Hip hop rivalries

::For pop rivlaries, see Pop rivalries.

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Feuds and rivalries have existed since the dawn of hip hop, which originated in the 1970s in New York City, United States. Originally, it came to block parties, where DJs would play records and isolate the percussion breaks for the dancing masses. Soon, MCs began speaking over the beats, usually simply exhorting the audience to continue dancing. Eventually, MCs began incorporating more varied and stylistic speech, and focused on introducing themselves, shouting out to friends in the audience, boasting about their own skills, and criticizing their rivals. While this was often done in good humor, the deaths of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. have meant that in today's hip hop scene it is always feared that lyrical rivalries (known as "beefs" in hip hop slang) will develop into offstage feuds that become violent. Many observers have claimed that the media feeds on such rivalries for headlines and blows situations out of all proportion, a good example of which was the infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry of the 1990s.

Related Topics:
Hip hop - 1970s - New York City - United States - Block parties - DJ - MC - Tupac Shakur - Notorious B.I.G.

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One prominent example used as contrast by those who feel that the media manipulate and intensify hip hop rivalries was the 1980s hit "Roxanne, Roxanne" by U.T.F.O., which sparked several hundred "answer records" in response, some of which were quite vituperative. At the time, hip hop was nowhere as widespread as it would eventually become, and as such there was little media response to this record. The beef never made it onto the streets, and many observers felt that if something similar happened today, violence would surely result. However, the recent high-profile beef between Nas and Jay-Z was carried out without ever threatening to become violent.

Related Topics:
1980s - Roxanne, Roxanne - U.T.F.O. - Answer record - Nas - Jay-Z

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