With the rise of social media, we can only wonder if artists would have the balls to say the things they say via Instagram and/or Twitter in real ass life. The social media age has made it all too easy for artists and the average person alike to throw shade whenever they please, and then, when things get a bit rough, hit 'delete.' Fortunately, most of the time, we catch it. Hey, it's entertaining for us, and distracts us from our mediocre lives. That being said, many of the beefs or feuds in the hip-hop industry take place without actual confrontation, via this great outlet called the internet. However, there are still a few traditional brawls, that involve actual physical hits. What's worse than stealing your girl? Stealing your chain of course.
Today we're breaking down the Top Beefs Of 2014, 16 to be exact. From Chris Brown's relationship problems, to Quavo of Migos' chain getting snatched, and T.I. swinging at Floyd Mayweather, here's the year in review.
Drake Vs. Tyga
Artists stealing other artists' girls seem to be an ongoing trend in the hip-hop industry. In fact, for many, it might just be the ultimate hit. It's one thing when your girl flirts with someone, but worse when it's with a man that every girl swoons over. While Tyga and Drake's 'subliminal' beef began when T-Raww aired out his true feelings on YMCMB and the Toronto counterpart in particular, saying he didn't "get along" with him. ""I don’t like Drake as a person. He’s just fake to me. I like his music; you know what I’m saying? I think his music is good, but we’re all different people. We were forced together and it was kinda’ like we were forcing relationships together. It is what it is," he said.
Things didn't stop there. Although nothing got too confrontational, shots were thrown. Tyga was not thrilled after Drake flirted with his baby mama Blac Chyna via social media. In retaliation, Tyga casts Drake's ex-girlfriend, Dollicia Bryan, as his main chick in his "Make It Work" music video. To make matters worse, a photo surfaced of Tyga grabbing Bryan's ass.
Migos Vs. GBE
This title could simply read "Quavo vs. Capo," but it's actually not the quite simple. Quavo, a member of Migos, and Capo from Glory Boyz Entertainment, Chief Keef's rap group from Chicago, could be the source of this beef however it's altogether not that clear. There was tension brewing between the two parties for some time, and so when a scuffle with Capo and Migos went down in Chicago, things were intensified. Fredo Santana took things up a notch when he sent out death threats to Migos on twitter. Then, Migos was allegedly jumped at a show in Washington, D.C. This lead to a brawl, and Quavo's chain got snatched. The presumption was that it was a GBE member responsible for the chain snatching, and validation came when Chief Keef posted a photo of this chain to his Instagram page. The photo was quickly deleted, and a separate party (DC group The Legg Team) ended up taking responsibility for the chain snatching, while Quavo addressed everything on his song "Tha Truth." Nonetheless, things came full circle when the two crews resolved their issues recently and put the past in the past, joining forces, for at least one moment, as 'Miglo.'
T.I. Vs. Floyd Mayweather
Not too many people would be down to go up against a professional boxer, especially Floyd Mayweather. Floyd is not only defeated, but one of the most feared and well-respected in the game. If this was a non-physical fight, T.I. might stand a chance. Things got heated at a Fatburger in Las Vegas early one morning. Apparently, Mayweather was passively eating at the burger joint when T.I. approached him and starting "jawing" at him. An all-out brawl breaks out as T.I. allegedly throws a punch. Bodyguards who tried to intervene were unsuccessful as police eventually showed up. By then, T.I. had already fled the scene.
Floyd Mayweather later recounted the incident in great detail, blaming it on a picture Tip's wife Tiny posted on Instagram of her and Mayweather, "[T.I] came to me when I was in New York. He stepped to me when I was at the jewelery store like, 'Yo, let’s go outside and talk.' We went outside to talk, but he talked about, basically, 'These girls tryna play us against each other.' I said, 'I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re talking about your wife?' I never put up a picture of her on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I was basically like, 'Listen. I’m letting you know I ain’t got…me and your wife don’t have nothing…if you think so,'" he told Necole Bitchie.
Jay Z Vs. Solange
Trouble in the family, fighting with the in-laws isn't the most uncommon thing. However, when it involves Jay Z and Beyonce, things get a little more interesting. Footage was released of Beyonce's little sister, Solange, kicking and hitting Jay in an elevator at the Standard hotel in New York City. An angry Solange could not control her temper as the screaming turned into physical blows. Jay Z kept his composure and did not retaliate in any way. Anonymous sources report that Solange's friends tried to crash the party saying they were friends of HOV, which lead to him alerting Solange, "Don't use my name." There's various other rumors on what sparked the infamous elevator fight. When the dust settled, the family released a joint statement saying:
As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it.
Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.
The reports of Solange being intoxicated or displaying erratic behavior throughout that evening are simply false. At the end of the day families have problems and we're no different. We love each other and above all we are family. We've put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same.
