Face-Off: Legendary Rap Battles

Get ready to rumble!

Face-Off Legendary Rap Battles - Diss tracks are for wimps. When rappers really put it on the line, they go face to face, toe to toe, in front of a crowd. That's why it was so shocking when rumors spread over the weekend that Meek Mill and Cassidy had agreed to battle. Meek Mill has just dropped his debut album, projected to sell almost 200,000 units; Cassidy is still looking to regain his musical footing after being released from jail last year. Meek certainly had more to lose. And surprise, surprise — Meek recently quashed the rumors. "I'm not battling none of these n---as thats not popping!" he tweeted. "I'm popping some of these ni---s gotta pay me 2 do dat!" Although Meek and Cass won't take it to the stage, many other rappers have put their money where their mic is. Here, we break down rap's most legendary face to face battles. Get ready to rumble! —Alex ...

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Face-Off Legendary Rap Battles - Diss tracks are for wimps. When rappers really put it on the line, they go face to face, toe to toe, in front of a crowd. That's why it was so shocking when rumors spread over the weekend that Meek Mill and Cassidy had agreed to battle. Meek Mill has just dropped his debut album, projected to sell almost 200,000 units; Cassidy is still looking to regain his musical footing after being released from jail last year. Meek certainly had more to lose. And surprise, surprise — Meek recently quashed the rumors. "I'm not battling none of these n---as thats not popping!" he tweeted. "I'm popping some of these ni---s gotta pay me 2 do dat!" Although Meek and Cass won't take it to the stage, many other rappers have put their money where their mic is. Here, we break down rap's most legendary face to face battles. Get ready to rumble! —Alex ...

Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee Starski - Kool Moe Dee's pure and simple destruction of Busy Bee onstage at Harlem World in 1981 was a pivotal moment in the development of battle rap. Busy was already a respected pioneer, but Kool Moe Dee was already miles ahead, introducing his revolutionary fast-rapping style and brutally dissing Bee for biting his name and his patented Zodiac shout-outs. All Busy could do was bitterly shout "shut up" on the mic. (Photos: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

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Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee - Way before YouTube and Hulkshare, this legendary showdown between two old-school titans was passed around by hand on old casette tapes for years. The battle, at Harlem World in 1981, was a changing of the guard, with Kool Moe Dee's pioneering "speed rapping" making mincemeat of the simpler, older styles of Busy Bee — who was reduced to shouting "shut up" while KMD went in.  (Photos: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Jay-Z vs. DMX - Back in the early '90s, Jay-Z and DMX went at it in a Bronx pool hall, rapping back and forth on a pool table. Though no clear victor emerged, years later, the lucky folks in attendance — Damon Dash, for one — still talk about the night in mythological terms. (Photos from left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images, Scott Harrison/Liaison)

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Jay-Z vs. DMX - Back in the early '90s, Jay-Z and DMX went at it in a Bronx pool hall, rapping back and forth on a pool table. Though no clear victor emerged, years later, the lucky folks in attendance — Damon Dash, for one — still talk about the night in mythological terms. (Photos from left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images, Scott Harrison/Liaison)

Calicoe vs. Loaded Lux - The Smack/URL battle this past summer went down in the hip hop history books for Harlem vet Loaded Lux's dismantling of Detroit upstart Calicoe, highlighted by its own "Summer Jam" moment — a pic of a semi-nude dude Calicoe posted to his Instagram — and Lex repeatedly warning his foe, "You gon' get this work!"(Photo: hiphopwired.com)

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Calicoe vs. Loaded Lux - The Smack/URL battle this past summer went down in the hip hop history books for Harlem vet Loaded Lux's dismantling of Detroit upstart Calicoe, highlighted by its own "Summer Jam" moment — a pic of a semi-nude dude Calicoe posted to his Instagram — and Lex repeatedly warning his foe, "You gon' get this work!"(Photo: hiphopwired.com)

Jin vs. Serius Jones - Jin is no doubt one of the best battlers of all time, but Serius Jones annihilated him at a Fight Klub battle by resorting to offensive Asian jokes, which practically reduced Jin to tears. All's fair in love and battles.(Photos from left: John Ricard/BET,Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

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Jin vs. Serius Jones - Jin is no doubt one of the best battlers of all time, but Serius Jones annihilated him at a Fight Klub battle by resorting to offensive Asian jokes, which practically reduced Jin to tears. All's fair in love and battles.(Photos from left: John Ricard/BET,Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

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Jae Millz vs. Murda Mook - This battle of two Uptown heavyweights was notable for the extreme real-life animosity between them, with both combatants rapping about increasingly personal details — girlfriends' sexual habits, high school beatdowns and all.(Photos from left: John Ricard/BET, Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

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Jae Millz vs. Murda Mook - This battle of two Uptown heavyweights was notable for the extreme real-life animosity between them, with both combatants rapping about increasingly personal details — girlfriends' sexual habits, high school beatdowns and all.(Photos from left: John Ricard/BET, Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Eminem vs. Rhymefest - Eminem's incredible career easily overshadows Rhymefest's, but it wasn't always that way: Back in the late '90s, Rhymefest defeated a then-unknown Slim at Cincinnati's Skribble Jam. (Photos from left: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson, John Ricard / Retna Ltd)

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Eminem vs. Rhymefest - Eminem's incredible career easily overshadows Rhymefest's, but it wasn't always that way: Back in the late '90s, Rhymefest defeated a then-unknown Slim at Cincinnati's Skribble Jam. (Photos from left: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson, John Ricard / Retna Ltd)

Juice vs. Eminem - Eminem took another L at the hands of Chicago MC at Skribble Jam in 1997, when he lost to Juice, who went on to win the competition and put his name in the underground history books.

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Juice vs. Eminem - Eminem took another L at the hands of Chicago MC at Skribble Jam in 1997, when he lost to Juice, who went on to win the competition and put his name in the underground history books.

Charles Hamilton vs. Serius Jones - Charles Hamilton added to his long list of fails when he called out Serius Jones, a respected vet on the battle circuit who was in the crowd watching the Harlem rapper perform at New York's SOBs nightclub in 2009. Serius proceeded to son Charles at his own show. (Photos from left: Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

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Charles Hamilton vs. Serius Jones - Charles Hamilton added to his long list of fails when he called out Serius Jones, a respected vet on the battle circuit who was in the crowd watching the Harlem rapper perform at New York's SOBs nightclub in 2009. Serius proceeded to son Charles at his own show. (Photos from left: Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

Cassidy vs. Freeway - The biggest notch in Cassidy's well-decorated battle-rap belt is fellow Philadelphian Freeway, who he demolished at a Swizz Beatz–hosted battle in 2001. (Photos from left: Frank Mullen/WireImage, John Ricard/BET)

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Cassidy vs. Freeway - The biggest notch in Cassidy's well-decorated battle-rap belt is fellow Philadelphian Freeway, who he demolished at a Swizz Beatz–hosted battle in 2001. (Photos from left: Frank Mullen/WireImage, John Ricard/BET)

E-N-J vs. Nyckz - This battle between two New York unknowns is a YouTube classic for two reasons: Nyckz' line "I'm stylin' on you," which quickly entered the rap slang lexicon, and E-N-J's sudden overreaction to it — a punch to the jaw. (Photo: Youtube)

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E-N-J vs. Nyckz - This battle between two New York unknowns is a YouTube classic for two reasons: Nyckz' line "I'm stylin' on you," which quickly entered the rap slang lexicon, and E-N-J's sudden overreaction to it — a punch to the jaw. (Photo: Youtube)