little fuck, I got money stacks bigger than you When I was pushing weight, back in '88 you was a ballerina, I got your pictures, I seen ya then you dropped "Shook Ones", switched your demeanor Well, we don't believe you! You need more people!" [...] "Went from Nasty Nas to Esco's trash had a spark when you started but now, you're just garbage Fell from Top 10 to 'Not Mentioned at All' to your bodyguard's "Oochie Wally" verse better than yours" [...] "Nigga, you ain't live it, you witnessed it from your folk's pad you scribbled in your notepad and created your life I showed you your first tech on tour with Large Professor then I heard your album 'bout your tech on your dresser So yeah, I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong you made it a hot line, I made it a hot song and you ain't get a coin nigga, you was getting fucked then I know who I paid God, Serchlite Publishing! Use your BRAIN!!! You said you been in this ten I've been in it five, smarten up Nas four albums in ten years nigga? I can divide that's one every let's say two, two of them shits was due one was (NAH!), the other was "Illmatic" that's a one hot album every ten year average and that's so LAME!!!" 3. Nas - Ether (dissing Jay-Z) When he premiered in the early 90s, Nas had such incredible promise that he was heralded as 'the next Rakim'. However, every record after his debut failed to live up to the precedents that "Illmatic" had set, with "Nastradamus" confirming to everyone that Nas had fallen off... and HARD. Of course, in his war of words with Jay-Z, Jigga brought this up for everyone to laugh at. "Takeover" found Jay desecrating the Nasty one, destroying what little credibility he had left and leaving his career for dead. But who would've thought that this would be the jump-start Nas needed? Just a few months later, Nas' new album "Stillmatic" was released, and it opened with the vicious, venomous, unbelievably RAW "Ether", where he went at the Jigga man head on. It was nothing but hard-hitting blows: he publicly outed Jay as a biter with numerous 'mentors', called him a sellout who turned his back on Hip-Hop, as well as 'Stan' who secretly admired Nas even though he dissed him. People are quick to dismiss this song as immature because of Nas constantly calling him gay and ugly and the like. Well, I disagree: to me, this is the kind of song that Pac's "Hit 'em Up" wanted to be, an incredibly personal character assassination. Even with the childish barbs, the song is adult in content, with Nas backing up his points with straight facts, which makes up for the immaturity in my opinion. When "Ether" was released, it was almost unanimously decided that Nas was the winner in the battle, and now the song's title has become a permanent fixture in Hip-Hop slang for verbally destroying someone on record. It doesn't get much more concrete than that to me - Nas revived his career and dented Jay-Z's credibility with "Ether", the greatest diss song of the modern age. Body Bag Bars: "I got this locked since '91, I am the truest name a rapper that I ain't influenced gave y'all chapters, but now I keep my eyes on the Judas with "Hawaiian Sophie" fame, kept my name in his music" [...] "This for dolo, and his manuscript just sounds stupid when KRS already made an album called "Blueprint" First, Biggie's your man, then you got the nerve to say that you're better than B.I.G. Dick-sucking lips, won't you let the late, great veteran live?!" [...] "In '88, you was getting chased through your building calling my crib and I ain't even give you my numbers all I did was gave you a style for you to run with smiling in my face, glad to break bread with the God wearing Jaz' chains, no Techs, no cash, no cars no jail bars, Jigga, no priors, no case just Hawaiian shirts, hanging with little Chase You a fan, a phony, a fake, a pussy, a Stan!" [...] "Your man stabbed Un and made you take the blame you ass, went from Jaz to hanging with Kane, to Irv, to B.I.G. and Eminem murdered you on your own shit" [...] "How much of Biggie's rhymes is gon' come out your fat lips? Wanted to be on every last one of my classics you pop shit, apologize, nigga, just ask 'Kiss!" 2. Kool Moe Dee - Let's Go (dissing LL Cool J) While people remember Canibus for the damage he did to LL Cool J, I can honestly say that Kool Moe Dee did even MORE. I won't go into too much detail about this beef cause Dayo has written an essay on it before (if you haven't