It's been a chaotic year in Hip-Hop to say the least.
Since the beginning of 2022, fans witnessed some hectic moments on our timelines from dramatic lawsuits to wild arguments that escaladed from online spats to diss tracks. Most social media users had front-row seats as they watched some of their favorite artists lash out at each other and even their own fanbase. We’ve seen Cardi B go on the offense as she defended herself against trolls who criticize her over the delay of her new album. People couldn't look away as Kanye West unapologetically demean his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, other celebrities and the Jewish community.
Needless to say, there were plenty of polarizing moments and grueling beefs in Hip-Hop that should remain in 2022. Some of these confrontations were shocking while others had been simmering for years before they finally blew up. Before we move on to the new year, take a look back at some of the most out of control beefs that kept fans at the edge of their seats.
Lil Durk vs 6ix9ine
Lil Durk and 6ix9ine have been at odds since 2019, but their issues erupted into a real spectacle earlier this year when the Chicago rapper called out Tekashi on his 7220 album. Durk finally had enough of the New York native’s antics after 6ix9ine ambushed the rapper’s doppelganger and dissed his late cousin King Von. Back in April, the “Fefe” rapper ran up on Durk’s look-alike Perkio without notice, firmly placed a jacket on him that had Von on the back and recorded the entirely uncomfortable interaction.
"Man, I'm Durk, and you got my lo', why you play with Perk?” Durk raps on “Huuuh”. F**k the feds, who walk around with you, them n****s gon' get hurt (Grrah)."
The song came after 6ix9ine confirmed his song “Gine” had disrespectful bars aimed at Durk. During a court hearing In April, lawyers for Seketha Wonzer and Kevin Dozier, who sued 6ix9ine for his alleged involvement with gang members who robbed them both in 2018, alleged the bars were about their clients. 6ix9ine’s lawyer insisted that the lyrics are about Durk. Lil Durk hasn’t acknowledged 6ix9ine in his music ever since. He may have pledged to not promote violence and speak on the dead in his music, but that’s not stopping him from taking more shots at 6ix9ine in the future.
Diddy vs Mase
Ma$e’s problems with Sean “Diddy” Combs have been brewing for decades, but it all came to a head this year. The Harlem World rapper’s first song in two years came in the form of a lengthy diss track aimed at Diddy. In the song, entitled “Oracle 2: The Liberation of Mason Betha,” Ma$e takes shots at Diddy’s recent name change and mentions his attempts at buying back his masters.
"We ain't gang, we ain't goals/We ain't family, we ain't foes/And we definitely not bros, We ain't nothin', n***a," Ma$e repeats in the chorus.
The diss track would set off a series of melodramatic events between both artists. Ma$e went on to blame Diddy for unfortunate situations that happened in his career like his “sabotaged” set at Lovers & Friends in Las Vegas and the dissolution of his 3 Headed Monster Tour with Cam’ron and Jadakiss before they even hit the road. Things got so bad that Diddy’s mother even got involved. Eventually, Diddy aired out his former artist during an explosive interview on The Breakfast Club. It’s safe to say they’re still not on good terms.
Cardi B vs Akbar V
It’s no shocker that Cardi B can lash out anyone who even attempts to disrespect her. However, her wild interaction with Akbar V had the world tuning in to their every tweet. After Bardi celebrated the success of GloRilla’s “Tomorrow 2,” Akbar V tweeted a sly comment that caught the Bronx native’s attention. Once Cardi reached out to her directly, Akbar V posted their texts on Twitter, which set off Cardi even more.
"If we said what we says on the phone why keep texting me after and going to the internet?" Cardi tweeted. "If we said what we said on the phone why keep texting? These all these b***hes want …INTERNET SHOWS..I’m done -_- ... I hate a hoe that throw rocks and hide their hands ..been subtweeting me for months and now you wanna make it about another woman as a shield.Stand on your s**t!!!"
The war of words evolved after Akbar V claimed Cardi didn’t write her raps and dragged her husband Offset into the feud by calling both of them “hoes.” She even shared Offset’s alleged phone number online. Bardi responded by posting (and later removing) a video of Akbar performing oral sex on someone. Even Offset hopped online to fire his own shots at the Love & Hip-Hop: ATL star. Eventually, Akbar’s account got suspended and Bardi moved on. Yet, the tension still lingers.
