Los Angeles, Ca
California rap beef: What is the history of it?
Rap beefs have been around for decades and although they are nothing new, the ongoing feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake has sparked renewed interest in musical altercations.
What is a rap beef?
A rap beef can be defined as a feud between rappers who create songs with the primary purpose of verbally attacking each other. The songs are known as diss tracks and can be a display of lyrical superiority for artists — and entertainment heaven for fans.
What are some popular rap beefs in California?
While multiple reports credit New York as being the home state to rap beef, California rappers have chimed into their fair share of popular wars of words.
Ice Cube vs. N.W.A
The late 1980s feud beef between Ice Cube and his former group, NWA, was a legendary rap beef with roots in California. N.W.A originated in 1987 with some hip-hop icons such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince. Most of the members grew up together in Compton.
Tensions rose when Ice Cube left the group because of disagreements about money, according to americansongwriter.com. In an interview with Thrasher Magazine, Ice Cube said he would “rather be broke than be in a major group and not be getting paid right.”
His departure from N.W.A led to a rivalry between him and his former group mates and the 1991 release of what is still considered to be one of the greatest diss records of all time, “No Vaseline.”
2pac vs. Biggie
Tupac Shakur (2pac) vs. Christopher Wallace (Notorious B.I.G or Biggie) is remembered by many to be the greatest, and most tragic, rap beef of all time. Tupac, 24, was signed to a California-based label, and Biggie, 25, was from New York. The two went back and forth through their music from 1994-1996.
They started off as collaborators, but a beef was sparked after 2pac was ambushed and wounded at a New York City recording studio in 1994. He alleged that Biggie and P. Diddy were responsible for it, according to the Associated Press. Several legendary diss tracks stemmed from their feud such as “Who Shot Ya,” by Biggie and “Hit em Up,” by 2pac.
The West Coast vs. East Coast rivalry ended in September of 1996 when 2pac was gunned down in Las Vegas. Six months later, Biggy would suffer the same fate when he was fatally shot in Los Angeles. Their deaths were a blow to the hip-hop world, and although it has been almost 30 years, many fans of the genre agree there’s a void in the rap industry that still resonates today.
The Game vs. 50 Cent
The war of words between Jayceon Taylor (The Game) and Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) is one of the longest and most notorious hip-hop beefs in history. This was another West Side vs. East Side battle with The Game being from Compton and 50 Cent from New York. According to BET.com, their beef officially started in 2005 when 50 Cent went on the Hot 97 radio show and announced that The Game, who was signed to his label, was getting kicked off.
In response, The Game showed up to the radio building to confront 50 Cent but was blocked by security from going inside, according to complex.com. The outdoor altercation led to a shootout between the two sides and one person from The Game’s camp was injured.
Following the incident, 50 Cent did several interviews where he took jabs at The Game. He accused The Game of being an exotic dancer with no street credit and a host of other things. In response, The Game launched a campaign called G-Unot, a mockery of 50 Cent’s label and brand, G-Unit. It also birthed a nearly 15-minute iconic diss track by The Game, 300 Bars and Running.
The beef lasted for several years, until The Game publicly apologized in 2016 during a show in Los Angeles, according to XXL.com. However, it was seemingly reignited in 2022 when The Game called 50 Cent a profane name on stage.
Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake
2024 is the current host of one of the wildest rap beefs in recent years – Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake. Their animosity toward each other goes back to 2013 when Kendrick Lamar included a line in a song that said he wanted to murder Drake and other popular rappers when it came to music, according to KTLA.
At the time, Lamar claimed the bar was figurative and friendly competition, but fast forward over a decade later and things between the two are far from friendly. Over the last several weeks nearly 10 diss tracks have been dropped between the two rappers. From allegations of domestic violence and child abuse to plastic surgery and more – the limits of disrespect toward each other have been endless. On May 3 alone, four songs were released within 24 hours which has had fans on the edge of their seats to see what will happen next.
Do rappers start beef for publicity or monetary gain?
Although there has not been any hard evidence of staged rap beefs recorded, it cannot be denied that music labels benefit from the extra sales and streams garnered from music feuds.
For example, Drake is signed to Universal Music Group. Kendrick Lamar is signed to his own label called pgLang. pgLang is a partner of Interscope Records which is owned by Universal Music Group. Essentially, the two are label brothers under Universal – and most of their recently released diss tracks are available for consumption on YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify and SoundCloud.
With all the extra focus on their ongoing beef, Universal Music Group is most likely swimming in a pool of new revenue from the unprecedented number of diss tracks dropped and streamed from their artist’s rap beef.
In fact, the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef has been so successful that several of their new releases are in the top 20 of Billboard’s top 100 songs, and Kendrick Lamar recently broke Drake’s 2021 Spotify record for most streams in one day – over 6 million streams.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. Jewish institution among targets of foiled terrorist attack, U.S. officials say
A Jewish institution in Los Angeles was among the locations targeted in a recently foiled terrorism plot, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced this week.
The thwarted terrorist attacks were the result of the recent arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah, U.S. officials said.
“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander for the terrorist organization, Kata’ib Hizballah, faces serious charges for his role in numerous attacks against U.S. interests across the globe, including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil,” Clayton said. “As alleged, for years, Al-Saadi committed himself to furthering the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, two terrorist organizations dedicated to harming the United States and its allies.”
Al-Saadi recently attempted to carry out attacks in the U.S., officials said, including attacks at Jewish cultural places of interest in New York, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reads. “… Those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil should take note: the whole of the federal government is committed to dismantling terrorist organizations and bringing their members to justice.”
In a three-month period, Al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe, including bombings, arson, and assaults targeting American citizens and points of interest. Prior to his arrest, national security officials say he was planning similar attacks on U.S. soil. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that Al-Saadi “presented a serious threat to our national security.”
The European attacks included the bombing of the Bank of New York Mellon, an American bank, in Amsterdam on March 15. On April 29, two Jewish men, one of whom was a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed and seriously injured in London.
In 2020, Al-Saadi took to social media, calling for others to attack and kill Americans in retribution for the deaths of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, U.S. officials said. In more recent months, Al-Saadi allegedly used social media to encourage the killing of Americans and Jews to further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“In or about February 2026, for example, AL-SAADI posted on one of his social media accounts a message in Arabic, which read in part, ‘Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel. Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.’” U.S. officials said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed that one of the U.S. targets was a Manhattan synagogue. On April 3, Al-Saadi allegedly spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer whom Al-Saadi believed could carry out attacks in the U.S. That same day, Al-Saadi allegedly texted the undercover officers photographs and maps showing the exact location of a prominent Jewish synagogue in New York City.
Officials have not said what specific locations in L.A. and Arizona were targeted by the terrorist group.
Al-Saadi now faces numerous charges for these crimes in U.S. court. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
The case is under investigation by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, and more than 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Investigators also received help from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
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