read it yet, you NEED to do so), but here's the skinny: LL Cool J was one of the hottest and most arrogant rappers out at the time; Kool Moe Dee, an old school legend, felt that the young upstart had jacked his style, and decided to let him know how he felt. The title track of his second album, 1987's "How Ya Like Me Now", found him throwing shots at LL, while the album's cover showed LL's trademark Kangol hat being crushed under the wheel of Moe Dee's jeep. LL responded right away with "Jack the Ripper", where he called Moe Dee a "washed-up rapper" who wasn't able to make "real rap songs". Unfortunately, he spent most of the track bragging about himself instead of attacking his rival, a fact that KMD would use against him in his response record, "Let's Go". Over the course of four verses in 5 ½ minutes, Moe Dee lyrically annihilated LL, period. There were countless blows to L's ego: he maintained that he bit his style, claimed that LL was the one who sold out the Hip-Hop fan base, and insinuated that he used his sex appeal to make up for his lack of lyrical skills. Of course, the most memorable part of the song is when he tells us "what LL stands for" by using different acronyms to insult him. Even though LL made a valiant effort when he responded with "To da Break of Dawn", Kool Moe Dee just had him beat. And while "The Bridge is Over" is given more love for being 'the blueprint', I believe "Let's Go" is the quintessential diss track: hard-hitting with the insults and using facts to make his points, it's perfect in every way. Body Bag Bars: "Your rhymes are weak-wack, how can you speak that? You need to sneak back to the drawing board, Jack The Ripper, down with my zipper You get paid to be a Moe Dee tipster trying to knock the way I rock, get off my jock I'mma knock you out the box, let's go!" [...] "You ain't got a chance in the world Your records were smokin', but you sound like a girl... ("How you like me now? I'm gettin' busier! I'm double platinum!") Hold up, is he a man or a girl? What in the world? You sound like Cheryl the Pearl and you wanna battle me on the microphone? Leave that crack alone!" [...] "You need a hand... you got hands for trying to be me, now LL stands for Lower Level, Lack Luster Last Least, Limp Lover Lousy Lame, Latent Lethargic Lazy Lemon, Little Logic Lucky Leech, Liver Lipped Laborious Louse on a Loser's Lips Live in Limbo, Lyrical Lapse Low Life with the loud raps, boy You can't win, huh, I don't bend Look what you got yourself in Just usin' your name I took those L's Hung 'em on your head and rocked YOUR bells!" [...] "Yeah, you're headstrong, but you're dead wrong Wanna survive? Stick with the love songs Take off your shirt, flex and flirt and leave the real hard rhymes to the hard rhyme experts If you don't, boy you'll get hurt feel like dirt and have to revert to comin' on stage butt naked to make up for what you can't do on record Open your eyes twice the size and realize I'm on the rise and you're on the demise" And now, its come down to this: the greatest diss song of all time. You would think since I called "Let's Go" the 'quintessential diss track' that it would be my number one. No, my number one ups the ante on ALL levels: its hard-hitting AND offensive, and its impact shook up the Hip-Hop world and changed it forever. The greatest diss song of all time is... 1. Macho Man Randy Savage - Be a Man (dissing Hulk Hogan) Who would've thought the greatest diss track of all time would come from a pro wrestler? "Macho Man" Randy Savage (real name Randy Poffo) and Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Boella) would beat the holy hell out of each other in a WWF ring, but they had a real-life rivalry going on for years, because Savage blamed Hogan for the divorce from his wife. Of course, the natural thing to do when one of your closest friends ruins your marriage is become a rapper and release a diss track to him! Randy Savage's "Be a Man" is an incredible attack featuring the most vicious barbs ever heard in rap music, it something that needs to be heard to believed..... Obviously, I'm kidding. If you actually thought I had chosen THAT as the greatest diss song ever, then you need to have your head examined. The Greatest Diss song of All Time is... 1. Ice Cube - No Vaseline (dissing N.W.A.) If you read the rest of the list, you probably figured out this song was gonna make number one simply because I didn't list it elsewhere. But