Published Thu, March 11, 2021 at 11:09 AM EST
Beef. It's a sometimes-harsh aspect of the Hip-Hop landscape.
This is the story of the early 1990s kiddie rap wars; a multi-faceted squabble between a slew of pubescent rhymers who all happened to drop debut albums between 1991 and 1993.
Don't try to compare us to another bad little fad..."
- "Jump," Kris Kross (1992)
Da Youngstas dropped their debut single just two months prior to Kris Kross topping the charts. "Pass Da Mic" saw moderate success in the summer of 1992, thanks to a video and a single that had been remixed by Pete Rock.
See I didn't come out wack, I came out right. Unlike those moes that chose to 'pass the mic.'"
- "Alright" - Kris Kross
Now if you want beef, fuck it, 'cause a fuss/ And no, little kids, this ain't nothin' for Da Youngsta's/ Ya can't even see me/ It's no relation, so we can't run in the family/ Yeah, and I'm still the boss/ Cause I'm a straight up nigga, ain't nothin' bout me Kris Kross..."
- Malik of Illegal ("We Getz Buzy," 1993)
We was at Ed Lover's birthday party. We stepped to them and then Jermaine Dupri got smart, so Jamal snuffed him. Then we just rushed 'em and busted their ass."
- Mr. Malik of Illegal, 1993