The 10 Biggest Old-School Rap Beefs That Turned Violent
Much of rap music is about competition, and it’s been that way ever since Kool Herc, one of hip-hop’s founders, helped to create the genre. Usually, that competitive spirit is confined to music, and a diss song may come about. Other times, however, the beef turns violent.
Take Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, who had tensions building after being on the 2017 Migos song “Motorsport.” They were seen hashing out their differences peacefully at the Met Gala in 2018, but that didn’t settle things, and a violent confrontation broke out between them at New York Fashion Week’s Harper’s Bazaar Icons party.
Cardi was seen with a golf ball-sized lump over one of her eyebrows, and as of this writing their beef is still ongoing. However, Nicki and Cardi are far from the inventors of violent rap beefs, as scathing lyrics turning into kicks, punches, or worse are as old as the genre itself.
KRS-One And P.M. Dawn
On December 26, 1993, it’s safe to say that Boogie Down Productions’ KRS-One was full of vengeance instead of holiday cheer, because he rushed the stage during P.M. Dawn’s set. KRS took offense to the group’s leader, Prince Be, criticizing him in Details magazine with the question, “KRS-One wants to be a teacher, but a teacher of what?”
The Bronx rapper, with his crew in tow, later showed up at P.M. Dawn’s show at the Sound Factory in Manhattan, jumped on stage and Willie D, one of KRS-One’s people, hit Prince Be, which knocked him offstage.
KRS-One’s DJ, Kenny Parker, then hopped into the DJ booth, put on the Boogie Down Productions’ song South Bronx and P.M. Dawn’s set instantly turned into a KRS-One show.
Ice Cube And Above The Law
The Pomona, California rap group, Above the Law, inherited their beef with Ice Cube through N.W.A. Shortly after the success of N.W.A’s album, Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube left the group over finances, causing a full-on beef between the group and Cube.
N.W.A released the now-classic album on Ruthless Records, owned by group member Eazy-E, who also signed Above the Law. So, that meant Above the Law had allegiance to N.W.A and began insulting Cube while questioning his tough, street persona.
Things came to a violent head in 1990 at the New Music Seminar, held inside New York City’s Marriott Marquis. Cube, who was there with his crew Da Lench Mob, brawled with Above the Law in the lobby, as depicted in the 2015 N.W.A biopic, Straight Outta Compton.
Cube and Above the Law member Cold 187um also fought each other before the Marriott Marquis brawl. It happened at the Anaheim Celebrity Theatre inside a dressing room.
Gucci Mane And Jeezy
The tensions between Gucci Mane and Jeezy began with their 2005 song “Icy,” since a major disagreement erupted over which album it would be on. Jeezy thought it would land on his LP, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, but it wound up on Gucci’s Trap House album.
Diss songs were exchanged afterward, with Jeezy releasing “Stay Strapped,” and he offered $10,000 to anyone who took Gucci’s chain. Gucci responded with “Round 1,” where he pretty much called Jeezy a fake studio gangster.
Now, while most rap beefs don’t end in death, this one did, because in May 2005 Gucci shot and killed a man named Henry Lee Clark III, known in rap circles and on the streets as Pookie Loc — an artist signed to Jeezy’s Corporate Thugz Entertainment.
Gucci was visiting a female friend at the time, and four armed men broke in, forcing him to shoot in self-defense. He was eventually charged with murder, but the charges were later dropped. Then in 2020, the two rappers faced off in the online music competition Verzuz, a clear sign that they moved past the beef.
50 Cent And Ja Rule
50 Cent and Ja Rule’s beef has lasted well over 20 years, but their fight took place early on in their dispute. After 50 dissed Ja and his label Murder Inc. on the song “Life’s on the Line,” they ran into each other at a nightclub in Atlanta.
Ja claimed that he hit 50 with a miniature Louisville Slugger, the type of baseball bat that people keep as a souvenir. However, 50’s longtime friend and fellow G-Unit member, Tony Yayo, said that 50 knocked Ja out with a left-handed haymaker.
But that wouldn’t be the last violent incident between them, because 50 was literally stabbed in his back during a brawl between his crew and Murder Inc.’s people. Later, Murder Inc. rapper Black Child admitted to the stabbing, and it’s said 50 had to get stitches.