even though it might be a predictable choice, can you really blame me for putting it at the top? It's relentlessly brutal, explicitly homophobic, racist, and even a bit anti-Semitic - but damn, it is an incredible listening experience. In the late 80s, N.W.A. was the biggest Hip-Hop group in the world, ushering in the rise of gangsta rap. But one of the members, Ice Cube, was pulling more weight than the others: he wrote his own rhymes AND ghostwrote for Dr. Dre and Eazy E for the group's landmark album, "Straight Outta Compton". When the group had signed long-term contracts with Ruthless Records, the label owned by Eazy E and the group's manager, Jerry Heller, Cube hesitated because he thought he wasn't being paid the money he deserved. Because of this dispute over owed royalties, Cube left the group to pursue a solo career. This didn't sit well with N.W.A., so they started referring to him as 'Benedict Arnold' on their next album "Niggaz4life". Of course, Cube wasn't going to take this sitting down, so when he released his sophomore solo record, "Death Certificate", he closed it with "No Vaseline", a scathing attack on his former comrades. He painted "the worlds most dangerous crew" as fake gangsters who were getting robbed by Eazy and Heller. While he attacks each member in different ways (relating MC Ren to Kunta Kinte, telling Dr. Dre he should just remain a producer, etc.), Eazy E gets it the worst, with Cube hinting at his homosexuality and saying he should be lynched. While the original version of the song mentions Jerry Heller by name multiple times, the album version has each reference changed to "your manager, fella", presumably to avoid a lawsuit. But even with the change, the damage is done. And it was irreversible too: N.W.A. would never respond to the disses because shortly after, Dre thought Cube was right on the money, and decided to leave the group as well. From then on, N.W.A would disintegrate into nothingness. It's not too often that you can say a song had single-handedly break up one of the biggest rap groups of all time, but that is the case for "No Vaseline", which is why it is the greatest Hip-Hop diss song of ALL TIME. Body Bag Bars: "I started off with too much cargo, dropped four niggas now I'm makin' all the dough. White man just ruling The "Niggas With Attitude" - who ya foolin'?!" [...] "Yella Boy's on your team, so you're losing Ayo Dre, stick to producing Calling me Arnold, but you been a dick [Benedict] Eazy E saw your ass and went in it quick! You got jealous when I got my own company but I'm a man and ain't nobody helpin' me" [...] "So don't believe what Ren say, cause he's going out like Kunte Kinte, but I got a whip for you Toby, used to be my homey, now you act like you don't know me It's a case of divide and conquer, cause you let a Jew break up my crew House nigga gotta run and hide, yellin' Compton, but you moved to Riverside" [...] "Fuckin' your homeboys, you little maggot Eazy E turned faggot with your manager, fella, fuckin' MC Ren, Dr. Dre, and Yella But if they were smart as me, Eazy E would be hangin' from a tree [...] "Heard you both got the same bank account, Dumb nigga, what you thinkin' 'bout?! Get rid of that Devil real simple put a bullet in his temple... Cause you can't be the 'Nigga 4 Life' crew with a white Jew tellin' you what to do!" And that's it! I appreciate you guys joining me on this ride through the best of the best lyrical beatdowns in Hip-Hop history. If you have question or a comment, please post them in the comment section. OR, if you want to speak to me directly about the list, then join me, Big D, and Dayo on this weeks edtion of the Superfriends Variety Show, this Wednesday night, August 11th at 10:00 PM EST as we discuss Hip-Hop's fiercest battles. You can listen live at the official Website (www.SuperfriendsUniverse.com/chat) or at Blog Talk Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/superfriends), so please join in as we chop it up about the best beefs and battles. AUTHOR'S NOTE: The show has already taken place; to hear it, go to http://tinyurl.com/superfriends70. Until next time, I'm out! ---------- The Top 20 Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time (Foreword) The Top 20 Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time (Part 1) The Top 20 Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time (Part 2) |
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