Rappers Who Tried To Create Beef But It Didn't Pan Out As Expected

In Hip Hop, authenticity reigns supreme, with artists often lauded for their raw honesty and unapologetic storytelling. However, amid the sea of genuine emotions and lived experiences, a curious trend emerged: the proliferation of fake feuds. Fake rap beef between artists has been pretty common in the Hip Hop scene for a while. Sometimes, they’re not very easy to pick up on, but other times, it's quite obvious. 

From calculated social media jabs to meticulously orchestrated confrontations, it certainly is an interesting trend. Usually, there’s a web of motivations behind the feud, and that’s why, over time, many Hip Hop acts have created fake rap beef. It may be to boost album sales, elevate one’s status within the industry, or simply to garner attention in an oversaturated market. Here’s a list of five rappers who have created fake beef before.

Following a series of legal troubles, Gillie Da Kid dropped out of the Cash Money Records roster in 2006. However, his exit was not a very friendly one, as he and Lil Wayne started taking subtle shots at each other soon after. Subsequently, Gillie turned the heat up, claiming he was highly responsible for Wayne’s success. The rapper asserted that he’d been a ghostwriter for Wayne on Tha Carter (2004). Additionally, speaking with XXL in July 2006, Gillie claimed,  “As far as me tutoring this young cat, he really just sat down and soaked up game.” However, this beef never really took off and eventually died out. 

Early on in his career, The Game tried to start a fake rap beef with Jay-Z. It seems the rapper was trying to get a ride out of Jay-Z as he kept firing not-so-subtle shots at Jay in songs like “West Side Story” and “My Bit*h.” However, Hov never replied, so the feud never took root. Later, in interviews with VIBE and Vlad TV, Game admitted to just being reckless and competitive. “He was the top dog, and I tend to do that,” he told Vlad TV about trying to provoke Jay.

J. Cole is a big fan of Canibus and has said so on several occasions. On one such occurrence, he even cited Canibus as one of his influences growing up. Surprisingly, Canibus did not take the compliment very well. Soon after, he released “J. Clone,” a diss track. It was a very weird reaction from the rapper, and many wondered why he was trying to start a rap beef. After all, who responds to praise with a diss track? It just didn’t add up. Following backlash from fans, Canibus offered a public apology to J. Cole.

A rap beef between Consequence and Kanye West is not something many people expected. In the mid-2000s, they were inseparable, but that drastically changed in 2011. After Consequence got dropped by GOOD Music, the rapper seemed to suddenly have a lot to get off his chest concerning Ye. However, amidst diss tracks like “Everybody Told Me” and interviews where Cons fired shots at him, Kanye did not respond. Subsequently, in 2015, Consequence shared with Vlad TV that he had ended his beef with Ye.

Leading up to the release of their albums in 2007, 50 Cent and Kanye West started a lighthearted fake rap beef. It involved playful banter and marketing stunts from the two to drum up excitement for their albums. For example, 50 Cent claimed he would quit rap if his Curtis didn’t outsell Kanye’s acclaimed album, Graduation. In the end, Kanye did outsell 50 Cent, and that was the end of their interesting rap beef.

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