Queen Speak: The High 11 Girls-Fronted Rap Disses

Thought-about to be a person’s sport, it is ironic that one of many first iconic rap disses or beefs in hip-hop historical past started with a girl. Responding to U.T.F.O.’s tune “Roxanne Roxanne,” Roxanne Shante and Marley Marl’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” (1984) marked the beginning of the Roxanne Wars, with a then-14-year-old Shante displaying that the ladies might be simply as combative as the boys in rap.

When talking about diss information, we frequently solely mirror on notable classics like “Hit ‘Em Up,” “No Vaseline,” “Again to Again,” “Ether,” and “The Bridge is Over” — all of that are largely made by and directed at males. However ladies have additionally participated on this follow for fairly a while, directing their ire at women and men alike, and creating their very own diss monitor classics within the course of.

In current documentaries like dream hampton’s Girls First, the connection between ladies in rap is glossed over in favor of a story celebrating sisterhood and unity. Whereas there’s some validity to that in each hip-hop’s previous and current, it’s additionally necessary to focus on how ladies throughout generations have contributed to the style’s eternal pastime of dissing. Whether or not or not it’s Lil Kim versus Cunning Brown or Remy Ma versus Nicki Minaj, there’s a thrill in seeing feminine rappers take their grievances to the sales space.

In honor of that, we’re highlighting the 11 finest diss tracks that discovered ladies in rap going at one another on file. A few of these are full songs geared toward a selected rapper, and others are options the place a rapper determined to make use of their visitor verse to name a peer out. Regardless, all of those are examples of how feminine rappers may be simply as deadly and uncooked as their male counterparts in the case of disses. Being a girl in hip-hop is extra than simply defending your house towards misogyny and banding in unity within the title of false sisterhood. Generally, it’s additionally about placing somebody in verify, even when it’s one other girl emcee. As Queen Latifah as soon as declared on “Title Callin’”: “I wouldn’t diss one other sista until she had it coming.”

1. “Massive Mama” by Roxanne Shante (1992)

Roxanne Shanté – Massive Mama (Lyrics – Video)youtu.be

Directed at: MC Lyte, Monie Love, YoYo, Queen Latifah, and Salt-N-Pepa

It is smart that the mom of diss tracks set the usual for woman-fronted diss tracks. Though “Massive Mama” wasn’t written by Roxanne Shante (Grand Daddy I.U. and Kaycee truly wrote the tune), she made the monitor her personal by ruthlessly calling out most of her feminine friends of the time, the tune primarily a fruits of her disillusionment with the fake hip-hop sisterhood she witnessed firsthand throughout 1991’s Sisters within the Title of Rap live performance. From Salt-N-Pepa (“Convey any hoe, and I’ll wreck her / I rip the nicest, from Isis right down to Salt-N-Pepa”) to Yoyo (“Now as for that West Coast slut / With fake-ass hair, contacts, and padded butt”), no feminine rapper was protected from Shante’s lyrical assassination, with the rapper unafraid to be the villain that disrupted hip-hop’s sisterhood. The callouts impressed a series of diss tracks from Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Salt-N-Pepa, however none got here near the deadly drag by the queen of dissing. With “Massive Mama,” Roxanne Shante gave feminine rappers the definitive rulebook of diss your fellow ladies in rap.

2. “Bang Bang” by Capone and Norega that includes Cunning Brown (2000)

Capone-N-Noreaga – Bang, Bang ft. Cunning Brown (Lyrics)youtu.be

Directed at: Lil Kim

Hardly ever has a diss between ladies resulted in violence and even catching instances, however Cunning Brown’s “Bang Bang” verse is a type of anomalies. Beginning off her function with, “Sizzling rattling ho, right here we go once more” (a reference to Lil Kim’s opening strains on the “Quiet Storm” remix), Cunning makes direct photographs at Lil Kim and Diddy following their featured appearances on Lil’ Stop’s “Play Round.” Stating, “Impress me, return to that freak shit,” in response to Kim’s extra mafioso-inspired bars after Biggie’s loss of life, Cunning continues with, “Let the nigga relaxation in peace, and hop off his dick, bitch.” The photographs at Kim and her crew had been deadly sufficient that after they caught Capone and his entourage exterior of Sizzling 97’s former constructing in 2001, bullets flew, leading to Kim going to jail after she lied to guard pals who had been concerned within the shootout.

3. “Quiet Storm (Remix)” by Mobb Deep and Lil Kim (1998)

Mobb Deep – Quiet Storm (Remix) ft. Lil’ Kim (Lyrics)youtu.be

Directed at: Charli Baltimore

“Quiet Storm” marks a major function in Lil Kim’s evolution. As with most nice feminine rappers, their male co-signer or musical companion is usually assumed because the mastermind behind their artistry, and Kim was no exception to this because of her relationship with The Infamous B.I.G. After his passing, many started to marvel if Kim may stand on her personal as a rapper, which she proved along with her look on Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm (Remix).” Her verse has change into synonymous with legendary options, partially as a result of individuals believed that it was about Cunning Brown. However upon nearer inspection lyrics like, “I’m a frontrunner, y’all on some followin’ shit / Comin’ on this recreation on some modeling shit” and “Bitches suck cock simply to get to the highest,” communicate much less to Cunning and extra to Biggie’s final girlfriend, Charli Baltimore. Except for briefly modeling abroad, Charli additionally dropped an album following Biggie’s passing with visuals that appeared to match Kim’s fashion. Whether or not you consider the diss was for Charli or Cunning, Kim’s verse on “Quiet Storm (Remix)” proved {that a} diss doesn’t must have its personal full tune to make an affect.

