“Are There Any Rules To Hip-Hop Beef?” A Look Back At Rap’s Worst Wars!!

In the summer of 2018, the feud between Pusha-T and Drake reignited a debate within the hip-hop community about the boundaries, if any, that should be observed in rap beefs. The tension escalated with Pusha-T’s release of “The Story of Adidon,” a diss track in which the G.O.O.D. Music president made a controversial allusion to the illness of Drake’s close friend and collaborator, Noah “40” Shebib.

Drake, understandably, found Pusha-T’s lyric crossing a line, deeming it too personal and hurtful. However, this incident brought attention to the broader issue of rappers veering beyond the intended target in their diss tracks—a practice that is not uncommon in the rap world.

Interestingly, Drake himself has been guilty of such tactics, as evidenced by his track “Duppy Freestyle,” where he mentioned Pusha-T’s fiancée. This move by Drake underscored the tit-for-tat nature of rap beefs, where artists often seek to gain an upper hand by delving into personal matters and hitting their opponents where it hurts the most.

The controversy surrounding Pusha-T and Drake’s feud served as a reminder of the blurred lines between artistic expression and personal attacks in hip-hop. While rap battles have long been a part of the genre’s culture, the ethical implications of certain tactics remain a topic of debate, with fans and artists alike grappling with where to draw the line.