The 7 Era’s of Hip-Hop Feuds

Methodology: Major hip-hop events were used to divide the timeline of hip-hop beef into eras. These timelines were used to better understand the development of conflicts, success, and the demand for performance in the hip-hop industry. Their comparison  is focused on three main points: the technical aspect (the average tempo of the tracks (which can be calculated by the amount of bars, and the length)) , the profitability (the amount of platinum albums), and the risks involved (death rate).

The era began after the murder of Nipsey Hussle. Drill rap got more popular in the US, which had its impact on the technical aspect. The most notable deaths were the murders of King Von and Pop Smoke. The beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has the most popular diss tracks, especially Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria”, “Not like us” and Drake’s “Push-ups”. So far this era is the most peaceful, and relatively successful. With the popularity of mumble rap, technicality demand is at its lowest, with 3:24 song length and 52 bars per song.

This era began after Kendrick Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” got released. Eminem’s “Killshot” was the most popular diss track. The diss tracks, deaths, successful albums almost doubled, but at the same time a lot of beefs had peaceful endings. Drake and Meek Mill’s beef was the most popular, which ended with them collaborating (“Going Bad”).

This era began after Lil Wayne released “Carter III”.  Eminem had a lot of rivals. He had conflicts with Ja Rule, Nick Cannon, Benzino, Cannabis. “Warning” by Eminem is the most popular diss track of this era, aimed at Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. Slim Dunikin’s murder in 2011 was the most notable death, among the 15 that happened. There was less beef, but more success, compared to the previous era, with less diss tracks and deaths, but more platinum albums of 30.

This chapter began after MF DOOM released “Madvilliany”. In this era, the demand for technicality decreased. The average track length got below the 4-minute mark, and the bars dropped to 58. Kanye West and 50 Cent, along with other rappers, were leading the scene. 50 Cent’s “Forgive Me” is the most popular diss track of this era. Violence decreased heavily during this era, only having 8 deaths, one of them being Big Hawks’ murder.

After the murder of 2Pac and Biggie, the rap game experienced a power vacuum. Beefing peaked in this era, with 40 diss tracks and 20 deaths. The most popular beef was between Nas and Jay-Z. In this beef, the most popular diss track is “Ether” by Nas. Eminem’s involvement in hip-hop beef is significant. He released 9 diss tracks in this era. The most notable death was Big L’s murder. This era of hip-hop was the roughest and most successful yet. It was also the most demanding, technically. Artists usually fit 70 bars in 4 minute songs.

This era began after “Death Row” was found.Biggie and 2Pac were the big two rappers during this time. After 2Pac got shot, the biggest beef in hip-hop history emerged, which was between the west and east coasts. Compared to the previous era, this one saw a dramatic increase in diss tracks, deaths, and album success. Diss tracks and deaths more than doubled, while platinum albums skyrocketed to 35. The era saw 10 deaths, with three being the most prominent. Eazy-E died of AIDS, and the friendly rivalry between 2Pac and Biggie turned sour. 2Pac’s “Hit em Up“ was the most popular diss track of this era, and it was aimed against the east coast, and Biggie.

1984’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” started the first hip-hop beef, the “Roxanne Wars”. It marked the beginning of hip-hop beef. NWA, especially Eazy-E, Dr. Dre rose to fame. Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline ” being the era’s biggest diss track, which was aimed at the other NWA members. Scott La Rock was the first major hip-hop artist to get murdered.

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