Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Big Beat

Warning: The language of the following clips may not be suitable for children. Parental discretion is advised!

I can easily say it’s unfortunate, but I’ve had my diss wars, you know, and my battles back in the day. With regards to Nicki and Kim, we were actually just talking about it in the dressing room. There’s room for everyone, but those who really need to be worried by Nicki’s record is Fergie, Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado.

Nicki is coming out to win. She’s not thinking of the block. She’s not just thinking of the city, so she’s able to handle so many areas of what it takes right now to be an international star, so hats off to everybody that’s doing it, but I see the vision that Nicki sees for herself that people probably didn’t see before.

Quote given by MC Lyte to VH1 in response to the Lil Kim & Nicki Minaj feud

With so much stir in the hip hop world, you can’t help but witness the feud between Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj. Now some people may lean on the notion of love and support for every artist trying to do their thing like MC Lyte. I have mad respect for Lyte but for me I don’t see nothing wrong with a little bump n’ grind or more eloquently said…..a little competition. Isn’t this how hip hop started from the days of Afrika Bambaataa and the Roxanne Wars? Whatever happened to just having a good battle? No fist to cuffs, no bullet shots,  just a battle of words. In my opinion, this is the essential element that is missing from hip hop and in certain ways the importance of being a lyricist has suffered greatly due to the lack of it. Plus how can you honestly claim the throne to anything when you’ve never fought a war to get it. Anybody can “self proclaim” their power but have you “earned” it through the scars of battle?  In regards of this beef warring between Kim and Nicki, I’m not taking any sides but I definitely stand for the sword sharpening aspect of competition.

He’s a clip of Daddy-O from Stetsasonic speaking on the subject of competition at the 2010 Soul Summit in Atlanta. Paraphrasing him I have to agree,  “we can be friends backstage but when we’re on stage, it’s a battle.”

 

Daddy-O Speaking On Competition In Music from Grown Folks Music on Vimeo.

To give proper context to how this feud began, he are some of the warring interviews and diss hits that have been slung in the ring. What are your thoughts on this feud? What are your thoughts to the use of competition in hip hop?

Here is Nicki Minaj in Roman’s Revenge featuring Eminem

Here is Nicki Minaj’s interview with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez addressing Lil Kim

Here is Lil Kim’s response track, Black Friday