Gayle King interviewed Fat Joe last year, where he opened up about how a rapper's lyrics lie. His statement came after King asked Fat Joe what he thought about Young Thung’s lyrics being used against him in court. His response caught King off-guard: “I’ve been rapping for 30 years – I’ve lied in almost 95 percent of my songs.” No one was expecting to hear this, but it begs the question: how many rappers have been lying on record? How many have lied in a diss song? Quite a few, it turns out.
In the ongoing Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef, the media and fans have been skeptical about Lamar’s claims on “Meet the Grahams.” The track dropped on May 3, raising eyebrows when Lamar rapped, “Dear baby girl, I’m sorry that your father not active inside your world.” Lamar is obviously taking his cue from Pusha T, who exposed Drake’s son Adonis back in 2018 with “The Story of Adidon.”
The difference is that when Pusha’s track dropped, Drake owned the truth and started showing his son publicly. In the case of Lamar’s track, however, Drake immediately responded on Instagram, writing, “Nahhhh hold on can somebody find my hidden daughter pls and send her to me…these guys are in shambles.” The difference in response–plus Fat Joe’s reveal with Gayle King–makes you wonder if Lamar is just making stuff up. Are the rapper’s lyrics lies? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a rapper has bent the truth in a diss song.
1. Jay-Z Vs. Nas: Baby Seat Claims On “Super Ugly”
Everyone knows Nas burned a hole through Jay-Z on his record “Ether.” It was so powerful that the song title became a verb used in lingo: “You ethered him.” When Hov dropped The Blueprint in 2001, he included a couple of comebacks, notably “Super Ugly.” Jay-Z fired shots at Nas by trying to trash talk his now-ex Carmen Bryan, with whom Nas has a daughter. He raps, “I came in your Bentley backseat (Damn) / Skeeted in your Jeep (Woo) / Left condoms on your baby seat (Woo).” Were this rapper’s lyrics lies, too?
Speaking with VladTV in 2017, Carmen Bryan addressed the diss song and its dishonesty. She pointed out the fact that her daughter was nine or 10 years old when “Super Ugly” dropped, so she’d outgrown baby seats by that point in time. Bryan believes the track was an impulsive, emotional reaction on Hov’s part. The rapper was trying to bounce back quickly and was simply grasping for whatever he could. Bryan also claims that a mutual friend later told her that Jay-Z ultimately regretted dropping the track.
2. Ma$e Vs. Cam’ron: Family Intimacy Claims On “The Oracle”
Back in 2017, Jacksonville-born Bad Boy Records rapper Ma$e dropped “The Oracle.” The track was a scathing diss aimed directly at Cam’ron’s neck. The two had run together in the '90s in Children of the Corn, a group they formed with Big L and Herb McGruff. But on Hot97 in 2004, Ma$e and Cam’ron had a heated argument after which Cam’ron swore he’d never speak to his old friend again. After that, Cam’ron dropped diss song after diss song against Ma$e.
When “The Oracle” came out in 2017, it was a full-on assault. Ma$e commented on Cam’ron’s ulcers, lambasted him for selling Sizzurp liquor, and then went for the throat. He claimed Cam’ron was intimate with his own sister. Ma$e raps, “Every since 10 you was a thirsty n**** / I ain't gone talk about the time you f***** your sister.” In a later interview on The Breakfast Club, however, Cam’ron stated that he doesn’t even have a sister. The interviewers prodded for possibilities, but Cam’ron was steadfast.
3. Gucci Mane Vs. Young Jeezy: Rapper’s Lyrics Lie About Keyshia Cole
Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy started beefing way back in 2005 when the two collaborated on the track “Icy.” Young Jeezy had been under the false impression that the track was meant for his debut record. What actually happened was that it ended up on Gucci Mane’s first independent album, Trap House. To add fuel to the fire, Gucci Mane never even paid Jeezy for his appearance on the record (or so Jeezy claims).
