Hip hop beefs on YouTube

Beefs and dis tracks have always brought out the best in rappers.

In 1986 a beef launched KRS-One. When MC Shan and Marley Marl released “The Bridge” a celebration of their Queensbridge neighborhood it was an affront to KRS-One, the Boogie Down Productions crew and the South Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop. Enter rap’s first holy war and KRS-One’s withering attacks on MC Shan effectively ended his career.

The following year, a young LL Cool J established his legend by felling old-school pioneer Kool Moe Dee.

The 90s were almost dominated with well documented beefs both within and between America’s east and west coasts.

And in 2002, a beef reignited the careers of two giants, as Jay-Z and Nas clashed for the title of King of New York.

For most of rap’s history, one-upmanship has been hip-hop’s engine of change. Recently, however, beefs have lost some of their creative spark, as battles have migrated from albums and mix tapes to YouTube.


In an MTV Cribs-inspired self-congratulatory 50 cent attacks Cam’ron. The weak music takes a backseat to a tacky parade of images: a garage filled with all-terrain vehicles and another one that appears to have been converted into a cramped shooting range.