Suge Knight Vs. Rick Ross
What's worse than new beef arising, is ongoing beef that never gets resolved. Suge Knight proceeded to threaten Rick Ross by stating, "I’m gonna beat the dog shit out of you" (end quote). Although the Death Row rapper is known to talk crazy from time to time, this is a little excessive. In the past, Suge had a problem with Rick Ross recording a verse on the track "Tupac Back." This time around, Suge attacked Ross' physical image by mocking his beard. The best/worst part is that this threat took place in an interview only moments after Suge claimed that children need more positive role models.
Rozay responded in an odd fashion, perhaps pointing out Suge's hypocrisy, with the following Instagram post: "Ran into Suge Lastweek and he showed Alot of Luv!!!Said "MMG them Niggaz" #Mastermind." (and of course there was a Mastermind hashtag to cap it off).
Kanye West Vs. Unidentified 18-year old male
What better way to ring in the New Year. In January of 2014, Kanye lost his temper and allegedly assaulted a man in Beverly Hills, CA. Upon wife-ing Kim Kardashian, we expected a nicer, calmer Kanye West, which has pretty much happened. However, this 18-year old bystander was not so innocent himself. The story goes: Kim was swarmed by paparazzi outside her chiropractor's office, per usual. The young man kindly holds the door open for her, commenting, "Fuck these fa**ot-ass n****rs," referring to the photographers. Kim was unappreciative as she replied by saying it was not appropriate to use the "n" word. This set him off, as he screamed, "Fuck you bitch. Just trying to help you. Shut up n****r lover, stupid slut." When Mr. West arrived on the scene and found out, he took matters into his own hand, punching the man in the face.
Chris Brown Vs. Karrueche Tran
It looks like Chris Brown can't resist taking his relationship problems public. Letting his anger get a hold of him, the R&B singer slammed his on-and-off girlfriend Karrueche Tran for the world to see. Accusations were made that she had gone on dates with Drake, and visited him only once in the four months he was in jail. At the Cali Christmas, the Power 106 concert at The Forum in Inglewood, CA, Breezy announced he was single along with the statement "Fuck that bitch." After cooling down, he took to Instagram to apology for his behavior towards Karrueche. The caption is a bit lengthy, you can read it here.
Lil Kim Vs. K. Michelle
There's about to be a what! GIRL FIGHT! Wait, does social media count? These days, it looks like the answer is yes. Nothing is more catty than a girl fight, especially among two very opinionated R&B artists. Lil Kim has beefed with female artists in the past, but this time, the target was K. Michelle. It all started when Lil Kim told Power 105.1's Breakfast Club that she did not ask K. Michelle to be the godmother of her first child, Royal Reign, and that the two were not even close friends. Consequently, K. Michelle went on the show, stating Lil Kim did ask her, calling Kim "Plastic Penny." Kim then retaliated by going on quite the Instagram rant against K. Michelle, which found her hurling the following names at K. Michelle: "insecure pathological lying sick psycho bitch," "a Looney Tune," a "nobody ass Prozac popping bipolar bitch," a "peasant," and a "crazy person."
Azealia Banks Vs. Eminem, Among Others
Of course you knew you'd see Azealia Banks on this list, ever the fight starter. Banks has earned a reputation for coming at just about everyone on social media, and 2014 proved no different. Azealia Banks showed love for her homegirl Lana Del Rey by defending her after Eminem dissed her on wax. In the SHADY CXVPHER Em rapped, "I’ll punch Lana Del Rey right in the face twice like Ray Rice." This is offensive on two levels, threatening the female singer and making light of Ray Rice's assault on his fiance. Banks tweeted, "@LanaDelRey but does eminem know that I will personally punch him in his mouth?!" Surprise, surprise, the post has since been deleted. She then proceeded to rag on Em for being raised in a trailer park, telling Lana to tell Em he should "eat his microwave hotpocket dinner and suck on his sisters tiddies."
Apart from this, Azealia also attacked T.I. and Iggy Azalea on twitter (more than once), as well as Tiny and T.I., Pharrell Williams, and probably others.
Troy Ave Vs. ILoveMakonnen
It's hard to look innocent after calling someone a "fat bitch" for the world to see. Troy Ave did just that via his Twitter page, presumably referring to the new OVO signee after Makonnen called all the "Tuesday" remixes trash (obviously Troy had just dropped one). A month later, iLoveMakkonen was attacked on stage during a performance in New York. The "Tuesday" rapper took a punch from a member of the audience, and posted the footage to his Twitter. Troy Ave spoke with Hot 97 to deny any claims that he was involved in this phenomenon. In response to his tweet, Troy claimed it was just "Twitter stuff," and that everything is overhyped now.
