Since the
dawn of man, there has been beef. Men and women duking it out with each other
over petty bullshit that no one but the two people beefing would care about,
and no genre exemplifies that and glorifies that more than Hip Hop.
Nas Vs Jay-Z
Bad Boy VS
Death Row
Tim Dog VS
Everyone
And with
beef always came diss tracks. Rappers fighting it out on the mic to see who
could talk the most shit about the other rapper, tracks like “Real Muthaphukkin
G’s” or “Fuck Compton”, but what about the diss tracks that fell to the dark side of the moon, the ones everyone never new existed? Come with me as I take you through ten of the best diss
tracks the world forgot.
Album: Who’s
the Boss?
Label: Next
Plateau Entertainment
Year: 1989
Targets: MC
Lyte & Audio Two
When you ask people to name classic diss tracks MC Lyte’s “10% Dis” is
a name that will almost always come up. A dope track attacking a MC for biting
an Audio Two beat, but who was this mysterious MC? Not many seem to remember
and no name is ever mentioned in the song. Well the person in question was MC
Antoinette, to which she responded with the pun track “Lights Out, Party’s
Over”. MC Antoinette’s braggadocios lyrics, in-your-face attitude and rough
voice make “Lights Out, Party’s Over” stand toe to toe with “10% Dis”.
The best thing about this entire track has to be the fact she basically
bit the tune of the chorus from “10% Dis” just to piss off Lyte!
Mad quote:
“You’re a lightweight; it’s easy to dump teeth, A 10% Dis? How bout 100% beef!”
Now it should be noted that this track was written in 1989. This was a
time when diss tracks were quite tame in terms of insults and personal attacks.
The flood gate for aggressive diss tracks wouldn’t open until 1991 with Tim
Dog’s “Fuck Compton”. Speaking of Tim Dog…
Album: N/A
Label: Dis-Stress Records/Talkin’ Loud
Year: 1994
Targets: Snoop Dogg & Dr Dre
The Track was a response to Dre
Day. Was it necessary? Nope! But Tim Dog always has to get the last word
in.
In all honesty Bitch With A Perm
is a fairly disappointing track apart from the chorus which is hard as fuck:
“Bitch with a perm, bitch with a perm, I don’t give a fuck about a bitch with a
perm” - I could listen to that on loop all day.
The other track, The Dog Baby,
fairs a lot better, production is much tighter and the way he opens it is
pretty slick, biting the opening words from “Dre Day”
This diss gets its props for the single cover. Imagine, this fucking
single was sold in record stores; people would walk in and see this cover. He
wanted to lament the fact that he was dissing Snoop before you could even put
the needle to the groove! For fucks sake, the fact that he formed a record
label called Dis-Stress Records just to slam it into your head that he was
dissing Snoop Dogg.
Mad Quote: “I heard your mother was a dope fiend, and your father was a
dick fiend!”
Album: Funk Upon A Rhyme
Label: Ruthless/Relativity
Year: 1994
Targets: Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg & The DPG
This is probably the only diss track in existence where the artist has
every right to be pissed off. When Dr Dre’s Chronic was released in 1993 he was
heralded as the pioneer of G-funk. When in reality it was Cold 187um who laid
down the blueprints for the G-funk sound, which he never received credit for.
Wanting to get the diss track out as fast as possible, Cold 187um decided to
put it on Kokane’s Funk Upon A Rhyme
which was released in april rather than on Above the Law’s Uncle Sam’s Curse which was released in July.
Apart from Cold 187um’s criticism of Dre biting his sound the track
echo’s sentiments made in “Real Muthaphukkin G’s”. Claiming Dr Dre is a fake
gangsta, criticizing his involvement in World Class Wrecking Cru and the abusive
behaviour of Suge Knight. He also takes shot at Kurupt because of his verse in
“Puffin’ on Blunts and Drankin on Tanqueray” which opened with a diss towards
Cold 187um.
Even though it’s on Kokane’s album it’s clear that its Cold 187um diss,
taking up a majority of the track leaving Kokane enough time to diss the DPG
and call Snoop, Dr Dre’s bitch for writing all his rhymes.
Mad Quote: “Yo try to diss me to get respect, but you (Kurupt) sound
like a motherfucking Redman Reject!”
Album: So Tough Single (1994) – Crazy Like A Foxxx (2008)
Label: Flavor Unit Records/Epic (1994) – Fat Beats (2008)
Year: 1994
Targets: Ultramagnetic MC’s
The main reason most people weren’t aware this diss track existed, is
because it almost didn’t! Crazy Like A
Foxxx was supposed to be released through Flavor Unit Records/Epic Records
but was shelved for no reason. So apart from appearing on the B-Side of his So
Tough single and the eventual release through Fat Beats in 2008, the track fell
into obscurity.
The beef came about because of the track “Yo Black” by Ultramagnetic
MC’s on their album The Four Horsemen,
in particular the line “how can you put up a fox against an alligator”. Freddie
took it as an attack against him and shot back with “Crazy Like A Foxxx”. For
the most part the track is your standard affair “your wack, im great, ill fuck
you up etc.” Up until the second half of the third verse, in which he talks
about how he’s going to kill Ced Gee, Moe Love & Kool Keith. I assume TR
Love is spared so he can spread the word on the horrors witnessed.
Mad Quote: “Then I drag him (Kool Keith) in the alley and I hit him in
the head with the glock, piss in his face ‘cause I’m crazy like a foxxx!”
Album: Judgement Day
Label: Scarface Records/Righteous Records
Year: 1993
Targets: Ant Banks & Too $hort (and to a lesser extent the whole
Dangerous Crew)
Don’t let the name fool you, Pooh Man is someone you should never fuck
with. This is exactly what the Dangerous Crew did, holding out on money they
owed him. As expected Pooh Man got pissed off and jumped ship, leaving Jive
Records and signing onto Paris owned Scarface Records.
