Ex Factor: When Artists Diss Exes Musically
Music stars strike back at their former flames.
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Ex Factor: When Artists Diss Exes Musically - The usual beef stewing that happens on stage at Summer Jam was noticeably missing this year — except for the bit of shade A$AP Ferg threw at Teyana Taylor when he rapped, "You know who got big tits — Teyana / S---ed on them when I lived out in Harlem / Got signed by Pharrell and started acting like a prima donna." Backstage, his A$AP mob mate Rocky deigned there was any relationship between Ferg and Tey, but if there was, he joins a long list of artists who use their music to rankle their exes. Click on to see what we mean.(Photos: John Ricard / BET)
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Nas, "The Strong Will Continue" - Nas famoulsy got personal about his divorce from Kelis on "Bye Baby," but that wasn't the only time he went at his former "Milkshake." In 2010, a new version of "The Strong Will Continue," from his Distant Relatives project with Damien Marley, hit the Web featuring a new verse from Nas: "How in the hell am I supposed to stay comfy/When I pay child support, alimony monthly…So I've stuck with some married women so fine, cheating while their husband rushing on the 40-yard line/Wonder if this is what my ex did the whole time."(Photos: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images; Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for TwoFour54)
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Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak - Kanye West's depressing fourth album used his breakup from fiancée Alexis Phifer as fodder, at times getting shockingly personal and specific, calling her "a spoiled little L.A. girl" on "Robocop." (Photo: Courtesy Roc-A-Fella Records)
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Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Yeezy seemed to use his love life for inspiration once again on this 2010 follow-up to 808s. Many songs seemed subtly directed at his ex, former stripper Amber Rose, particularly "Hell of a Life," in which he talks about how he "fell in love with a porn star." So appalled. (Photos: Maxppp/Landov; Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
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Rihanna, "Love the Way You Lie" - Eminem and Rihanna's smash 2010 duet "Love the Way You Lie" took on domestic violence, with her infamous 2009 beating at the hands of ex Chris Brown as the unspoken, but obvious, backdrop.(Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Entertainment Industry Foundation)
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Chris Brown, "Theraflu" Freestyle - Breezy just can't help himself. The singer, and sometimes recreational rapper, seemingly took shots at Rihanna on the instrumental to "Theraflu," rapping, “Don't f--k with my old b---h, it's like a bad fur/Every industry n---a done had her/Shook the tree like a pumpkin just to smash her/B---h is breaking codes, but I'm the password." (Photo: Christopher Polk/Billboards2012/Getty Images for ABC)
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Joe Budden, "Ordinary Love S--t Pt. 3 (Closure)" - Rap has rarely been as scathingly personal as this 2010 leak from Joe Budden. Over Frank Ocean's "Novocane" instrumental, Joe went in on his ex, model Esther Baxter, rapping about their unborn twins, her restraining order against him and her affair with NFL player Derrick Ward. (Photos: John Ricard/BET; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Usher, "Papers" - Usher's 2009 single "Papers" addresses his divorce from Tameka Foster-Raymond head-on: "For you I gave my heart and turned my back against the world/'Cause you were my girl, girl, girl, I done damn near lost my mama, I done been through so much drama/I done turned into the man I never thought I'd be/I'm ready to sign them papers." Interestingly, co-writer Sean Garrett said he penned the song before he even knew that the singer’s marriage was disintegrating. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Adele, 21 - Adele had the last laugh after a devastating break-up with her partner. The U.K. chanteuse's sophomore album, 21, which explores her feelings after the split, sold over 20 million copies worldwide and won multiple Grammys. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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Junior M.A.F.I.A., "Get Money" - We'll always love you Big Poppa, but this was ice-cold. The video for this classic seemed to be an extended diss of Big's then estranged wife, singer Faith Evans. Femcee Charli Baltimore starred in the video as a money-hungry philanderer wearing a blonde wig. And to make matters worse, Biggie later had an affair with Baltimore. Dead wrong. (Photo: Courtesy Atlantic Records)
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Marvin Gaye, Here, My Dear - In a bitter divorce settlement, Gaye, who was having money problems due to drug use and extravagant spending, agreed to give his ex-wife, Anna Gordy, half of the royalties from his next album. The result was 1978's Here, My Dear, which featured acerbic, detailed, shockingly personal songs like "You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You" and "I Met a Little Girl," which ends with the lyric "Hallelujah, I'm free."(Photo: Courtesy Motown Records)