Over the 2000s and 2010s, the two would continue to beef. In 2012, Gucci Mane dropped the critically acclaimed album Trap God. A fiery sling at Jeezy, “Truth,” was on the record. This time Mane brought Keyshia Cole into the mix, whom Jeezy had been in a relationship with from 2005 to 2007. On “Truth” Mane raps, “I did a song with Keyshia Cole, and I know you still miss her (Yeah) / But Puff was f****** her while you was falling in love with her (Wow).” Keyshia Cole would make a stand against the record, tweeting, “That ain’t my business!! he’s lying! its all G tho.” Mane would respond with an apology and tell Cole that it was simply meant to add fuel to the fire between him and Jeezy.
4. Nas vs. Jay-Z: The Foxy Brown Claims
Earlier in the article we covered Nas’s beef with Jay-Z. It was on the track “Ether” that Nas systematically dismantled Hov. One of the enduring digs Nas made was regarding Foxy Brown. On “Ether,” Nas raps, “Foxy got you hot 'cause you kept your face in her p*** / What you think, you getting girls now 'cause of your looks?”
It’s true that some believe Jay-Z was involved with Foxy Brown when she was underage. Jay-Z mentored Brown after she signed with Def Jam in 1996 and helped her create the platinum Ill Nana album. But these rumors have never been confirmed, and Brown herself has recently denied them once again. On Instagram in 2023, she made a post calling the allegations “Fake fairytale news.” She went on to say, “The Fox and Hov flies are pathetic at this point.” It’s hard to say whether the Illmatic rapper’s lyrics are lies, but Brown has a point. It’s been almost 30 years, and no one has provided sufficient evidence.
5. Ja Rule Vs. 50 Cent: “Life's On The Line”
50 Cent released “Life’s on the Line” in 1999 as an attack against Ja Rule and Murder Inc. The motivation came from Ja claiming that one of 50’s associates robbed him of his chain while shooting a music video. The beef simmered between the two, and when Ja dropped "Murda 4 Life," 50 felt he was snubbed during the shoot for the video. “Life’s on the Line” was a straightforward attack, but Ja has continuously claimed that the entire beef between him and 50 was a gimmick. In a 2023 interview with Math Hoffa, Ja claimed that creating a beef was 50’s plan from the beginning. Apparently, 50 fabricated the beef to garner attention and explode upward in the industry. So, it seems the rapper's lyrics on “Life’s on the Line” were a rapper’s lies.
6. Tupac vs. Biggie: “Hit ‘Em Up” & Faith Evans
Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” might be the most famous diss song of all time. The song is a direct attack on The Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records. It also famously spawned The Outlawz, who provided backup on the track. Tupac’s track was a scathing attack crafted after Tupac interpreted Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya” as a shot at him. It all started in the lobby of Bigge’s Manhattan Quad Studios. Tupac was coming to do a verse after receiving an invite. Unknown assailants jumped, robbed, and shot him in the studio's lobby. When “Who Shot Ya” dropped, Tupac believed it to be about him. This series of events would ignite the entire East Coast-West Coast rivalry of the '90s hip-hop scene.
Early on in “Hit ‘Em Up,” Tupac shouts at Biggie, “You claim to be a player but I f***** your wife,” a direct hit on Biggie’s wife Faith Evans. Biggie’s widow has repeatedly denied the claims for decades, most notably in her 2009 memoir Keep the Faith. In an interview with VladTV in 2014, Faith spoke candidly about what really went down. Apparently, when she joined Tupac in the studio to record on his track “Wonda Why They Call U B****” she was unaware of the brewing beef between Tupac’s label and her husband’s.
Evans said the situation was strange in the studio, and the tension was palpable. After finishing the session, she went to collect her payment from Tupac at his hotel, where he allegedly asked her for oral sex. Tupac offended her, and she declined. Once she was there, she says, she realized it might’ve been part of Pac’s plan from the get-go. Though fans still speculate, this is one of the most famous instances where a rapper’s lyrics lie.