feud for thought

This Week in Rap Beefs: Benzino Smells Like Old People

Why’s Young Buck so mad? Who used Diddy as a peacekeeper? And what’s a “Benzino”? Answers to these questions and more in our latest rankings of the week in rap attacks.

3. Young Buck versus 50 Cent
Say What? Buck’s been waging a battle with 50 ever since getting booted from G-Unit, and he kicked off the New Year with a redoubling of his efforts, including three new diss tracks.
The Takeaway: The songs all have requisite gun talk, but nothing really sticks. And it’s cool when the Game makes fun of 50’s sale numbers, but coming from a guy like Young Buck — who’d probably dump hot sauce in his mother’s eyes for 160,000 in the first week — it’s downright silly. Also, Buck’s going to need some actual dirt on 50 if he’s ever going to live down those weepy phone calls.

2. Rick Ross versus Floyd Mayweather
Say What? Hey, you won’t believe it, but 50 Cent’s involved in this one, too! Rick Ross’s beef with Floyd Mayweather is an offshoot of his problems with the boxer’s pal 50 (basically, Ross called Mayweather’s finances into question, and Mayweather took issue with Ross having a beard). Last weekend, words almost turned to blows when both dudes’ entourages collided at the Vanity nightclub in Vegas. Obviously, Diddy was there to break things up.
The Takeaway: We know no actual fighting went down, but we’re impressed by the less-than-healthy-looking Ross’s willingness to engage in a confrontation with someone who gets paid millions of dollars to punch people in the face as hard as he can.

1. Royce da 5’9” versus Benzino
Say What? Okay, now we’re really getting into the hip-hop marginalia. Benzino, the unfamous rapper best known for his unsuccessful attacks on Eminem and for co-founding The Source, recently called into question the rapping ability of Slaughterhouse, the indie-rap supergroup featuring Royce da 5’9”. Crooked I, another member of Slaughterhouse, suggested it has something to do with the group not giving Benzino’s new publication, Hip Hop Weekly, any access. More likely, it’s the exceedingly irrelevant Benzino just trying to get some attention.
The Takeaway: Royce’s YouTube response in which he calls out Benzino’s “retirement-home stench” and then pulls out a rocket launcher was one of the more entertaining things we saw this week. Royce takes it!

This Week in Rap Beefs: Benzino Smells Like Old People