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Top 11 Diss Songs in Hip-Hop - UGO.com
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The Top 11 Diss Songs in Hip-Hop

UGO counts down the Top 11 Diss Songs in Hip-Hop

May 6, 2008

Battling has played an integral role in hip-hop since the culture's inception in the South Bronx in the 1970s. While a battle simply began as a showdown to see which MC is the better lyricist, it quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon. There are artists such as KRS-One and LL Cool J, who have defined their careers through battling. The essence of MCs battling, however, changed as the culture morphed into the corporate world. Soon, rappers were making diss songs more violent, often blurring the line between the streets and the industry. We even lost two young men - The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur - because of a senseless rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast. Clearly, the history of the battle is filled with its high and low points. Regardless, battle raps are a hallmark of the hip-hop culture. With that in mind, UGO.com brings you the 11 Best Hip-Hop Diss Tracks. This list isn't based off popularity or SoundScan figures, but rather a variety of factors, including each song's impact, longevity, lyrics, and creativity.

Mobb Deep vs. 2Pac
Mobb Deep vs. 2Pac

Mobb Deep vs. 2Pac

Year: 1996

Song: "Drop A Gem On 'Em" by Mobb Deep

During the apex of the East Coast/West Coast feud, the Infamous Mobb Deep released the 2Pac diss song, "Drop A Gem On 'Em." The track was a direct response to Pac's barrage of insults on songs such as "Hit "Em Up" and "Against All Odds." "Drop A Gem On 'Em" was featured on Mobb Deep's third album, Hell On Earth.

What the song did right: Simply put, Prodigy put on the performance of a lifetime. Over Havoc's chilling piano loop, P lyrically sliced his way through 2Pac with a stunningly verbose and complex verse that is also quiet subtle. Prodigy never mentions 'Pac by name, but brazenly speaks on 2Pac's 1994 shooting in New York City.

What the song did wrong: It was too complex. Since Prodigy never mentioned 2Pac by name, the mainstream media largely ignored "Drop A Gem On 'Em." Let's be honest; if Prodigy would have called 2Pac a homosexual and claimed he slept with his wife, a lot more people would have paid attention. But he decide to be subtle, referencing specific details or situations in 'Pac's life that the average fan may not be familiar with. If you were a hip-hop head, you knew P was going at 'Pac. Sadly, there are still a lot of fans who don't even know "Drop A Gem On 'Em" exists.

Quotable: "Rikers Island flashbacks of the house you got scuffed in/You would think getting' your head shot was enough, but damn/Now you wanna go at my team?/You must have been drunk when you wrote that shit/Too bad you had to did it to your own self/My rebellion, I retaliate/I had the whole New York state aiming at your face, at the gate/Bottom line, off top as soon as you came through, shot through/Don't even know the half of my crew." - by Prodigy

See More: 50 Cent | Jay-Z | Nas | The Game | 2pac | Havoc | Mobb Deep | prodigy | Tupac Shakur
Comments
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Fergus Parnaby - Sat. Aug. 28, 2010 at 05:58:20 AM


Eiht

Sorry, but there's no evidence whatsoever that Dollaz n Sense "ended Eiht's career", or even dented it. It's not like Eiht's fans suddenly deserted him after a rival put out a diss record! Eiht has done numerous albums since then, not to mention his collabs with Spice 1 and DFC, and his own 'Def Wish' songs were legendary. Plus 'Menace II Society' had already won him widespread onscreen appeal....You need to do your research.

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Fergus Parnaby - Sat. Aug. 28, 2010 at 05:58:20 AM


Eiht

Sorry, but there's no evidence whatsoever that Dollaz n Sense "ended Eiht's career", or even dented it. It's not like Eiht's fans suddenly deserted him after a rival put out a diss record! Eiht has done numerous albums since then, not to mention his collabs with Spice 1 and DFC, and his own 'Def Wish' songs were legendary. Plus 'Menace II Society' had already won him widespread onscreen appeal....You need to do your research.

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Christopher - Wed. Jul. 28, 2010 at 01:39:58 PM


WTF R U TALKING ABOUT!!???!?!?!?!?!?

Clearly Ether KILLED!!!! KILLED!!!! Jay!!!! How could you say it wasnt clever??!!!! (YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER NAS WAS DEALING WITH HIS MOTHER'S BREAST CANCER @ THIS TIME, AND JAY-Z WAS TAKING A DIRTY SHOT BY STARTING THIS BEEF AT THIS TIME) Nas Ether has been the Greatest Diss Song ever to come out Hands Down!!! whoeva wrote that **** up thier sayin all that **** get ur facts straight!!!

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Luis Tellez - Sat. Jul. 10, 2010 at 07:58:36 PM


i love el choriza

yonlenon

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Kevin Nice - Mon. May. 3, 2010 at 05:24:41 PM


th top 11 diss songs in hiphop

this list is awful, clearly made by east coast critics ...has the creator ever herd of Eminem, Cypress Hill or What about Dre? and Eazy E and 2pac/biggie is 8th, OK! ....LL cool j should be no where near the top ten of anything.

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Rogan Moloney - Wed. Jun. 23, 2010 at 08:49:27 AM


Wrong.

2pac and Biggie did NOT die because of a "east-west rivalry". Pac was killed by Suge Knight and dirty cops on Death Row payroll. This happened because Pac was about to leave death row records with millions of dollars worth of new material. Biggie was then killed by the same dirty cops to make it appear as if biggie and his people were responsible for the murder of pac, and this way it would seem like retaliation. This is a very brief summary of what happened. Please everyone do some research. There is a ---> LOT <--- more to this story. Peace.

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Tilovon Crite - Wed. Jul. 21, 2010 at 10:54:31 PM


Give Respect

Not knocking anyone of those MCs you just listed, 2pac is my favorite rapper of all time, but LL is one of the best battle rappers that we have ever seen. Just ask Canibus. He was an up and coming rapper with a pretty bright future, until he tried to test L. CAREER OVER!

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