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Thursday, June 23, 2011 | 11:59pm
SOUND OFF: Thoughts On Complex’s 50 Greatest Diss Records of All Time?
What’s Beef?
@complexmag #BEEF
Beef! Its the quintessential component of Hip Hop. Its the gasoline on the smoldering fire that turned hip hop from a passing fad into mainstream pop culture. Biggie once asked the question, What’s Beef? Beef? Its everything. From Roxanne Shaunta to The Real Roxanne, BDP and Queensbridge, LL Cool J and Canibus, 50 Cent and just about everyone. Without conflict the music is less relevant less politically charged and less consumed.
So for almost 40 years we’ve lived off beef. From the emcee freestyle battles in the park to the lyrically sharp diss records to the lame ass Social Networking spats characterized by today’s generation. Regardless of what era, if you were an emcee who found yourself on the losing end, it was the equivalent of a pink slip from the game. Those on the winning end, built a reputation, fan base and careers off the backs of slain rappers.
So with so many flavors of beef and ways to serve it Complex.com compiled The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time. So SOUND OFF: What are your Thoughts on Complex’s 50 Greatest Diss Records of All Time? Something tells me there’s going to be some BEEF about the list. Here’s a snippet of the top 20. Check out Complex for the Full list or check out Koreans Celebrities for some additional interesting insight. No Vegetarians allowed.
1. Takeover
2. Hit Em Up
3. Ether
4. BDP “The Birdge is Over
5. No Vaseline
6. Fuckin Wit Dre Day
7. 2nd Round Knock Out
8. The Bitch in Yoo
9. To Da Break Of Dawn
10. Back Down (50 Cent)
11. The Sauce. Nail in the Coffin
12. Against All Odds
13. BDP – South Bronx
14. Stan (Camron)
15. Dollaz and Cents
16. Fuck COmpton
17. Jack The Ripper
18. Quitter/ Hit em Up Freestyle (Eminem)
19. Kill That Noise
20. Bomb First
FILED IN Editorials, Music
Wait a minute …Takeover ?!? Didn’t jay lose that one ?? But anyway I was a die hard east coast fan back in high school during the east/west beef and even tho I didn’t wanna back then “hit’em up” had to be the most scathing record I’ve heard to date. Then when the pics of faith n pac came out…awww man. I think big recovered from it like a G but it almost ruined his career.
i am a big Jay fan, but he lost that battle, with ether and takeover, i guess winning the war makes his shit the hottest, but i agree with Dutch Hit’em up is ruthless…. Who was “Back Down” intended for?
it was intended for ja but i think… nah wait ..I KNOW wanksta was what ended his career.
Ahhhh I knew you all would have a problem with that as #1. The only argument I will make for it is everyone forgets Jay only used a few bars on Nas. Nas made a whole song…scratch that whole album of the strength of the beef. Kind of ironic that Jay’s whole premise was “You Made it a hot line, I made it a hot song.” At the end of the day Nas made it a hot comeback.
C I guess I have 2 be bias AGAIN and show some Cali4nia Love. I guess every1 4got Eazy-E’s Compton City G’s aka Real Mthufuck’n G’s.He did get at Dr.Dre on that 1 I have 2 give it 2 E. How could any1 4get Dollaz and Sense by DJ Quik with his beef with M.C.Eiht.Those 2 Jams were some of the illest shit.
Yea you’re truly a West Coast head fo life 2NA$$TEE. I’m pretty up on music and I had to jog my brain to even remember the song.
KURUPT’s “CALLIN OUT NAMES” didnt NOT make the list ??? Dude went hard on IRV Gotti, Ja Rule, his ex Foxy Brown, and WENT IN HARD on D.M.X.
ALSO – Like him or NOT but the GAME’s 300bars was a sick diss track. I’ll say the many sequals after seemed to make every one numb it all and the sting was taken away.
I’m a wessssssst coast Hip hop head and I did not mention Game . 300 Hundred Bars mad sick. I knew the usual suspects 2pac, Cube, Nas, Jigga would be up there I had 2 let em know bout a few more.
I was thinking the same thing! Real Muthafucking G’s is a classic! Dollaz & Sense is another good one. I have both tracks on my ipod…
Both of those Joints go hard on the real.
yeah ether has 2 be #1, and no vasaline has 2 be higher. those 2 songs squashed 2 labels lol… the rock wasnt the same after ether and nwa jus withered away after qube merked them.
You have to evaluate a diss record by how cutting and to the point it was. A lot of cats had clever ways of using innuendo and subtleness to get at an MC, but Pac in “Hit ‘Em Up” just came out and let it be known from the opening bar that he was coming hard and he didn’t stop for the whole joint–just ripped it from start to finish. Then, just in case there was any doubt, he called MCs by name. No on had ever called out so many cats in such an obvious way on record. So, when we heard it, we were shook and I know I was never the same. Hit ‘em up will forever be the #1 diss record of all time fore me (period)
but didnt hit em up have other mcs on it? me personally i think “realest shit i ever wrote” was alot better. hit em up had i f….k ur wife but after that u cud really skip to the next song. im thinkin most people think hit em up is the same song as realest shit i ever wrote, i mean pac went in on that 1
I’m sorry but “Hit em Up” was a horrible SONG. It was poorly recorded, mastered it was terrible. Me personally…I see emceeing as an artform and part of the whole beef concept was the ability to be able to attack your opponent from a clever standpoint and not mention his/ her name and if you did do it within the fabric of the rhyme. Pac just put a drunken rant to music. My rare but honest opinion.
i agree 1000% juan im glad u said it. when i say it im some kind of fool, glad 2 c im not alone on that 1
I agree with you about the artform of emceeing, but everybody knew that song was intended for BIG, no sugar coating, you didn’t have to think about it… But now i’m assuming everybody will hit “skip” or “next” when the songs comes on, but when you first heard it and a few times after i know you thought damn he went “hard”…. Its Sad though, if they could of talked that shit out, we would still have two legends here today, “half of these rappers now would be flipping burgers at burger king if Big and Pac were around”…….