50 Cent vs The Game
At one point in time, The Game seemed to be on good terms with 50 Cent following their years-long beef. That all changed this year when 50 Cent made fun of the Compton native when he appeared to get snubbed by Jimmy Iovine at a basketball game in March. A few months later, The Game hit the stage in Houston, 50’s new home state, and dissed him like it was 2005.
"I still don't f**k with 50 Cent, he's a b***h," Game told the crowd. "He's a sucka. I'mma say it in Houston, I'll say it in New York, I'll say it anywhere...he’s a straight b***h.
50 shrugged off The Game’s rant and immediately taunted him on Instagram with his own infamous gif of him laughing and driving away. Their beef has returned with a vengeance after laying dormant for over six years and it doesn’t sound like they’re going to patch things up anytime soon.
Ashanti vs Irv Gotti
Fans who forgot the tension between Ashanti and Irv Gotti got a rude awakening this year. Irv Gotti reignited old flames when he told his version of how their relationship unfolded in BET's Murder, Inc. docu-series. Throughout the series, Gotti described how he seduced his artist and even cooked up some of her classic songs after they slept together. Before the doc even premiered, Gotti appeared to gloat about their sexcapades and insisted he was telling the truth during public appearances like his Drink Champs interview for example. That’s when he shared how he found out about Ashanti dating Nelly.
"I can get passed you wanting to be with Nelly," Irv said. "At the time, it happens any man is hurt. The chick you're f**king in love with is with this n***a."
Ashanti did not participate in the docu-series nor did she immediately come out and denounce it. Instead, she let some time pass by before she claimed that Gotti lied about several aspects of their relationship. She continued to call out Gotti by dissing him on the remix to Diddy’s “Gotta Move On” with Yung Miami. Gotti hasn’t responded to her verse, yet. We’ll see if he decides to return fire.
Jack Harlow vs Brandy
Jack Harlow’s misconception about Brandy and her brother Ray J sparked one of the most hilarious "beefs" of the year. During a radio interview, Harlow said he didn’t know that Brandy is related to Ray J at all. Fans immediately went off on Harlow and continued to tag Brandy in clips of his statement. Not long after Harlow became a trending topic, Brandy decided to fire back with a formal response aimed at the Generation Now rapper over his banger “First Class.”
“The game need a breath of fresh air and I'm breathtaking,” Brandy raps. “Paintin' pictures, Cinderella scriptures/But that don't mean jack in the streets, Jack of all trades, now I'm here jacking for beats/Queens' cancelled but you could never cancel a queen.”
Jack and Brandy’s lighthearted feud didn’t last long. Instead of taking things too far, the 24-year-old decided to invite the veteran singer-slash-rapper to join him as a surprise guest during his set at the 2022 BET Awards. It stands out as one of the few “rap beefs” that ended on a positive note.
Nicki Minaj vs Latto
Nicki Minaj has had her issues with other artists in the past but this year she truly turned the Internet upside down when her gripe with the Recording Academy turned into a war of words with an artist who respected her. After the Grammys reportedly only considered her song “Super Freaky Girl” in the pop category, Barbie lashed out by dragging Latto’s “Big Energy” into the debate.
“I have no prob being moved out the RAP category as long as we r ALL being treated FAIRLY,” Minaj tweeted. “If SFG (‘Super Freaky Girl’) has 2B moved out RAP then so does Big Energy! ANY1 who says diff is simply a Nicki hater or a troll.”
That tweet sparked an epic back-and-forth between both artists. Minaj fueled the fire by sharing her DM’s with Latto which revealed her thoughts on the debate. Latto returned fire by calling out Minaj for her previous subtweets, which led to a series of disses between both artists. Latto used the hashtag #40yroldbully and brought up her brother, who was convicted of predatory sexual assault in 2020. Minaj labeled her as “an entitled Karen” and nicknamed her “scratch off.”
“You sold 20K, right? Mad you flopped. That’s why u really mad,” Minaj tweeted.
