One of the biggest rap beefs to go down in the history of hip hop was between Tupac and Biggie, and we all know the misfortune that came from that hostile situation.
Pitting the East Coast lyricist against the West Coast rapper fueled a fire that didn’t burn out until two of the most influential artists of our generation were laid to rest.
The scenario is one we’d never like to experience again.
And it’s a message that West Coast rapper, Nipsey Hussle is spreading to fellow Compton rapper The Game and Philly artist Meek Mill.
The feud between Game and Meek began over a robbery that involved pop-artist Sean Kingston. Game then accused Meek of being a snitch – something that is still looked upon as a violation of the street code. Through the back and forth, threats from each party spread across social media.
Nipsey stepped in via Twitter over the weekend and advised the two men to sit down and have an adult discussion about their issues.
“The internet s–t is divide and conquer. @thegame you got a lot of young blac men on yo payroll. Same w @MeekMill this is bad leadership…,” he tweeted.
This internet shit is a divide and conquer. @thegame u got a lot of young blac men on yo payroll. Same w @MeekMill this is bad leadership..
— THA GREAT (@NipseyHussle) September 19, 2016
He also made reference to the former East Coast vs. West Coast beef, stating, “Ain’t gone be no east coast west coast war. Ain’t gone be no black men killing black men.”
Ain’t gone be no east cost west coast war. Ain’t gone be no black men killing black men.
— THA GREAT (@NipseyHussle) September 19, 2016
Much like the Tupac and Biggie debacle, the media has played a role in juicing up the animosity between artists with constant coverage and re-publicizing verbal attacks sent via social media.
Nipsey advised hip hop heads to stop gassing the “beef” between Game and Meek.
Hip hop need to stop gassing this “beef” between @thegame and @MeekMill …. niggas gone sit down like men and express they differences
— THA GREAT (@NipseyHussle) September 19, 2016
In the early days of hip-hop, rap beefs relied strictly on the level of talent each emcee possessed. It was a challenge to see how slick the metaphors were and how fly they delivered lines. It was about bars.
The last time we saw a true lyrical battle was when Jay Z and Nas got in the lab and cooked up what is now known as the “Ether Battle.” The war of words included, “The Takeover,” “Ether,” and “Super Ugly.” And it’s still labeled as one of the most legendary battles of all time.
The difference here, everything stayed on wax. No matter how ugly the verbal attacks became, it was about the art and the sport of rap–and at the end, Nas and Jay walked away as friends.
With society being in a space where the #BlackLivesMatter movement is fighting for acknowledgement of the value of Black life, scrutiny toward so-called Black-on-Black crime is analyzed even more.
So fellas, let’s take heed to messages of the past and present and hit “chill mode” on the rap beefs–unless we’re going to keep it strictly hip hop.
*Photo: Instagram
