3 Battles that Influenced Hip Hop Today

Hip-hop has seen some pretty good battles between artists throughout its history. Many of the battles are unknown to much of the public due to several different factors. Some of these battles changed hip-hop, some turned into real beefs, and others have just been forgotten. Here we will look at 3 of the more important battles that changed hip-hop in some way.

Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee Starski

This battle occurred before most of us were even born, but it is pretty much safe to say that had this battle not occurred, rap wouldn't be as creative as it is today. Busy Bee Starski was a party MC. He was a very animated and charismatic MC who knew how to get the crowds into the show. Many have said that this battle was not fair because Busy Bee wasn't a battle MC, but he was a battle MC. The way Busy Bee battled was determined by who could rock the crowds the best. Kool Moe Dee on the other hand, was more of a serious MC. He was more about the lyrical content of rhyming. The battle itself wasn't actually a battle at all. It was more like a sneak attack by Kool Moe Dee, but either way the turn out would have been the same. Kool Moe Dee proved that Busy Bee Starski knew how to rock the crowds, but had no true lyrical skills. This is the reason why the best hip-hop artists today flip words the way they do.

Roxanne Shante vs. Everybody

Roxanne Shante is one of a few artists in hip-hop whose career basically revolved around battling. Her very first battle rap was recorded when she was only 14 years old. She recorded the song "Roxanne's Revenge" which was a diss record aimed at UTFO for their "Roxanne Roxanne" record. Once "Roxanne's Revenge" sales began to soar, UTFO released "The Real Roxanne" as a response record. In "The Real Roxanne", Roxanne Shante's name was not mentioned, nor was anything said about "Roxanne's Revenge." This caused Roxanne Shante to release her next diss record called "Bite This" which is really what started the Roxanne Battles. Shante dissed Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, LL Cool J, and many more that had nothing to do with the original battle that she had presented. This began a long series of response records throughout hip hop which actually helped artists and industry heads realize the profitability behind battle records and diss records.

Ice Cube vs. N.W.A.

This battle may have been the first of its kind. This was the first time that an artist used truth to expose others in a diss record, instead of just insulting them. N.W.A started this battle by dissing Ice Cube on "100 Miles and Runnin." Ice Cube retaliated with one line on his song "Jackin' For Beats." Both of these disses were pretty mild, but that would change with N.W.A. responding with a bigger diss record "Real N---as" which caused Ice Cube to respond with one of the best battle records of all time. On Ice Cube's Death Certificate album, he recorded "No Vaseline" which is a song where he totally exposed the truth about his former group in a very vicious manner. This was the first diss record to really have gotten so personal in the lyrical content and taught other battle MC's how to completely shut down their competition.

These are three very important battles in hip-hop history, due to the fact that these battles are responsible for raising the bar from where it used to be, to where it is today. If it wasn't for Kool Moe Dee's pounding of Busy Bee Starski, lyrical skills on the mic may not have gotten the respect it should have always received. If it wasn't for Roxanne Shante battling every body, hip-hop artists may not have realized how much money and attention, battle raps bring to table. If it wasn't for Ice Cube crushing N.W.A. on "No Vaseline," battle rapping would probably be filled with false insults instead of truth exposing content. There are many other noteworthy battles that have influenced hip-hop and the direction it has taken over time, and there will be many more as long as hip-hop is still alive.