Rappers vs. Radio Stations: A History

The best of rappers fighting the dial.

Beef FM - Sure, rappers beef with one another — it’s a sport for many of our favorites — but radio stations are often times treated as beef-inducing entities, especially when entities within those radio stations are prone to having words with rappers. Drake, rap’s current Billboard-breaking artist, took part in this historical hip-hop tradition when, last week, he proclaimed his beef with legendary New York City hip-hop station Hot 97 by saying “F**k Hot 97” at his Madison Square Garden show. It all seemed to stem from Ebro Darden, a Hot 97 DJ, springing rumors of an Eminem and Drake rap beef on his morning show. Still, that didn’t stop Drake from bringing another disc jockey into the mix — Funkmaster Flex, who’s also a veteran in the beef arena. Let’s look back at some of hip-hop’s historical beefs with the radio airwaves. – Jon Reyes (Photos from left: Grant Lamos IV/Getty ...

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Beef FM - Sure, rappers beef with one another — it’s a sport for many of our favorites — but radio stations are often times treated as beef-inducing entities, especially when entities within those radio stations are prone to having words with rappers. Drake, rap’s current Billboard-breaking artist, took part in this historical hip-hop tradition when, last week, he proclaimed his beef with legendary New York City hip-hop station Hot 97 by saying “F**k Hot 97” at his Madison Square Garden show. It all seemed to stem from Ebro Darden, a Hot 97 DJ, springing rumors of an Eminem and Drake rap beef on his morning show. Still, that didn’t stop Drake from bringing another disc jockey into the mix — Funkmaster Flex, who’s also a veteran in the beef arena. Let’s look back at some of hip-hop’s historical beefs with the radio airwaves. – Jon Reyes (Photos from left: Grant Lamos IV/Getty ...

Jay Z vs. Funkmaster Flex - In 2015, when Flex went on the air and claimed that Jay Z’s Life + Times website took an idea of his for their own Samsung app, it prompted Jay Z to reach out to the DJ. Flex got really mad that Hov capitalized his name in that text and continued to rant on air about him. The DJ didn’t hold back, “In 2015, you are a commercial corporate rapper that drops a little catchphrase every three months. No, there’s nothing wrong with that. I think that’s super dope. Don’t talk to me funny in the text, bruh. I don’t work for you.”(Photos from left: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation, Brad Barket/Getty Images for Time Warner Cable)

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Jay Z vs. Funkmaster Flex - In 2015, when Flex went on the air and claimed that Jay Z’s Life + Times website took an idea of his for their own Samsung app, it prompted Jay Z to reach out to the DJ. Flex got really mad that Hov capitalized his name in that text and continued to rant on air about him. The DJ didn’t hold back, “In 2015, you are a commercial corporate rapper that drops a little catchphrase every three months. No, there’s nothing wrong with that. I think that’s super dope. Don’t talk to me funny in the text, bruh. I don’t work for you.”(Photos from left: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation, Brad Barket/Getty Images for Time Warner Cable)

50 Cent vs. Ebro Darden - Fif isn’t a stranger to beef. This past February, Ebro was on the receiving end when the rapper claimed the DJ said 50 Cent destroyed New York City hip-hop. All of this transpired on 50 Cent’s Instagram, of course.(Photos from left: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for DuJour, Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for D'USSE)

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50 Cent vs. Ebro Darden - Fif isn’t a stranger to beef. This past February, Ebro was on the receiving end when the rapper claimed the DJ said 50 Cent destroyed New York City hip-hop. All of this transpired on 50 Cent’s Instagram, of course.(Photos from left: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for DuJour, Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for D'USSE)

Nas vs. Hot 97 - This beef is tied into Nas’s beef with Jay Z. It all started when Hot 97 wouldn’t allow the rapper to lynch a doll replica of Jay Z at the radio station’s infamous Summer Jam in 2002. Nas canceled his performance and went over to the competing station, Power 105, and eviscerated Hot. (Photos from left: Rich Polk/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Television, Hot 97)

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Nas vs. Hot 97 - This beef is tied into Nas’s beef with Jay Z. It all started when Hot 97 wouldn’t allow the rapper to lynch a doll replica of Jay Z at the radio station’s infamous Summer Jam in 2002. Nas canceled his performance and went over to the competing station, Power 105, and eviscerated Hot. (Photos from left: Rich Polk/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Television, Hot 97)

Birdman vs. The Breakfast Club - A recent beef (and one of the most hilarious) was between Birdman and the unsuspecting Breakfast Club on Power 105. The rapper-slash-mogul had beef with the morning show for covering statements from other rappers about Birdman. When Birdman showed up for an interview, he sat in his chair with his arms crossed and appeared to be sulking. When Charlamagne asked him to elaborate on his beef with the DJs, he now infamously answered with variations of putting “some respek" on his name.(Photo: Power 105.1) 

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Birdman vs. The Breakfast Club - A recent beef (and one of the most hilarious) was between Birdman and the unsuspecting Breakfast Club on Power 105. The rapper-slash-mogul had beef with the morning show for covering statements from other rappers about Birdman. When Birdman showed up for an interview, he sat in his chair with his arms crossed and appeared to be sulking. When Charlamagne asked him to elaborate on his beef with the DJs, he now infamously answered with variations of putting “some respek" on his name.(Photo: Power 105.1) 

