Five of the best rap beefs of all time

Rap beefs...a tale as old as time. Rap beefs occur between two rappers. It could be a personal disdain for each other, or it could simply be boiled down to just stirring the pot. For the most part, instead of taking a swing on that person, they turn to the studio to drop a track.

What's talked about on the tracks? It can be a multitude of things. It can be something where one rapper takes shots at the other rapper's career, album sales, popularity, etc. Or, it can get to the point where it gets personal and shots are taken below the belt (Man...Tupac really went there). Some rap beefs end in both sides huggin' it out. Unfortunately in one case, it ended in tragedy.

All in all, rap beefs play a key role in the rap community. It's important to point out that rap beefs are impactful and they leave a lasting impression/legacy in the music world. Let's take a look at five of the best rap beefs of all time.

Five fantastically entertaining rap beefs

Ice Cube vs. N.W.A.

Personal opinion: Jerry Heller is to blame for this rap beef. N.W.A. became an overnight success story. However, that success was quickly halted. Ice Cube was the first to leave NWA due to disputes over pay. Due to this circumstance, N.W.A.'s response to Cube leaving was dissing him on the "100 Miles and Runnin'" track. Cube did not take this lightly. The results? "No Vaseline"...one of the greatest diss tracks of all time! Let's not get into the lyrics. Just know that Cube didn't hold back!

Nas vs. Jay-Z

Up until Biggie vs. Pac, fans were wondering if that type of beef could be topped. Nas vs. Jay-Z has entered the chat. My goodness, this feud was legendary! In 1996, On "Dead Presidents II" Nas's voice was sampled. It's to be believed that this is where this feud started. Fast forwarding to 2001, Jay-Z released "Takeover". This was a pretty solid way to kick a feud into high gear.

Nas stepped into the booth, grabbed the headphones, and dropped "Ether". The beat is so impactful that people use it today over iconic reality TV arguments, wrestling segments, and many more clips. The "who won" debates were in full swing after Jay-Z dropped "Super Ugly". An unforgettable beef that was called a truce in 2005.

Nicki Minaj vs. Remy Ma

As a proud woman, it would be hard to do a rap beef topic without mentioning one of the most iconic rap beefs of all time: Remy Ma vs. Nicki Minaj. While a lot of people think this beef started in 2017, this beef goes back to 2007. Over the beat of Chris Brown's "Yeah Yeah Yeah", Nicki stated, "Tell that b*tch with the crown to run it like Chris Brown".

While it was never confirmed to be a shot at Remy, she took it personally before the beef could take off, Remy was sentenced to prison and served six years. Fast forward to 2016, Remy dropped a freestyle over Nicki's "Truffle Butter" beat. A few more shots from Nicki before Remy dropped her ultimate response. Of course, Nicki responds with 3 tracks. That's right three including "No Frauds". The feud is officially over but what a wild ride it was!

Ja Rule vs. 50 Cent

This is probably the funniest rap beef in my opinion because no one knows how it started and quite frankly, they probably don't know either. All fans know is that these guys absolutely hate each other....even to this very day. This goes back to "Life's On the Line". In 2002, 50 Cent, known as Curtis Jackson, dropped the critically acclaimed track "Wanksta". This song is a full-on diss towards Ja Rule. There's even a doll that is supposed to represent him in the video.

Not too long after this, Ja Rule dropped "So Hot". This feud has gotten so bizarre to the point where 50 Cent purchased 200 front-row tickets to Ja Rule's concert...that's a different type of petty!

Biggie vs. Tupac

This feud can be labeled as unfortunate due to the fact that this feud ended in two of the most tragic events in music history. So before the beef started, Pac & Biggie were, in fact, cool. They were actually friends and Tupac pretty much gave Biggie much-needed advice on being a start (at this time Pac was already established as a rapper and actor).

Tensions did however start to brew when Pac accused Biggie of setting him up to be shot. The interesting thing is not too long after Pac was shot in 1994, Biggie released "Who Shot Ya" While Biggie claimed many times that this was not about Pac, West Coast fans felt the timing of this release. At this point all Pac could see was red yet he was convinced for sure that Biggie set him up.

Thanks to the amazing beat from one of the best songs of all time, Pac released "Hit Em Up". Pac did not hold back. The choppers were flying! He took a shot at Biggie, Bad Boy, Junior MAFIA and even started a rumor that he slept with Biggie's then-wife, Faith Evans. Even today, this song goes down as probably the best diss track of all time. The beef ended in the loss of both Pac & Biggie. Were their deaths connected to their feud, that remains a mystery.

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