Diss songs are the most powerful properties a rapper can have in his lyrical arsenal.
There are three distinctive types of diss tracks that the emcee will typically engage in 1) The Direct Shot (You Know Exactly Who This Is For), 2) The Target List and 3) Subs (Hit Dog Hollers).
Recently, the battle rap world has been energized with the spirit of old Hip-Hop using two of these categories. AllHipHop.com has connected with some influencers in the culture to talk about the very best disses in each category.
THE DIRECT SHOT
Ace Amin directly shot (two of them actually) at John John da Don in the middle of 2020 sparking the dynamite stick that will culminate in Atlanta on March 20. It took some time for the BullPen executive to clean off his glasses and take time away from his busy life to answer, but when he did … he did not disappoint.
Ace Amin “The Baptist”
Ace Amin “Code Red”
John John Da Don, “Freestyle”
Some of the best battles incorporate humor. Michigan’s Mack Myron’s “Loso a F@#*&” was short but had one of the funniest and catchiest choruses in all of Hip-Hop. Calicoe takes aim at rapper Tsu Surf for his close affiliation with rapper-turned-podcaster, Joe Budden. He was answered by a very serious Tay Roc, who did not disappoint fans with the extraordinary rhyme flow that made him the face of URL.
Mack Myron, “Loso a F@#*&”
Calicoe, “Joe Budden Couch”
Ben Swayze said that on “Big Leech,” Tay Roc “showed his aggressive lyricism, addressing all of the history between him and Calicoe.” So amazing was his diss, even Calicoe acknowledged it as a “fire diss.”
Tay Roc, “Big Leech”
A new slimmed-down Big T threw shots out at Eazy the Block Captain for including him on his list. Mr. Chilaka Boo reminded fans why his name still rings bells as a pioneer. Tony Bro shared why he loved T’s clap back, “Hands down the best flows of any response. T jumps into different pockets as he spends time recapping previous kills and why it wouldn’t be safe to play with him in the ring.”
Big T, “Eazy the Block”
Tony Bro added, “Hands down the best flows of any response.”
“T jumps into different pockets,” he offered. “He spends time recapping his previous kills and why it wouldn’t be safe to play with him in the ring.”
THE TARGET LIST
Like great “Target List” diss songs are “How to Rob” by 50 Cent or “Casualties of War” by G-Unit, URL’s Eazy the Block Captain started the 2021 lyrical shoot-out. Tony Bro from Black Compass Media said that the Philly spit-kicker “set the whole situation off.”
He continued by saying that “It was the blueprint because it covered so much ground and it was a statement for this new era as it was about Eazy himself. He made it so that his peers and all the top battlers had to respond.”
Ben Swayze from the New Era Podcast said that it “became the anthem to dissing and calling out battlers using that beat.” The song also spawned several spin-offs, including a fire all-star remix featuring top tiers and rookies. Three stellar remixes were from two of the Bardashians, Jaz the Rapper and Casey Jay, and the Murda Ave. crew.
Eazy the Block Captain, “Top Tier”
Eazy da Block Captain, “Top Tier Remix” Geechi Gotti, B Dot, Ave, Real Sikh, Loso, and Swamp
Geechi Gotti is the only Top Tier rapper that actually appeared on this remix. Bro commented about his verse, “This is an example of the genius of Gotti: there was no wasted effort on the track. Every line is smoking someone in a memorable way. It’s Hemingway & O’Shea Jackson; minimalist & gangsta — front door and MEANT for people to feel a way. Coming from a two-times Champion of the Year it means something.”
Casey Jay
Jaz the Rapper
MURDA AVE (Top Tier Remix featuring Ms. Fit and Cortez)
DJ the DJ, a Clubhouse battle rap influencer, noted that Swamp, Ooops, Ave, and Hitman Holla were others who had exceptional verses.
He said that “Swamp rapped and was very clever.” He also said, “Ooops skated on the track with his heavy attacks.” When talking about the Norfolk, VA rapper, he said that his “flow had a dope syncopation” and each of the disses were “pinpointed with accuracy.” DJ also liked Hitman’s polished approach showing why homie is the elite talent that BET and MTV adore.
Mt. Rushmore definite Loaded Lux had a “Target List Diss” song called “G.O.D.” Chilla Jones and B-Dot, two battlers who are in conversations to cop Lux’s crown, felt some kind of way and took shots back. This series is exceptional and contains the spirit of diss tracks from the 80s and 90s.
Loaded Lux, “G.O.D.”
Chilla Jones, “RE: Loaded”
B-Dot, “Grey Area”
Other target songs came from Bronx emcee’s, the young Cakelyfe god, Chess.
“Chess decided not to go the route of using Eazy’s “Top Tier” Beat, a track that the multi-talented artist produced,” Swayze commented. “He came with a NY Drill sound, keeping the energy going of diss songs and standing out.”
DJ agreed adding, “Chess also had a different flow while attacking several different opponents.”
Chess, “Set the Tone”
Tony Bro, a proud member of Omega Psi Phi, also weighed in breaking down the track, “Over a NY Drill beat, Chess documents his success, and embodies the fearlessness, and controlled chaos that made him a battle rap star. Most destructive of them all, there’s no games and all the name drops hit hard.”
Not only are these battle rap disses fire, but they are also great music. While some are looking at the COVID as opening up the streaming eras, real fans have dubbed this the PENdemic Era.