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Wendy Williams vs. Lil' Kim - This one is a retroactive beef that dates all the way back to when Biggie was alive. A scandalous revelation was made after Wendy Williams poked fun at Lil' Kim’s changing appearance on her TV show in 2013. Lil' Kim took to her Twitter and revealed that the former radio DJ had performed oral sex on the Notorious B.I.G. So Kim has had beef with the former radio DJ since before Wendy’s fame peaked in the late '90s.(Photos from left: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for VH1, Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Lane Bryant)

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Wendy Williams vs. Lil' Kim - This one is a retroactive beef that dates all the way back to when Biggie was alive. A scandalous revelation was made after Wendy Williams poked fun at Lil' Kim’s changing appearance on her TV show in 2013. Lil' Kim took to her Twitter and revealed that the former radio DJ had performed oral sex on the Notorious B.I.G. So Kim has had beef with the former radio DJ since before Wendy’s fame peaked in the late '90s.(Photos from left: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for VH1, Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Lane Bryant)

Photo By Photos from left: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for VH1

Nicki Minaj vs. Hot 97 - Peter Rosenberg was really mad that Nicki Minaj made a pop song called “Starships” – so mad that he went on stage and dissed the song and inadvertently dissed Nicki at the very concert she was performing at. Well, Nicki pulled out of 2012’s Summer Jam at the last minute and then went on the radio to have a conversation with Rosenberg that involved him refusing to apologize.(Photos from left: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, Hot 97)

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Nicki Minaj vs. Hot 97 - Peter Rosenberg was really mad that Nicki Minaj made a pop song called “Starships” – so mad that he went on stage and dissed the song and inadvertently dissed Nicki at the very concert she was performing at. Well, Nicki pulled out of 2012’s Summer Jam at the last minute and then went on the radio to have a conversation with Rosenberg that involved him refusing to apologize.(Photos from left: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, Hot 97)

Funkmaster Flex vs. Interscope - Flex went real deep with this one in 2009. His beef with one Interscope Records executive prompted him to blacklist all Interscope Records artists from being played on Hot 97, indirectly making him beef with all the artists on that label. Nothing really came of it, especially since Ebro Darden, Hot 97’s then-program director, commented “We’ve never held back on a whole label’s music and we won’t.” Welp, that’s a Flex L.(Photos from left: Robert Reiners/Getty Images, Interscope Records)

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Funkmaster Flex vs. Interscope - Flex went real deep with this one in 2009. His beef with one Interscope Records executive prompted him to blacklist all Interscope Records artists from being played on Hot 97, indirectly making him beef with all the artists on that label. Nothing really came of it, especially since Ebro Darden, Hot 97’s then-program director, commented “We’ve never held back on a whole label’s music and we won’t.” Welp, that’s a Flex L.(Photos from left: Robert Reiners/Getty Images, Interscope Records)

Puff Daddy vs. Angie Martinez - This one is a low-key beef that’s been sort of uncovered over the years. Legendary radio personality Angie Martinez has never outright declared it but she wasn’t all that crazy about Puff Daddy over the years. In her memoir My Voice, she did elaborate that it had a lot to do with former Bad Boy-affiliated artist Shyne’s incarceration. Things between the DJ and mogul seemed to have hit a point of no return after The Lox went on Angie’s show back in 2005 to express their issues with Puffy. Since then, the pair have patched up their relationship.(Photos from left: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation, Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Haute Living) 

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Puff Daddy vs. Angie Martinez - This one is a low-key beef that’s been sort of uncovered over the years. Legendary radio personality Angie Martinez has never outright declared it but she wasn’t all that crazy about Puff Daddy over the years. In her memoir My Voice, she did elaborate that it had a lot to do with former Bad Boy-affiliated artist Shyne’s incarceration. Things between the DJ and mogul seemed to have hit a point of no return after The Lox went on Angie’s show back in 2005 to express their issues with Puffy. Since then, the pair have patched up their relationship.(Photos from left: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation, Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Haute Living) 

Method Man vs. Wendy Williams - Over the years it’s been made quite clear to the media that Method Man’s family members are off limits. Back in 2006, Wendy was one of the first on the receiving end of Method Man’s wrath when she revealed that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. Well, Method Man didn’t stay quiet and proceeded to bad mouth the DJ many times. (Photos from left: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Lane Bryant, Jason Merritt/Getty Images) 

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Method Man vs. Wendy Williams - Over the years it’s been made quite clear to the media that Method Man’s family members are off limits. Back in 2006, Wendy was one of the first on the receiving end of Method Man’s wrath when she revealed that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. Well, Method Man didn’t stay quiet and proceeded to bad mouth the DJ many times. (Photos from left: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Lane Bryant, Jason Merritt/Getty Images) 

Star vs. Jay Z - Star has been pretty bad over the years when it comes to controversy. Between playing plane sound effects while announcing Aaliyah’s passing or his massive blunder that involved threatening DJ Envy’s family and children, the term #nofilter is stretched beyond its limits when it comes to Star. So it goes without saying he’s no stranger to rappers beefing with him. Over the years, he’s gone pretty far when talking about Jay Z by claiming the rapper was actually 50 years old and that HOV sold him cocaine multiple times. Yikes.(Photos from left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images, Enid Alvarez/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

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Star vs. Jay Z - Star has been pretty bad over the years when it comes to controversy. Between playing plane sound effects while announcing Aaliyah’s passing or his massive blunder that involved threatening DJ Envy’s family and children, the term #nofilter is stretched beyond its limits when it comes to Star. So it goes without saying he’s no stranger to rappers beefing with him. Over the years, he’s gone pretty far when talking about Jay Z by claiming the rapper was actually 50 years old and that HOV sold him cocaine multiple times. Yikes.(Photos from left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images, Enid Alvarez/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)