First thing you should do when preparing to listen to this track is
ensure no one is standing in front of you, this shit is a straight up head
banger. The intensity of the production is only matched by the intensity of
Pooh Man’s delivery, attacking Ant Banks credibility as an MC, essentially
claiming he didn’t write any of his own rhymes (which actually turned out to be
true!). Questioning Too $hort’s sexuality and over all dissing the Dangerous
Crew.
Is anyone else confused as to why he was signed to Scarface?
Mad Quote: “Damn you’sa borderline bitch, as far as getting pussy fool you
getting dick!”
5: B.G. Knocc Out & Gangsta Dresta – D.P.G/K
Album: Real Brothas
Label: Outburst Records
Year: 1995
Targets: The Dogg Pound
This is less a diss track and more a “we are going to fucking kill you
the next time we see you” track. The track is a result of both their loyalty to
Eazy E and a response to DPG’s What Would
You Do? This is a no nonsense track, they don’t poke fun, they don’t fuck
around, they straight up say we are
going to kill you. Along with the production behind the track which is slow
and menacing and the chorus which is just Dresta name checking all the members
of the DPG, makes this track a heavy hitter.
Another thing to note is the music video for this track. While the DPG
track had Nate, Daz and Kurupt partying and driving around, BG and Dresta’s
music video is them sitting around a table in an empty factory planning how they are going to fucking kill them.
This track is just plain scary.
Mad Quote: “A fake is what I hate, so fuck Kurupt, Daz and Nate!”
Album: I Got Shit On My Mind
Label: Luke Records
Year: 1992
Targets: Kid ‘n Play
Beef between Captain Dick and Kid ‘n Play started back in 1991 when Kid
‘n Play dropped “Next Question” attacking Luke and 2 Live Crew for corrupting
kids, not putting out a positive message and using their vulgarity and shock
value for selling records. It was a weak diss, when you’re Kid ‘n Play you
can’t come off as intimidating, even Nice & Smooth were more intimidating
and look at their goddamn album cover!
So what does Luke do to respond? He was never a rapper, he was more a
hype man doing call and responds (check out Head,
Head and more Head if you want to see what I mean). So what did he do? He
brings in the two biggest shit talkers from New Orleans and Miami, Bustdown and
JT Money. They jump right into it attacking their sexuality, criticising their
family friendly image etc.
The chorus is also killer. Asking about Kid ‘n Play followed by
following a scratch from BDP’s My
Philosophy line “Wick Wick WACK”
You should never fuck with a man who can get laws overturned by Federal
Courts.
Mad Quote: “I saw your second House Party and figured, two House
Parties for two house ass niggas!"
Album: The Big Payback
Label: Rap-A-Lot Records
Year: 1990
Targets: N.W.A, The Geto Boys, Too $hort
The overtly sexually active & dominant Choice’s album The Big Payback wanted to show men that
women could get just as down and dirty as the guys not only that she also wanted
to show the world that women could go toe to toe against heavy weights of Hip
Hop. So what did she do? She targeted three biggest misogynists in Hip Hop,
N.W.A, Too $hort and fellow label mates The Geto Boys and boy she stands her
ground with this track, straight up emasculating all of them and picking fights
with their mama’s. However Choice would end up eating her words in the years to
come.
Mad Quote: “Where did you get
the damn midget? Fantasy Island?!”
Album: I’m Goin’ Out Lika Soldier
Label: Rap-A-Lot Records
Year: 1992
Target: Choice
Ultimately Choice’s Payback
went unnoticed by everyone she dissed. Everyone except for Willie D. Busy with
work with The Geto Boys, Willie D never had the time to respond. Rather than
move on, he decided to sit on it for two
whole years and what resulted can only be considered as the verbal
equivalent of Dr Dre beating the shit out of Dee Barnes. For four and a half
minutes Willie D attacks everything from her sex appeal to her rapping skills,
questions her gender and much, much more. Choice never released an album after
1992.
Mad Quote: “Cause your granny was a ho, and your momma was a ho too,
and then came you! And if dug up the rest of your family roots, I’d find
nothing but some bitches and prostitutes!”
Album: 187 Ride By
Label: Par Records
Year 1992
Targets: N.W.A, Boogie Down Productions, Tim Dog, The DOC, Michel’le,
Kokane, Above the Law
Tweedy Bird Loc started out as a Kelly Park Compton Crip, the same as
Eazy-E. Being from the same gang he thought Eazy would sign him to Ruthless
Records. However Eazy-E refused to sign to Ruthless leaving Tweedy Bird Loc to
declare all-out war on anything Ruthless. Along with this Tweedy Bird Loc was
violently territorial about Compton and Gangsta rap, if anyone talked shit
about either, know full well you would be on his hit list.
The best way to describe this track imagine the rapid fire delivery of
Ice Cube on "No Vaseline" with the
pissed off, ignorant attitude and lyrics of Tim Dog combined with the breath
control of Bushwick Bill. Mix that all together and you get Tweedy Bird Loc’s – "Whats Goin’ On".
This track has it all.
Questions their sexuality? Check!
Fucked their Girlfriend? Check!
Called them Fake? Check!
Called them Sellouts? Check!
Made personal threats? Check!
Made fun of serious moments in their life? Check!
This track is equivalent of a fat raging drunk. It's out of breath, angry and attacking everyone within striking distance.
Mad Quote: “So whats up with you D.O to the C? I heard you got fucked
up when you ran into a tree! So now you need your ass wiped, go call the Doctor
‘cause you, Michel’le sound alike!”