Fat Joe And Cuban Link
Fat Joe and Big Pun mentored Cuban Link. Then, after Pun died from a heart attack in 2000, Cuban and Joe decided to no longer do business together. That led to a violent incident in 2000 at the record release party for Angie Martinez, held at Jimmy’s Bronx Cafe, where Cuban was slashed in the face.
Cuban talked about the incident in a 2025 interview with The Art Of Dialogue, saying the fight started after Joe punched his friend Sunkiss. “I’m looking back to Joe, and Joe is coming with one for me, so he hits me … I get up and start rocking him. He ain’t get no more hits after that,” Cuban explained.
Cuban then said he was held by the club’s bouncers, and that’s when someone cut his face, leaving a permanent scar. He later had another fight with Joe three years later inside a Miami nightclub.
Killer Mike And Big Boi
Killer Mike used to be signed to Big Boi and André 3000’s label, Purple Ribbon Records, but a falling out around 2006 turned into a violent showdown between Mike and Big Boi. It happened at a music conference in Atlanta and during an interview, Big Boi said he was upset that Mike was speaking badly about him.
So, words were exchanged at the conference between Mike and somebody from Big Boi’s entourage. Then that person punched Mike several times, based on Big Boi’s account. Mike retaliated by pulling out a gun, but thankfully shots weren’t fired, and the fight ended soon after.
Mike later said in an interview that the falling out was his fault, because he didn’t know how to deal with a business dispute back then.
Saigon And Mobb Deep
In 2022, New York rappers Saigon and Mobb Deep member Havoc sat down for a joint interview and talked about a myriad of topics, including the beef they had with each other 15 years prior, which turned violent. In fact, the physical altercation was between Saigon and Prodigy, the other respected Mobb Deep member, who passed away in 2017.
The incident took place at New York City’s SOB’s after Saigon performed his song “Come On Baby,” featuring Jay-Z. Mobb Deep, who was also on the bill that night, stood behind Saigon for his entire performance, which was peculiar.
Then, seconds after “Come On Baby” was done, one of Mobb Deep’s associates aggressively grabbed Saigon and tried to rush him offstage. Saigon reacted by punching Prodigy before quickly making an exit. The reason for the scrum, at least partially, had to do with Mobb Deep’s beef with Jay-Z at the time, which started in the early 2000s.
Suge Knight And Dr. Dre
Suge Knight and Dr. Dre famously fell out with each other after Dre wanted to leave their label, Death Row Records, to start his own company. Afterward, Knight spent several years insulting him and released an album in 1999 called Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000, a name that he took from Dre’s album, which wasn’t released at the time.
Fast-forward to January 29, 2015, and Knight killed 55-year-old Terry Carter by running into him with his pickup truck in the parking lot of Tam’s Burgers, located in Compton, California. Knight injured Cle “Bone” Sloan as well by backing into him beforehand. Tam’s Burgers was one of the locations used in the film, Straight Outta Compton.
Although Knight’s violent act didn’t involve Dre directly, it was related to their beef, as Knight believed the legendary producer paid someone to take his life in 2014, and he went to the burger place to discuss it with him. Knight eventually pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2018.
Treach And Posdnuos
The members of De La Soul aren’t usually associated with rap beef, but in the mid ’90s member Posdnuos angered Naughty By Nature’s Treach when he mentioned his group on the album, Stakes Is High.
“So stick to your Naughty by Natures and your Kane / ‘Cause graffiti that I based upon the wax is insane,” raps Posdnuos on the intro track. He’d later see Treach at the Palladium nightclub in New York City while performing on stage, and while there wasn’t a huge violent episode, something occurred, which Posdnous talked about with Okayplayer in 2023.
“We got on stage and was doing our performing and there were a bunch of people up front …. and then they put their hand out as if they was going to slap fives,” Posdnous described. “I went to clap to do five and next thing I know, someone’s trying to pull me offstage.”
“I said, ‘Yo, what’s going on?'” he added. “I tried to pull my hand back, and I see Treach coming up towards the same people, so it was his people. It was just unfortunate.”
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