Young Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane
“I’m on my Louie Shyte today damn some gucci mane/
Bi%ch ni%$as still on my package they like groupies mane/
Can’t keep their lips closed they worse than coochies mane
in that fruity looking stupid like some coogi mane/
Let you trick me off these streets you must be stupid mane”
Of all the beefs that happened in 2009, this beef actually had substance and history. It even left casualties in its wake. For Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy, the two have been going back and forth since the release of “So Icey.” Once the hit placed on Gucci’s chain went sour, La Flare found himself behind bars as Jeezy’s fame skyrocketed and he became the voice of Atlanta. As soon as Gucci was released, however, buzz was at an all time high as 2009 was definitely his year for music with endless musical product for listeners. With alleged shots going at the camp of CTE, Jeezy felt it was necessary to strap up once again and hit his former foe with “24, 23” going at Gucci along with his partner in rhyme OJ Da Juiceman. Tension only set up the potential for the war to continue, as if it was only on pause while Gucci was incarcerated. The difference in this beef is the fact that reconciliation was able to occur between both parties as the fear resided that their issues might pull in their devoted fans. Now on the same accord and willing to co-exist, the two have even taken things as far as collaborating with each other once again.
Young Jeezy – “24,23 (Kobe/Lebron)”
Gucci Mane – “My Own Worst Enemy”
Rick Ross vs. 50 Cent
A correctional officer, sex tapes, Pimpin’ Curly. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the rivalry between 50 Cent and Rick Ross. Unlike past beefs for the New York native, it was actually Ross to throw the first shot with the release of “Mafia Music,” but it only served as a green light for Fif to resort to his usual tactics on the lyrical, as well as entertaining aspect. As the biggest Boss tried to flex his lyrical muscle, Curtis kept things funny. The man took Ross’ baby mother on a shopping spree and then took his other old piece and filmed a sex tape. The rapper has committed many low blows, but this time around trumps anything that happened with Ja Rule. What was even funnier is the fact that the idle threats from both side became laughable mainly based off of Fif’s exploits and making Ross a flat out watching punch line. With these two, nobody can even remember one lyric that was mentioned, but we were all very entertained and laughing the whole time.
Rick Ross – “Valley Of Death”
50 Cent – “Officer Ricky”
Rick Ross – “Kiss My Pinky Ring”
50 Cent – “Tia Told Me”
Jay-Z vs. Beanie Sigel
Honor, trust, respect
Devotion, friendship, loyalty
karma, team, us, Roc
silence, the ‘eagle, bang
This battle would have to be marked as the surprise for 2009. As everyone already knew that Roc-A-Fella was a distant memory, Beanie Sigel used his time wisely to sit and think about the Dynasty that crumbled in front of him. Releasing the track “Average Cat” gave the Philly native the platform to air out some of the past along with some current situations between himself and Jay-Z. Through the words of the Broad Street Bully, behind closed doors, La Familia wasn’t actually the perfect picture and there was a lot of shady business going on. Teaming up with 50 Cent only added more fuel as Fif and Jay have continued to spar back and forth since “How to Rob” and resulted in the G-Unit general picking up the shooter that Hov left stranded. Although Jay has yet to respond on track, Beans has continued to make his point felt with his own assault at Jigga.
Beanie Sigel – “Average Cat”
Beanie Sigel – “How I Can Kill Jiggaman”
Joe Budden vs. Raekwon
This battle is strictly based off pride and respect above all else. In the end, no actual diss tracks went back and forth, but there were repercussions for Joe Budden. Being discontent with his placement on a rapper’s list made by VIBE, Jumpoff chose Method Man to be his victim making the claim that he was better than him as a lyricist and shouldn’t be below him. Such words created a tailspin of drama as rappers like Melle Mel, Busta Rhymes and Redman felt the need to clear Joey’s fantasy and give him a slap on the wrist for uttering disrespectful words. Raekwon, however, took a more direct approach through a conversation that resulted in Budden talking/ Vlogging with a steak on his eye. There were some actual diss tracks coming from the likes of Inspectah Deck, but let’s all be honest…who really remembers that? It might have been full of stingers, but nobody really cared in the end. A rap battle would have been an epic event, but clearly respect isn’t something that can’t be established on wax anymore. And Mickey Factz…I’m gonna need you to do better and not just report.
Jay-Z vs. Auto-Tune
“This is death of Auto-Tune, moment of silence…”
With the Hip Hop world becoming over saturated with the Auto-Tune technology, the rap game was beginning to fall into complacency as rappers were looking to the voice changer or T-Pain in order to garner a hit record in the industry. After dropping this record, the Hip Hop industry was divided with some taking the side of Jay and others calling him a hater that was just trying to stop people from getting money. In response, Jay stated that he was only trying to make sure that the genre didn’t become stale and remembered to remain diverse instead of all falling into the same accord. Without coming off as an old head hating on the new generation, Jay was able to create a new foundation and set the bar once again for rappers. As long as he has the ability to pick up the microphone, he will make sure that the culture never turns into a simple fad.
Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)”
Juelz Santana and Jim Jones vs. Cam’Ron
The disappearance of Cam’Ron made many Hip-Hop fans question the future of the Dipset movement. With Juelz and Jim Jones leading the pack, the two seemed to be the only reps for the Diplomats as the rest of the roster wasn’t as visible anymore pursuing their own careers. The fact that the duo were seen aligning themselves with 50 Cent, who had been in a beef with Killa before he went AWOL didn’t help matters. Once Cam came back out of hiding, Jones started flipping sides saying that he did and didn’t have phone conversations with Cam, which only made matters worse for those watching the scene from the outside. Interviews continued without any party actually having an official reconciliation and showed Cam making allegations that Juelz was addicted to syrup which resulted in Santana saying that Killa had shady business going on with his money and even added that Cam might have had a little addiction to Percocet. The issue boiled over once Cam’Ron stated that the Diplomats was officially over, but Jones quickly stepped in to state that the movement was much bigger than Cam and could not just be ended with the snap of a finger. Yet another family feud gone horribly wrong.
Soulja Boy vs. Bow Wow
Really not worth too much thought and analysis, this beef was quite fluffy at best. After making “Marco Polo,” essentially putting a spark back in Bow Wow’s career, the two turned from friends to foes over something simple as a Lamborghini. Maybe some rappers don’t feel comfortable with others making claims that they don’t actually purchase their vehicles as a proprosed race turned into Soulja saying that Bow Wow rented his cars to Bow Wow showing the receipt to a whole bunch of other stuff that nobody really cared about anyway. It was just a way to pass the time by and get some YouTube clicks. Let’s be lucky they put an end to the beef before it got “really” out of hand.
Eminem vs. Mariah Carey
Oh gee, is that supposed to be me in the video with the goatee?
Wow Mariah, didn’t expect you to go balls out
Beyotch shut the fu%k up before I put all them phone calls out
you made to my house when you was wild-n-out before Nick
When you was on my package and give you somethin’ to smile about
The battle between Eminem and Mariah Carey is one that no one will ever comprehend outside of the two involved. Some years ago the two got together, or they didn’t, but who really cares? The point is , whatever happened between the two left a lasting impression on Shady as he has used his lyrical ability to prowl on the songstress since with constant references. The fire was lit again with Eminem’s return which produced the track “Bagpipes from Baghdad” from Relapse going at Carey and Nick Cannon. In response, the track “Obsessed” dropped from Carey and was followed by a visual with a character that had many similarities to Slim. No matter what she may like to admit, it was a diss track. Never one to be outdone, Eminem unleashed his wrath with “The Warning” which looked to tear apart her credibility and added that things would only get worse for her and threatened to leak pictures and audio to further prove his point. Although not a gritty lyrical barrage from two sides, Shady established that he was back and refused to hold back his tongue and everybody could be a potential target.
Eminem – “The Warning”
Young Jeezy vs. DJ Drama
Since dropping Trap Or Die in 2005, Young Jeezy and DJ Drama have been heavy in the mixtape circuit and were able to establish a foundation for one another. The magic came to an end after Jeezy felt as though Drama was trying to overcharge CTE member Blood Raw too much to host a mixtape for him. Clearly Jeezy must have put the friendship in question if he took it as far as saying “Fawk Drama,” but that’s the name of the game. As the Snowman was able to make up with Gucci, Drama was actually the catalyst with him squashing the beef between himself, Jeezy and Gucci. Look forward to Trap Or Die Pt. 2.
Charles Hamilton vs. Everybody
Sometimes the potential of a great artist is overshadowed by their antics outside of music. For rapper Charles Hamilton, his mouth outside of the music got the best of him. From issues with Souljah Boy to Royce Da 5’9” to Rhymefest, he couldn’t win anybody in his favor. In trying to commemorate the late J Dilla, a misguided approach left Hamilton with the city of Detroit hating him. After being dropped from Interscope, his former label couldn’t even show love as they leaked his debut album This Perfect Life onto the Internet without second guessing. A wild tongue, however, was tamed by an unlikely source. During a battle rap with his “homegirl,” Sonic threw too much of her business out with the mention of an abortion. A woman’s wrath is like no other as he let her fist talk for her and knocked all of the coins out of Hamilton. It must have been game over as he went underground until most recently to most likely re-evaluate his next approach and at least find a fan or two this time around.