4. “Shether” by Remy Ma (2017)

Remy Ma – Shether (Lyrics)youtu.be

Directed at: Nicki Minaj

The final main feminine rapper standing earlier than Nicki Minaj’s dominance, Remy Ma was on high of New York hip-hop because of a standout verse on Terror Squad’s “Lean Again,” and the discharge of her debut studio album, 2006’s There’s One thing About Remy. After proclaiming herself the “queen of NY” in 2005, it appeared as if Remy’s reign had simply gotten began. Then, Nicki got here. In 2007, she launched her Playtime Is Over mixtape, which included the tune “Soiled Cash” that had a line assumed to be directed at Remy: “Inform that bitch with the crown to run it like Chris Brown / She received three rounds, I’mma want 100 although.” From 2007 to 2016, delicate back-and-forths had been exchanged between the 2, regardless of each being coy about if the disses had been for one another. However there was nothing coy about 2017’s “Shether,” Remy’s seven-minute diss that was clearly directed at Nicki. Packaged with art work of a dismembered Barbie doll and set to the instrumental for Nas’ personal scathing diss monitor “Ether,” “Shether” discovered Remy unloading all of the ammunition she had on Nicki: ghostwriting allegations, rumors of sleeping with Ebro Darden and Trey Songz, being locked right into a 360 deal, cosmetic surgery gossip, and rumors of tablet dependancy. Though it’s clear that Nicki received the struggle, Remy had received a notable battle, leaving social media in shambles and briefly dismantling the queen of rap title Nicki had in her tight grip.

5. “Roman’s Revenge” by Nicki Minaj (2012)

Roman’s Revengeyoutu.be

Directed at: Lil Kim

One other media-induced beef, previous to the discharge of Pink Friday critics and followers alike started evaluating Nicki’s picture and sound to that of Kim’s. In response to the comparisons, Kim mentioned, “If you will steal my swag, you gonna need to pay.” Quite than pay, Nicki dissed. A nod to “Roxanne’s Revenge,” the Swizz Beatz-produced “Roman’s Revenge” finds Nicki and Eminem buying and selling backwards and forwards raps as their respective alter egos, Roman Zolanski and Slim Shady. Nicki takes declare to the reigning spot she held, calling out Kim with strains like, “So fuck I appear like gettin’ again to a has-been,” “That bitch mad trigger I took the spot,” and the direct shot “Received some niggas out in Brooklyn that’ll off your high.” Kim would reply along with her Black Friday mixtape, however her method to the 2’s longstanding feud finally painted her as a bitter veteran as an alternative of a worthy competitor. “Roman’s Revenge” confirmed that Nicki wasn’t afraid to go up towards the queens of hip-hop’s previous, all whereas starting to make her personal impactful mark on the style.

6. “Infamous Ok.I.M.” by Lil Kim (2000)

Infamous KIMyoutu.be

Directed: at Cunning Brown

Within the beef between Cunning Brown and Lil Kim, a winner has by no means actually been declared — with each ladies having totally different approaches to their long-lasting feud. Whereas Cunning primarily relied on Rap Metropolis freestyles and rap options to get her disses off, Kim used the title monitor of her sophomore album, The Infamous Ok.I.M., to handle Cunning. Highlighting Cunning’s erratic habits round incidents like crashing her Vary Rover in Brooklyn, Kim is searing in strains like, “This chick operating round with this stink ass hole / And them pretend ass raps, having panic assaults.” Additional including to the insults, Kim claims Brown isn’t a star and her file firm is aware of, alluding to media claims that Cunning’s fashion was being altered to align with Kim’s signature aesthetic. Kim’s shot at Cunning could not carry weight lyrically, however the tune foreshadowed remarks the 2 would make at one another all through the 2000s. Most notably, “Infamous Ok.I.M.” would provoke Cunning’s response on Capone-N-Norega’s “Bang Bang,” which incited an altercation (extra on that later) that resulted in Kim getting locked up.

7. “Title Callin’ Half 1 (that includes Nikki D)” by Queen Latifah (1996)

Title Callin’youtu.be

Directed at: Cunning Brown

Through the late ‘90s feud between Queen Latifah and Cunning Brown, Cunning’s try and name out Latifah’s sexuality, low album gross sales, and hypocrisy as turning into a crossover act, had been no competitors for Latifah’s lyrical aggression. Featured on the Set It Off soundtrack, “Title Callin’ Half I” is clearly about Cunning, although Latifah isn’t explicitly saying her title. With strains about utilizing intercourse for sells (“All you rappers sellin’ extra intercourse than expertise / I’ll rip your fashion, all of the whereas maintain my intercourse attraction”), photographs at JAY-Z for co-writing her raps (“Fuck you and that nigga who write the rhyme for you”), and accusations of copying (“Tried to combine it up and make it blimp / sound like Lauryn with a splash of Lil Kim”), Latifah is relentless on the monitor. To verify her win towards Cunning was cemented, she even went on to make a “Title Callin’ Half II” in 1998. Regardless of Cunning’s try to return on the queen, Latifah proved to be the lyrical superior.

