The years 2017 and 2018 have been dubbed the reboot of the 90s. From television shows to fashion, but Hip-Hop beef? Yes, Hip-Hop beef. And no, I don’t mean that crap you yougins are used to. You new wave fans are used to Rap beef being who has the funniest meme or who went the hardest on Instagram. But thanks to Terrance Hatch aka Pusha T, the Summer is turning into 1995. Somebody please pass me my Cross Color hoodie.
If you been living under a rock or have been ignoring Social Media, then you wouldn’t know that the Pusha T vs. Drake beef has escalated to a realm that the boy from Toronto wasn’t prepared for. But don’t worry, this isn’t the hundredth article on Pusha T’s battle with Drake. No. This is about you fair-weather fans who want their Rap beefs to be politically correct. Rap beefs weren’t built on ‘You good bro? These words aren’t hurting you?.’ No. It was built on ‘How disrespectful can I can get to win this battle?’ The people that are crying about the harsh words Pusha used in “The Story of Adidon,” must’ve never heard any Rap diss track. Ever. What Pusha said was very tame to the things rappers have said over the years to one another. Here is just a few of some of the most disrespectful lines ever uttered by a rapper in a beef:
Ja Rule: “You claim your mother’s a crackhead and Kim is a known slut. So what’s Hallie gonna be when she grows up?”
2 Pac: “That’s why I f****d your b***h, you fat muthaf***a.”
Jay Z: “I came in ya Bentley backseat. Skeeted in your Jeep. Left condoms on your baby seat.”
Ice Cube: “Ay yo Dre, stick to producing. Calling me Arnold but you been a dick. Eazy E saw your ass and went in it quick.”
Gucci Mane: “Go dig ya partner up nigga bet he can’t say s**t.”
Ludacris: “Nobody’s thinking about you, plus your beef ain’t legit. So please stay off the T.I.P. of my d**k.”
Rap diss tracks have always been who can get under the person’s skin the most. Who is the better rapper? Who left it all on the table? You can’t win a battle with trash bars. You can’t win a battle if someone else wrote it. Rap beefs have always been equivalent to sitting on the back of the school bus to roast your classmates. This is what makes Hip-Hop different from other genres. Yes, we get it. Patriarchy, misogyny, and all-around nastiness should be taken out of beef. Women being the main causalities in Rap beefs needs to stop. Oh, and children should never be brought up. Did I cover it all? Well sis, hate to be that person but we don’t care. Yes, I am the first person to call out the apparent Rape culture and the overflowing Patriarchy. But let’s keep it a buck. When rappers are beefing, I know I don’t want to hear no gluten-free, no MSG ass diss track. It’s beef not Soybean burgers.
We have watched and listened from the mountains. We have watched with disgust as your memes and Instagram Live feed have been overseen by a child who scoffs at tradition. The winner of the Rap beef isn’t the one who sold the most records. The winner is usually the one who is the most ruthless. The one who puts it all on the line. And that’s what’s wrong with declaring a winner in today’s Rap beefs. People are afraid of offending someone. They’d rather post a funny picture or brag about having a bigger bank account. Well, thanks to Pusha T, the tide has changed. The resurrection of rappers having to actually battle is upon us. And it must be written like Nas but not by Quentin. –Pooh Bailey
