Battling has a long tradition in Hip Hop culture. Many of the all-time greats – such as KRS-One, Ice Cube, 2Pac, Common, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, 50 Cent, Jadakiss, Lil Kim, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Pusha T – have all engaged in a war of words on wax.
One of the perceived leaders of the new school of contemporary rap music was recently asked about the chance he could be the target of one of his peers’ lyrical assaults. 22-year-old “The Box” hitmaker Roddy Ricch spoke about that possibility in a new cover story for Complex.
“If somebody dissed me, I would not take it seriously,” declared Ricch. “I be in my own lane. I be in my own world. So I would take it as a joke. Like, just think about somebody trying to beef with Roddy. That ain’t even – that’s just a joke. N#### can’t never come out with no diss record about me. What you gonna say?”
It appears Ricch is more focused on cultivating his own stardom rather than taking aim at other people in Hip Hop. Following the commercial and critical success of his 2019 debut album Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, the self-described perfectionist is looking to put out a timeless body of work with his sophomore LP.
“With my next project, I’m going to be more vulnerable,” said Ricch. “I’m going to bring fans into my world more. I’m learning the balance. Like, OK, I’m not on Instagram, so I feel like I’ve got to bring them into my life more so they can feel me a little more.”