8. “10% Dis” by Cunning Brown (1998)

Cunning Brown – 10% Dis (Lyrics – Video)youtu.be

Directed at: Queen Latifah

A random (and sometimes forgotten) beef was the one between Queen Latifah and Cunning Brown. Allegedly, the meat started in 1996, when Cunning made statements about Latifah making romantic advances towards her. Coming off the memorable function of Cleo in Set It Off and hypothesis about her sexuality, Cunning’s feedback led Latifah to reply with “Title Callin Half I” and “Title Callin Half II,” to which Cunning responded with “10% Dis” and “Speak to Me,” respectively. Of the 2 although, it’s “10% Dis” that’s probably the most pointed. Rumored to have been ghostwritten by JAY-Z, the diss finds Cunning making homophobic claims about Latifah (and fellow rapper Queen Pen) with notable strains like, “Y’all confused ass chicks / Now’s you straight or is you homosexual?” Though the pair reconciled in 2000, there’s no denying how lyrically venomous Brown was to Latifah, particularly on “10% Dis.”

9. “What’s Beef” by Trina (2006)

Trina-What’s Beefyoutu.be

Directed at: Khia

Nobody is aware of the place the meat between Khia and Trina begins. The widely-accepted motive is Khia’s declare that she wrote Trina’s breakout solo hit “Da Baddest Bitch,” and by no means obtained her due credit score. Whatever the motive, these two Miami rap queens have exchanged disses at one another for over a decade, with probably the most notable being Trina’s “What’s Beef.” Borrowing The Infamous B.I.G.’s “What’s Beef?” beat, Trina’s diss managed to show Khia from a possible peer to a caricature of the artist we all know her as. From saying that Khia’s a rip-off with leftover hits to accusing her of attaching her title to Trina’s for promo, Trina is masterful in her evisceration of Khia. Observing the trajectory of their careers following “What’s Beef” — and Khia’s lackluster response over Tupac’s “Hit Em Up” — it’s clear that Trina had successfully ended any actual beef with Khia earlier than it actually started.

10. “Regular Fucking” by MC Lyte (1993)

Regular Fuckingyoutu.be

Directed at: Roxanne Shante

One of many first responses to Roxanne Shante’s “Massive Mama,” MC Lyte’s “Regular Fucking” was warranted. On “Massive Mama,” Shante had a handful of homophobic disses geared toward Lyte, saying that the rapper acted like a person and claiming she was homosexual and that she wanted one thing “thick.” In response, Lyte used a sampled line from “The Bridge Is Over” — “Roxanne Shante is barely good for regular fucking” — as the premise for her diss monitor, “Regular Fucking.” It was a wonderfully aligned shot that known as again The Bridge Wars between KRS-One’s Boogie Down Productions and Marley Marl’s Juice Crew (which Shante was part of). Regardless of how questionable the road was (Shante was simply an adolescent when KRS-One rapped the road on “The Bridge Is Over”), it was a depraved selection that assisted Lyte’s sex-shaming diss file. Lyrics that hinted at Shante’s longtime collaborator Grand Daddy I.U. laying “pipe in that butt,” rumors of drug dependancy after turning into a mom (“I heard you’re smokin’ crack, woman / You simply had a child, I assume that makes him a crack child”), and infantile bars about needing to douche and getting her enamel fastened, Lyte matched Shante’s ire with each line. Lyte’s response to “Massive Mama” marked the start of the top to Shante’s vicious assaults on ladies in rap.

11. “T.Ok.O.” by Jacki-O (2003)

Jacki-O – TKOyoutu.be

Directed at: Cunning Brown

The meat between Cunning Brown and Miami-based rapper Jacki-O started in 2005 in a Miami recording studio. In response to what we all know from Jacki-O by way of an MTV Information interview, Jacki was within the studio working with Brooklyn rapper Gravy when Cunning confirmed up unannounced. Relying on who you ask, the reality finally lies in Gravy wanting the 2 feminine rappers on a tune he was making. Nonetheless, when Jacki and Cunning had been within the room, egos had been flared and a struggle ensued. Following the struggle, Jacki took to wax to file “T.Ok.O.,” the place she addresses the struggle with Brown whereas calling out her recognized anxiousness assaults, her former relationship with rapper Kurupt, ghostwriting rumors, and her psychological well being, dropping memorable strains like, “You deserve higher than a bitch on prozac.” Whereas Cunning has gone on to say that the struggle between them by no means occurred, it nonetheless resulted in a notable diss monitor the place Jacki-O got here out the winner.