Analysis: How Far Is Too Far In Rap Beef?

How Far is Too Far in Rap Beef?

"Beef" has been a vital part of hip-hop since it’s beginning in 1970's Bronx, New York. For a genre that was once fixated on dancing and having a good time, the culture quickly shifted once the lyrical aspect of the music became the emphasis. With origins of DJ and breakdancing battles, the MC is what altered the image of hip-hop. In its early stages we saw battles like Kool Moe D vs. Busy Bee, MC Shan vs. KRS One, and Roxanne Shante vs. the genre as a whole. As time moved forward, we saw the streets get involved with 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule, Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane, and the tragic Tupac vs. Biggie. Once the street life entered into the industry, the lines began to get blurry for what's entertainment, and what's real.
Rick Ross lost endorsement deals for his champagne in molly line, and Drake received a lot of backlash for poking fun at the mind state of Kid Cudi. In the age of social media, being politically correct is an element that artists of the past didn't have to worry about. While artists in the 80's and 90's had small protests, nothing compares to the storm you can face today if enough people don't agree with you. "Hit Em Up" is one of the greatest diss records of all time, if the song was recorded today, Pac would receive backlash from feminist and health groups based on his introduction alone. We're in an era of sensitivity in which most cases have no place in
It brings great music, drama, and the addition of social media has turned rap into a completely different monster. Hip-hop is fun and games while it's lyrical sparring, but at any moment it can swiftly turn left. In the 90's we saw entire coasts battling with each other over who was making better music. The two faces of the beef were legends Tupac and Biggie Smalls. While the "East vs. West" battle started as something small, the media was the driving force in making the situation bigger than what it was. The media purposely used their platform to instigate drama as magazine sales were through the roof. After Tupac fully got involved after being shot in an elevator, the culture was a car crash waiting to happen. While music and magazine sales were at an all time high, we quickly learned that it was all meaningless. With Tupac being murdered in September, and Biggie being shot down a few months later, we learned the influence of the