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Diss songs in hip-hop are viewed as more than insults and stinging remarks exchanged between feuding artists. They are often described as art forms featuring wordplay, double entendres, and lyrical creativity.
Artists have often settled their differences by penning their thoughts into these tracks.
Some artists have released diss tracks that were so bold that they became pop culture lexicons, while others have experienced shifts in their careers due to the infamous nature of their lyrics. This list explores the diss tracks that have made hip-hop history for their ruthless nature and direct impact.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion only and is ranked in no particular order.
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Roxanne's Revenge, Hit 'Em Up, and 5 other brutal diss songs that made history
1) Roxanne’s Revenge
Lolita Shante Goode, aka Roxanne Shante, cemented her name in hip-hop history with the release of Roxanne’s Revenge in 1984. At only 14 years old, the lyrical prodigy squared off against the rap group UTFO and became known as the originator of response disses.
Roxanne’s Revenge was a response diss song to UTFO’s Roxanne Roxanne, a song that mocks a lady named Roxanne for turning down the group’s advances. The seemingly misogynistic lines prompted Shante to fire back with lyrics:
"So, the UTFO crew, you know what you can do/ Lemme tell you one for me, and then I'll tell you one for you/ Every time you sayin' somethin' just-a like-a this-aIt ain't nothin' that I don't want to miss-a,"
The verse continues:
"And if you're thinkin' that I'm bitin' your beat/ Well, then you just better know, and a-listen to me,"
Roxanne’s Revenge ignited one of the most heated diss song battles in history, with over eighty tracks reportedly released in response.
2) Hit 'Em Up
Hit 'Em Up is considered one of the most memorable diss songs recorded during the East Coast - West Coast rivalry. The rap song by American rapper Tupac features the Outlawz and was released in 1996 in response to Biggie's Who Shot Ya, which seemingly mocks Tupac for being shot at a New York studio in 1994.
Hit 'Em Up responds to Who Shot Ya with aggressive insults and threats of violence directed at P Diddy, Lil' Kim, Mobb Deep, and Biggie Smalls, with the latter being the primary target. A section of the outro reads:
"Fu** you and yo' motherfu**n' mama!/ We gon' kill all you motherfu**ers!/ Now, when I came out, I told you it was just about Biggie/ Then everybody had to open their mouth with a motherfu**in' opinion."
Hit 'Em Up was released just three months before the rapper's murder and has been dubbed the centerpiece that aggravated the rivalry between Tupac and The Notorious B. I. G.
3) No Vaseline
American rapper Ice Cube released No Vaseline in 1991 as a response to the diss songs released by N.W.A. after he departed from the group. The latter threw shade at Ice Cube in their 100 Miles & Runnin and Efil4zaggin albums, insinuating they got rid of excess baggage.
No Vaseline makes use of unapologetic lyrics delivered with aggressive precision. The hardcore hip-hop and G-funk song features homophobic and anti-Semitic slurs, which were heavily criticized upon release. The third verse reads:
"Heard you both got the same bank account/ Dumb ni**a, what you thinking 'bout?/ Get rid of that devil real simple/ Put a bullet in his temple,"
The verse continues:
'Cause you can't be the Ni**a 4 Life crew/ With a white Jew telling you what to do/ Pulling wools with your scams/ Now I gotta play/ The Silence of the Lambs,"
No Vaseline was added to the Death Row Greatest Hits compilation album and catapulted Ice Cube’s career.
4) Ether
Ether was released by American rapper Nas in 2001 as a response to Jay-Z's Takeover, released in the same year. In Takeover, Jay-Z seemingly fires brutal shots Nas’ way, describing him as a 'has-been' and bragging about taking his girl.
Nas clapped back with Ether, a diss track so vicious it became a hip-hop lexicon. In Ether, Nas calls Jay-Z a copycat for allegedly recycling lyrics of the Notorious B.I.G and even goes as far as alleging that Jay-Z was a misogynist. A part of the third verse reads:
"You seem to be only concerned with dissin' women/Were you abused as a child? Scared to smile, they called you ugly?/ Well, life is harsh, hug me, don't reject me,"
The verse continues:
"Or make records to disrespect me, blatant or indirectly/ In '88 you was gettin' chased through your building,"
According to some hip-hop critics, Nas' Ether was the deciding track in the Jay Z and Nas' 2001 beef. It has been described as a classic diss song and one of the most brutal in hip-hop history.
5) Super Ugly
Jay-Z’s reply to Ether was the track Super Ugly. It took the feud between the artists to personal levels. The diss song was released by Jay Z on December 11, 2001, and is referred to as the last notable diss track of the Nas-Jay Z beef.
In Super Ugly, Jay Z ridicules Nas and talks about his alleged affair with the rapper's baby mama. The third verse encapsulates this:
"Me and the boy A.I. got more in common/ Than just balling and rhyming—get it? More in Carmen/ I came in your Bentley backseat (Damn),"
The verse further reads:
"Skeeted in your Jeep (Woo)/ Left condoms on your baby-seat (Woo)/ Here, ni**a—the gloves is off, the love is done,"
It was reported by HipHopDX in 2001 that the lyrics were so controversial that Jay-Z had to apologize shortly after the song dropped. According to the report, the rapper’s mother had called to chide him about the lyrics.
6) The Story of Adidon
The Story of Adidon is a diss song by American rapper Pusha T, written and recorded by the rapper himself. The track samples Nina Simone's Four Women and borrows the instrumental from Jay-Z's The Story of OJ.
This 2018 track is a response to Drake's Duppy Freestyle which throws shots at Pusha T’s career and label mates. The heated diss song makes some statements concerning Drake’s personal life, reportedly forcing the latter to reveal his son, Adonis.
The first verse reads:
"You are hiding a child, let that boy come home/ Deadbeat mothaf***a playin' border patrol, ooh/ Adonis is your son/ And he deserves more than an Adidas press run, that's real."
The verse further reads:
"Love that baby, respect that girl/ Forget she's a p**nstar, let her be your world, yuugh!"
The Story of Adidon remains a brutal diss song for its below-the-belt insults and controversial revelations.
7) Not Like Us
Not Like Us is the most popular diss song from the highly publicized Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud of 2024. The track responds to Drake’s brutal diss song, Family Matters, which levels allegations at Lamar of being physically abusive towards his fiancee, amongst other scathing lyrics.
Not Like Us has been described by many as the song of the year and a methodical attack on Drake. Not Like Us uses wordplay to insinuate that Drake is a p*dophile while throwing jabs at the rapper’s associates.
The first verse reads:
"Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young/ You better not ever go to cell block one/ To any b***h that talk to him and they in love/ Just make sure you hide your lil' sister from him,"
The lyrics continue below:
"They tell me Chubbs the only one that get your hand-me-downs/ And Party at the party playin' with his nose now/ And Baka got a weird case, why is he around?/ Certified Lover Boy?/ Certified p*dophiles,"
Not Like Us became the third diss song to peak at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the longest charting.
Other notorious diss songs include Common's The Bit** in Yoo, 50 Cent's How To Rob, and Drake's Back To Back.
