Two key components of Def Jam’s past and present in Noreaga and Vince Staples exchanged barbs on the disagreeable end thanks to a recently conducted interview the latter artist did with TIME. Born on July 2, 1993, the 22-year-old MC from Long Beach City doesn’t hold a staunch allegiance to the 90s era of Hip-Hop and he’s not shy about revealing that. “The 90s gets a lot a credit…I don’t know why,” he replied with a shrug. “Biggie and Tupac, [those artists] were the staples of the 90s. That’s why they get the Golden Era credit. There wasn’t a 50 Cent in the 90s.” [Editor’s Note: Wait, what?] Staples went on to champion the Hip-Hop culture of the early 2000s after pointing out that current megastars Jay Z and Kanye West were biggest following that period. Aside from getting his Hip-Hop eras confused, the Summertime ’06 creator did go on to point out the one fact that can be pulled from arguably the culture’s most opinionated debate. He noted that practically every living mortal believes the music they grew up listening to is superior to that of other generations. Which is why Lil Bow Wow’s “Bounce With Me” ranks so high on his personal list. [Editor’s Note: Columbus, OH native here, so no shade, but negro please, Vince.] After headlines of “Vince Staples Says The 90s is Overrated” rang from every corner of the urban Internet, the question was posed which “old head” would take young Vince to task for proverbially taking a squat on the beaten path that allowed him to have a career. That guy would be Noreaga who called the LBC youngster’s comments “idiotic” which caused a rift of a response. “You a grown man,” Staples wrote. “If you got a problem call Corey Blacksmith for a conversation I thought you was a super thug ni**a.” The good news is the disagreement ended peaceful yet not without its fair share of entertainment, however. Flip through the gallery to see what was said. By the way, both Summertime ’06 and N.O.R.E. are currently available on iTunes. It is never too late to get hip to great music. — Photo: TIME
