A hip hop feud, also known as a beef or a rivalry, is a controversy in which two or more rappers create a rivalry that is manifested by each slandering and confronting the other in a number of ways.
One of the most common ways rap rivals clash is through "diss songs," which are music tracks that contain insults within the lyrics, directed at the artist's rival. Feuds are also fueled by rivals placing targeted insults in the press, confronting one another at public events and in numerous other ways. In some cases, rivalries intermingle to sometimes violent results, as happened in the east coast/west coast rivalry of the early and mid nineties.[1]
Notable feuds in the history of hip hop include The Bridge Wars, The Roxanne Saga, and LL Cool J vs Kool Moe Dee. There is speculation in the music press that the murders of rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac may have been linked to their rivalry with one another.[2][3] Other notable feuds include the Jay-Z vs. Nas feud.