S. Samuel
Hip-Hop pioneer DJ Premier recently revealed his personal Top 5 favorite rap beefs ranging from 1980's battles involving Roxanne Shante to more modern exchanges from Jay-Z and Nas.
Within his first three, Premier went back to the 1980’s for his favorite beefs.
“Busy Bee and Kool Moe Dee is the ultimate, ultimate [beef],” Premier told DJ Vlad. “I know Busy Bee isn’t on the level of rhyming skills — Kool Moe Dee, I just never heard a rhyme like that back then. He just wouldn’t stop — So that’s number one. Definitely Roxanne Shante, the Real Roxanne…[Number three], MC Lyte and Antoinette. That should be talked about even if you’re in the new cats that’s coming up in the game. Study this sh*t. This sh*t is a culture.” (Vlad TV)
Moving more in-tune with today’s times, Premier chose the hard-hitting 2001 beef between Jay-Z and Nas.
“Definitely ‘Ether’ and ‘Takeover’ when Nas went at Jay,” Premier added. “Nas [won], but musically, [Jay] killed it with ‘The Takeover.’ … Jay has a little bully in him. Nas is just, ‘I’m rhyming, doing my one-two. And I’m chilling.’ … Jay won until ‘Ether.’ I don’t even count ‘Super Ugly.’ That don’t count. And I would have to say LL [Cool J] battling Ice-T and [MC] Hammer and everybody. That was ill right there.” (Vlad TV)
In 2001, Jay struck first with the release of “Takeover,” which was featured on his platinum-selling Blueprint LP.
“Use your – BRAAAAAAAIN! You said you been in this ten I’ve been in it five – smarten up Nas /Four albums in ten years n*gga? I can divide /That’s one every let’s say two, two of them sh*ts was doo/One was – Ehh, the other was Illmatic/That’s a one hot album every ten year average/And that’s so – LAAAAAAAME! N*gga switch up your flow/Your sh*t is garbage- what, you tryna kick knowledge? (f*ck outa here)” (“The Takeover”)
Nas retorted with his 2001 Stillmatic single, “Ether.”
“When these streets keep calling, heard it when I was sleep/ That this Gay-Z and C*ck-A-Fella Records wanted beef…KRS already made an album called Blueprint / First Biggie’s your man, then you got the nerve to say that you’re better than Big/ D*ck-suckin’ lips, why don’t you let the late great veteran live…Queens n*ggas run you n*ggas, ask Russell Simmons.” (“Ether”)
Check out DJ Premier’s interview below:
