Diss tracks get the people going. They always have, and they always will. The act of one popular figure insulting another in front of the public eye is a glimpse into the conspiracy, conflict, and gossip of the closed-off celebrity world. And as history has shown us, who doesn’t love a good fight? With all that in mind, here are three legendary diss tracks that target some of the biggest figures in music.
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“No Vaseline” by Ice Cube
Ice Cube‘s 1991 single, “No Vaseline”, just might be the most overt and harshest diss track of all time. Thanks to lyrics such as “When y’all motherf—s moved straight outta Compton” and the name-dropping of Eazy E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella, Ice Cube lets the people know just who he is targeting, and he does so unapologetically.
Cube’s 1991 single is the product of a royalties dispute between him, the band, and manager Jerry Heller, which ultimately led to his departure from N.W.A. To this day, it is one of the most popular disstracks of all time, as it pulls no punches and sheds light on the demise of N.W.A.
“Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan has never minced his words. He’s always spoken his truth, no matter how many friends and fans he loses. And indeed, he did just that on his 1965 diss track, “Positively 4th Street”. But instead of attacking one singular person, he attacked an entire movement. Dylan’s song is a comment on the superficial figures of the Greenwich Village folk scene who turned their back on him after he transitioned to rock music.
Dylan doesn’t call out the scene itself. But given the title of the song, which is a street in GV, it’s pretty clear who and what he is negatively analyzing. The sharpness with which Dylan writes and sings is deeply psychoanalytical, and as a result, incredibly harsh, but from his perspective, seemingly justified.
“Obsessed” by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey‘s public image as a musician isn’t rooted in lyrical aggression (well, for the most part). In 2009, Mariah Carey released “Obsessed”, which is an alleged response to Eminem’s claims that they were in a relationship. Carey never mentions Eminem by name in the song, but if you watch the music video, it becomes quite clear that she’s taking a jab at him.
While Carey certainly stood her ground, the last person someone wants to get into a diss track battle with is Eminem. After Carey released this track, Eminem quickly followed it up with “The Warning”. And as Eminem tends to do, he went full throttle with this track by mentioning Mariah Carey by name and following it up with some awfully vulgar imagery.
Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen
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