10 Most Important Beefs In Hip-hop History

Regularly touted as the fathers of mainstream gangsta rap as we'd come to know it, Dr Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E, MC Ren and DJ Yella; collectively known as NWA, had a seismic effect on the music industry as a whole and left a trail of controversy wherever they roamed.

With records sales beyond their wildest dreams and their infamy continuing to grow, Ice Cube began to grow suspicious of the amount of money that they were receiving and brought his concerns to the rest of the group. Managed by Eazy E's business partner and founder of Ruthless Records' Jerry Heller, the rapper's frustrations continued to mount and would eventually result in an acrimonious split between Cube and the rest of the group.

Whilst the West Coast rapper decided to decamp to New York to record his debut solo album Amerikkka's Most Wanted and distance himself from his former friends and collaborators, the remaining members of NWA went on the offensive and assaulted him throughout the course of their 100 Miles and Runnin' EP and ELI4ZAGGIN album.

With the group labelling the allegedly traitorous Ice Cube as 'Benedict Arnold' and an 'Ice T wannabe', the ordeal awoke a slumbering beast within him and resulted in the release of 'No Vaseline', one of the most fearsome diss tracks ever released and one which stands the test of time to this day.

Targeting each individual member of the group as well as his former manager, it would be years before Dr Dre and Ice Cube would settle their differences but it is widely reported that he and Eazy E ended their feud at New York's The Tunnel nightclub prior to Eazy's untimely death from AIDS.