“1. Didn’t care about rape when she was begging for features,” Nicki continued. “2. Didn’t care about Kodak’s past. 3. Didn’t care about the accusations made about Dr. Luke who produced Big Energy. 4. News Flash, scratch off. I’ve never raped anyone. I’ve inspired millions. You’re one of them BOZO.”
The argument eventually subsided but it had the Internet buzzing for days. Neither artist won the battle but they didn’t publicly bury the hatchet either.
Megan The Stallion vs Tory Lanez
It’s been over two years since Megan Thee Stallion was shot following a confrontation with Tory Lanez and her former best friend Kelsey Harris. Since then, all of them have been beefing with one another. The controversy over who shot Meg is currently playing out in court as we speak. Meg's issues with Tory Lanez evolved into a social movement that has pinned fans against the Alone At Prom artist. Their attempts to cancel Tory were evident after each update on their case surfaced and every public statement he made. However, not everyone is on Meg’s side.
After the shooting occurred, other dramatic events appeared to spawn from the events that happened on the night of July 12, 2020. This year alone, we saw a nasty back-and-forth between Meg and DaBaby, who used to work well together prior to the shooting. After DaBaby claimed that he slept with Meg and called out her boyfriend Pardison Fontaine on “Boogeyman,” people thought Meg fired back at him during her set at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival.
“So look, I don’t know about y’all but I love my body,” she said to a screaming crowd. “I do what I want to with my body, when I want to with my body, with who I want to with my body. ‘Cause it’s who? My body.”
She later clarified that she wasn’t talking about DaBaby at all.
In addition to her problems with DaBaby, Meg also had an issue with Drake’s fans after he mentioned the shooting in the song “Circo Loco” off Her Loss with 21 Savage. "This b***h lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion/She don't even get the joke, but she still smiling,” Drizzy raps. Meg acknowledged that Drake probably wasn’t taking direct aim at her, but was still infuriated that people used her situation with Tory for “clout.”
"Stop using my shooting for clout b***h ass N****s!" she wrote. "Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot ! You n****s especially RAP N****S ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y’all homeboys abused her."
Meg is currently focused on the trial and moving on from the events that happened two years ago. At the moment, there’s no telling when her ongoing feud with Tory and DaBaby will end.
Kanye West vs Kid Cudi
Kanye West has lost plenty of friends and made numerous enemies this year. Earlier this year, his issues with his ex-wife’s former fling Pete Davidson grew worse after Ye dragged his longtime friend Kid Cudi into the drama. In Feburary, Ye booted Cudi from his Donda 2 album due to his past affiliation with Davidson. The move infuriated Cudi enough to completely sever all ties with his KIDS SEE GHOSTS partner. The Cleveland rapper made it official after he addressed a song he did with Pusha T that was produced by Ye.
“Hey! So I know some of you heard about the song I got w Pusha," Cudi explained. "I did this song a year ago when I was still cool w Kanye. I am not cool w that man. He's not my friend and I only cleared the song for Pusha cuz thats my guy. This is the last song u will hear me on w Kanye -Scott."
Ye and Cudi have yet to reconcile, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening for some time. Fans seemed to understand his position, but they were also equally upset that their long-standing partnership had ended. This was long before Ye took a turn for the worse and went on anti-Semetic rants that ruined more of his relationships.
NBA YoungBoy vs Everybody
If there’s one rapper who didn’t have one f*** left to give this year, it’s YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Back in February, the troubled artist unleashed his massive diss track “I Hate YoungBoy.” The song, which dropped back in February, contains a slew of disrespectful lyrics aimed at Lil Durk, his late cousin OTF Nunu, King Von, his father Big Durk, his neighborhood O’Block, Durk’s former fiancee India Royale, Gucci Mane, Lil Baby, Boosie Badazz and even YouTube streamer Adin Ross caught a stray shot.
YoungBoy dropped the track on the same day that Lil Durk dropped his controversial song “AHHH HA,” which is a response to Quando Rondo and Lul Tim. Both artists are signed to YoungBoy’s label Never Broke Again. Since then, Durk has pledged not to mention the dead or instigate violence with his music. However, that doesn’t mean his issues with YB or his artists have ended.