Rick Ross Vs. Timbaland
It seems like in today's society, acronyms have taken over. There's pretty much a shorthand for all popular sayings. So what happens when two acronyms overlap? Beef. Duh. The Rozay and Timbaland light beef began brewing when Timbo played a better, Tink-featured version of "Movin Bass" on The Breakfast Club. Rick Ross then expressed his disappointment in the producer for doing this. Following this incident, Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group label called out Timbaland's Mosley Music Group for copying them, tweeting "does Timbaland wanna be us?." Who will win?
Does Super Producer @Timbaland wanna be us? Lol where Magoo @MissyElliott @ElliottWilson @rickyrozay pic.twitter.com/YExENoPuJu
Kid Cudi Vs. Chuck Inglish
Leaks of new music in the hip-hop industry can be a good or bad thing. It can also be intentional or accidental. In this case, it was intentional on the producer's half, but the rapper, not so much. Kid Cudi lashed out on Chuck Inglish soon after Inglish leaked a song Cudder and King Chip had recorded way back when. The track called “Chillen While We Sippin" was recorded in 2010. After Chuck let go the previously unreleased song, Cudi showed his outrage via Twitter. He calls Chuck a "Hoe azz Nigga" and "thirsty," and even said he's getting a lawyer.
I dont condone the recent leak. I dont honor it or the two hoe ass niggaz involved in the production. The vocals were stolen from me.
@Chuckisdope break open that piggy bank hoe ass nigga and lawyer up
@KidCudi ain't never been no hoe in me my nigga. You better call Rich. Cuz this ain't what you want.
A$AP Rocky Vs. Been Trill
A$AP Rocky had the fashion world up in arms when he sent a slight towards the ultra-hip Been Trill brand, which he happened to make so hip. The hit might be extra insulting as Rocky is known as the "fashion killa." On Rocky's new single "Multiply" he rapped,“I ain’t really fuckin’ with that BEEN TRILL, swear that shit is booty like Tip Drill," and he also directed one at another too-trendy brand, HBA, with, "HBA shit is weak, you can keep that." The co-founder of the clothing brand, Heron, fired back by making t-shirts with a shot from the "Multiply" music video, where you see the BEEN TRILL logo crossed out (view above), in addition to offering a lengthy Instagram response.
Meek Mill Vs. Wale
Support for fellow artists is prevalent in the music industry. It shows humility and respect for real talent, rather than a mere competition, and it is most definitely expected between crew members. Meek publicized his frustration when Wale failed to tweet anything about the MMG rapper's new album (which has sense been delayed). After announcing a release date for his album Dreams Worth More Than Money, the project was heavily promoted by him and his MMG family- minus Wale. Meek initially lashed out on twitter, saying, "Wale just ain't gone tweet a thing about my album.... He's been hating on me long time now ...don't even text me cornball! #UNOTMMG," as well as, "When u young and successful..U experience a different type of racism.and it brings jealousy,hate & a new level of people tryna bring u down." Wale replied in a very long Instagram post (obviously) explaining himself and the small feud was resolved rather quickly. Rick Ross later spoke about being the intermediary, "It’s a misunderstanding. As soon as the tweets went out, I spoke to both of them on the phone. Those two guys, they’re brothers. At the end of the day, they’re brothers and it’s time to turn up right now. It’s time for all of us to turn up and stay turned up, you know what I mean? But it’s all love between those two and everybody knows that," he said.
Trey Songz Vs. August Alsina
August Alsina gained a lot of popularity after he recruited Trey Songz and Chris Brown for the remix to his hit single "I Luv This Shit." When it surfaced that Trey and August were beefing, fans were left surprised and confused. Apparently Trey reached out initially about the track, but then something turned sour between the two. When talking to Rap-Up, August stated, "I don’t really fuck with Trey right now. We don’t get along right now. We ain’t on the same page. He did some other shit and we just don’t rock." Although no real explanation was given, he hinted at Trey being fake. While Trey remained quiet on the matter, he eventually responded, calling what had happened between the two R&B singers a "discrepancy." Apparently, they just didn't see eye to eye, but later in the year they got back on good terms, although not before Alsina made an infamous appearance on 106 & Park refusing to discuss the issue.
Tyga Vs. Lil Durk
Things got spicy as Lil Durk dissed Tyga in his remix to Nicki Minaj and Lil Herb's "Chi-Raq" track. The Chi-town rapper didn't just wait for the remix to come out, but previewed a snippet of the track with a selfie video on his Instagram page. The line goes, "Tyga only got one name but that nigga ain’t got one stripe." In an interview with XXL Magazine, Durk revealed it all started when Tyga asked him to change a line he had about Blac Chyna, Tyga's ex-girlfriend. Durk was willing only in exchange for a collaboration, in which Tyga initially agreed. When the time came for a collabo, he reached out to Tyga, who apparently dodged Durk's texts. Tyga then recruited The Game for a "Chiraq to LA" diss track, thus extending the beef to The Game as well. After deciding to not respond to the track, he couldn't help himself but release some pent up emotion via Twitter.