U can thank Suge Knight 4 the mindless bullshit u hear nowadays.Waka Fuck Ya Lame Jizz Kalefa, Y me UUUUU really and muthfuckuz who put Ice Cream cones on their face ? Thanks Suge ur gift 2 Hip Hop music is immeasurable.
I get what you’re saying about the emcee part. I understand that some people take shots without mentioning names but when you do it and then come out and say “I’m not talking about anyone” I don’t get that. Its ok to be clever with your punchlines and take subliminal shots but own up to it.
Hmm. I want to disagree but when I think back to “Who Shot You” it was a beef song but was vague. Who does that? It was one of the true mistakes of BIG’s career. Whether he wrote it before the whole Pac shooting or not is irrelevant. He wrote an excellent song but didn’t come at anyone in particular.
.
What I’m saying in response to Hit Em Up is Pac was like YO BIG…Your wife smashed the homie. It killed the whole purpose of a beef record. I mean we all knew who LL was coming at in 2nd Round Knockout. It was creative and dealt devastating heymakers. He didn’t say “yo Cannibus.,.” Leave that off wax. I still stand by my previous statement though. Hit em up was a bad mixtape quality record that went National.
I did like hit em up right out the Gate but then I really started 2 listen 2 the words of this confused cat 2pac, I am a fan and think he is the best ever period.Listening 2 that was not him tho. He was on Suge’s nuts so 2 show loyalty plus the fact he was convinced Biggie and Puff had something 2 do with him get’n shot and the release of “Who Shot Ya” was the reason “Hit Em Up” was made.It was in bad taste on Puffy’s part.I know there is nothing far about war which is what Pac was on but the song was just 2 over the top even 4 me.I still have 2 say “No Vaseline” was the best Diss Records he went at N.W.A hard.
eventho he didnt rap on it that camron im not a writer im a biter jay-z diss shud b on the list
I’m not feeling Takeover as #1. I don’t know what it is with Jay-Z but he’s always been a little bitch when it comes to beef. He never wants to call out names, always leaves you wondering about who he’s taking shots at! Whether Pac was drunk or not, we all knew who he was talking about. He called out Biggie, took shots, dissed him and his crew, and made you feel the rage, anger, and hate he had for Big. And Nas did the same, he held nothing back. He dissed Jay-Z, Dame Dash, and made Rocafella look like pussies. He made a classic and still said FUCK YOU. Shit the intro to the song proves my point.
OK So lets take Dre Day vs. Hit Em UP. Very similar concepts. Dre didn’t need to name names you knew who he was talking about and Snoop? well he was high. The videos had images dissing their opponents. However which song are your more likely to bump right now Dre Day HANDS DOWN!
I have to go with Hit Em Up. Not for the song itself, but just the way that 2PAC spit it. You heard and felt the hatred and animousity in his voice. Too many of these N*ggas be laughing and joking on the track. When I hear a dis track I dont wanna hear no jokes and punch lines, and want just hatred spewing metaphors.
But see that was Pac. He put everything into his rhymes. Raw emotion. He didn’t hate BIG but he made all his fans hate him. Like you said not the song itself.
A lot of cats forgot about that lil exchange between beans and kiss but I think beans surprisingly won that one….and over kiss’ own beat at that
No Vaseline was gasoline!! Petro pesto eat that and die slow! Ice Cube went after the whole group (NWA) who scared the shit outta America let alone the Rap Community! And to make matters better (or worse) NONE OF THEM EVEN TRIED TO REPLY!!!
Nas is my favorite rapper but Takeover belongs above Ether on da strengh dat Jay not only brought lyrical heat against him but destroyed my man Prodigy as well. Think about it, P career ain’t been da same since….
ANY SLAP THAT HAS STRONG LYRICAL CONTENT AND RIPS INTO ALL WACK MC’S, IS ON MY LIST, WHETHER ITS DIRECT OR INDIRECT, WHEN DRE N EAZY HAD BEEF, NONE OF THESE DUDES WILL EVER B CONSIDERED AN MC, BUT, IT MADE U CHOOSE SIDES N WONDER WHAT THEY WOULD COME UP WITH NEXT, PAC WENT STR8 4 THE JUGULAR N PEOPLE LOVED THE WHOLE WEST/EAST COAST BEEF, LL DESTROYING CANIBUS, NAS N HAWAIIAN SOPHIE, DOGGPOUND N SNOOP W/N.Y, N.Y, CAPONE N NORE W/L.A, L.A, ME BEING FRM THE BAY, MAC MALL VS MAC DRE, LUNIZ VS SHORT, YUK VS EVERYBODY, THE DAYS OF REAL MC’S ARE ON FLATLINE, 2 MANY CLOWN ASS WANNABE MC’S, GAME AS A LYRICIST IS STRONG, BUT THE BITCH IN HIM MAKES ME NOT LIKE DUDE PERIOD, I DONT HAVE A FAV, I JUST LIKE WHEN A REAL MC RIPS INTO THESE WACK NO TALENT CLOWNS THAT PERP REAL HIP HOP N BEING A TRU MC, REAL MC’S TURN BEEF INTO MINCE MEAT, “PLATINUM” CAREERS INTO ALUMINUM N EXPOSE “DIAMONDS” 4 ZIRCONIAS.