Last year, we examined the ever-changing definition of "beef" in hip hop, observing how inter-artist disputes have increasingly unfolded online and perhaps become more petty since the term was coined in the '90s. That's held true in 2015, as we've seen more than a few Twitter or Instagram-based disputes play out in the year's first six months.
As we're closing in on the end of June, we're taking this opportunity to look back on the biggest conflicts of the year, ranked by the level of views they drew on the site. Some have certainly been more one-sided than others, a few even spilled over into IRL arenas, and many are still unfolding today. Read on to see them ranked, smallest to biggest.
Item #1
New York is far removed from the heyday of its Jay Z/Nas, or even Ja Rule/50 Cent beefs, so perhaps this is our best hope for a future rivalry? Unfortunately, it's already pretty lopsided, with Joey commanding quite a bit more clout than Troy in Twitter followers (490K to 65K) and sales (57K copies vs. 7K), and both dudes are on anything but the cutting edge of music in 2015, but hey, we don't have much else to pick from. So far their "beef" has been limited to a minor Twitter exchange, but Joey has been known to record diss tracks, and we all know Troy's cocky as hell, so this could blow up in the coming months.
Item #2
This beef began over a totally inane exchange on Twitter-- in which Cudi called out Lupe for offering his fans personalized verses for $500 a pop-- but it then escalated once Lupe told Cudi “Talk to me, before I fuck you up" on Sway In The Morning. It's a shame, seeing as the rappers used to be friends, but Cudi has apparently been avoiding Lupe's calls.
Item #3
So far, this one has been limited to a short dispute over 50's ex girlfriend Tatted Up Holly. Rocky attempted to slide into her IG DM's, but Fif caught wind of it and publicly called him out, writing " f*ck you think I'm Kanye and you Wiz lol." Rocky responded by telling him to "QUIT ACTING LIKE A JEALOUS SUGAR DADDY," and thus far, it hasn't been resolved.
Fan Of A Fan
Around the release of Drake's album in February, Tyga revisited the sentiment he first reveled in last year's VIBe interview, taking to Twitter and calling Drizzy a "bitch." This seemed to set off a chain reaction of sorts, with T-Raww's Fan Of A Fan comrade (and professional beefer) Chris Brown jumping in the fray shortly thereafter. In an interview with Hot 97, Brown said he "doesn't mess with" Drizzy, and then Drake changed the lyrics to "Energy" to be a sub at Breezy. Hell, even OVO Hush threw his hat into the ring. Of course, Breezy and Drake had previous quarreled over Rihanna, so this was nothing new for them.
Item #5
Over the course of his career, the Based God's doled out quite a few curses, but the one on Houston Rockets guard Harden seemed to be particularly effective during this year's offseason. Claiming that the baller had stolen his cooking dance, Lil B hit him with the curse, which he only lifted after the team had been eliminated from the playoffs. Now let's see if Chedda Da Connect can avoid falling victim to it.
Nicki Minaj vs. Safaree Samuels
Remember back in the introduction, when I mentioned that some of these "beefs" are one-sided. Yeah, this is one of those. Nicki's certainly been involved in this, responding to SB's shots, but it generally seems like he's trying to stir some shit up while she's trying to set the record straight and maintain the peace. It all began with their breakup, and then SB began saying that he ghostwrote for Ms. Minaj, which he quickly denied. Things are still going off between the two of them, as SB's planning on putting out a diss track soon.
Young Thug vs. The Game
This one was resolved within 24 hours, but it certainly was the talk of the 'net for a day. Game kicked things off by threatening Thug during a concert, and then the two traded barbs via Instagram videos. Game was basically just attacking Thug for his slights against Lil Wayne and perceived femininity, and Thug was trolling back, as per usual. Nothing special here.
Tyga/Kylie Jenner vs. The World
Since rumors began of Tyga's relationship with Kylie Jenner, he's endured a lot of slander and hate, and even fired back a few times. Notable critics of his lifestyle have been Amber Rose, Blac Chyna, organizers of a college show he was supposed to play, Blac Chyna's mom, and a particularly hilarious street artist, not to mention a whole host of naysayers on Twitter. Unlike he did when TMZ reported that he owed an old landlord $120K, Tyga's seemed to remain above most of it-- after all, Kylie's 18th is less than two months away.
Chris Brown vs. Karrueche Tran
Breezy makes his second appearance on this list, not for a rap beef, but a very public relationship one. He's managed to stay remarkably clear of the law in 2015, but managed to make his breakup with Karrueche Tran a whole saga in and of itself. Things reportedly ended between them when Brown learned that he was the father of someone else's 9-month-old baby, after which he called Tran a "Thot" on Instagram and got bitter after she posted a photo with Tyson Beckford. More recently, there was the heated argument in public and another back-and-forth on IG. Can't you two just get over each other?
Lil Wayne vs. Birdman/Young Thug
This is the beef that's mainly dominated the conversation this year, thanks to a public eager to hear Tha Carter V and the added element of Young Thug's tireless trolling. Things began in December last year when Wayne announced that Cash Money wasn't letting him release the album, and quickly said that he was trying to get out of his contract and threatened the label with a lawsuit. A suit aimed at Birdman soon followed (which doesn't seem to have been resolved yet) and Thugger threw himself into the mix with the whole Barter 6 thing. Six months later, we're still just as unsure what the outcome of this will be, but at this point, it doesn't look like Wayne and Birdman will be making up anytime soon.