You may have seen rap beef percolating on timelines and feeds once again. No, it’s not another chapter in Drake v. Kendrick Lamar. Instead, long-time NYC hip-hop staple Joey Badass and recent TDE product Ray Vaughn are in the ring. How did we get here, and what have we seen so far?
The genesis of the Ray Vaughn Joey Badass beef was “The Ruler’s Back,” a loose single released at the very top of the year. In broad strokes, Joey Badass was more asserting his and the East Coast’s supremacy anew following a year filled with admiration for the West Coast. On top of some traditional boasts and flexes, the imperative lyric here is its most pointed: accusing the public and genre of too much “West Coast d*** lickin’.”
The West Coast Responds To “The Ruler’s Back”
Being a record with such a wide aperture, the moment largely landed as a competitive warm-up rather than anything too focused. However, TDE’s Ray Vaughn stepped up just a week later with “Crashout Heritage,” remixing Lamar’s “The Heart Pt. 6.” In rounding up some of the rappers who showed support to Drake amid his feud with his former label mate, Vaughn snuck in some choice words for some pointed yet still somewhat playful lyrics at the Pro Era head: “The only badass the world was recognizin’ is Boosie.”
While Daylyt, battle rapper and accredited West Coaster, would get in on the action with “HIYU” shortly before, those two tracks from either side essentially set the stage for the main event: Joey Badass’ Red Bull Freestyle, where Ray Vaughn and the TDE syndicate are truer in the crosshairs. “I ain’t gotta lose no sleep to break Daylyt,” or “shine a light on ’em, imma light Ray,” or “If you need the attention, tell Top he gotta pay.”
The Most Recent Jabs
For specifically calling out Ray Vaughn by name, Joey Badass received a response in kind just days later via “Hoe Era.” We should note that, even as things became more pointed, the fact that Vaughn utilizes the hyphy, West Coast sound for his earnest retaliation still coats the entire affair in the air of a coastal conflict, something that helps illuminate the principal players as more step into the fray. Nonetheless, the TDE signee unquestionably ups the ante in terms of barbs: “you should act more, you should rap less,” “don’t let Power get your TV turned off,” or the most salacious, “you let Ice Spice turn into the king of New York.” If we’re handing out superlatives, Vaughn’s latest is hands-down the best produced and most listenable.
Though it didn’t come from either of the two individuals in the spotlight, chronologically, Reason’s “The Dead Apple” should come up in this conversation, an incredibly clever and inventive three-part track where, instead of Badass in particular, the new shift in hip-hop back to the West is in focus. Iconic moments like Jadakiss’ Versuz performance and Ja Rule’s anthemic “New York” made appearances underneath more characteristically stellar wordplay.
Finally, the most recent shot: “The Finals,” where Joey Badass at long last takes the gloves off and goes at Ray Vaughn directly. What Joey’s most recent may lack in bounce and wide appeal, it more than makes up for with wordplay: “You was cloned in the lab, you artificial / You known for your label, not because your art official,” “It’s ’bout time Top let your ass off of the leash / Signed for five years had your biggest moment from me,” “Said I wouldn’t talk about your pockets but aye, man / You need a optician just to see Ray bands.”
Where The Ray Vaughn – Joey Badass Beef Goes From Here
Though we now sit at a few days since the back-to-back of “The Finals” and “Hoe Era,” we can safely say that things remain unsettled. In particular, battle rapper Daylyt continues to tease his own personal response, and given how pointed both Ray Vaughn and Joey Badass were in their most recent efforts, there’s still plenty left for either side to address.
Especially considering the connective tissue in Ab-Soul, in a not-too-distant world, it’d be easy to imagine any three of these West Coast artists working with Joey Badass. Obviously, that premise becomes a lot more complicated with these circumstances, but it’s to say that there isn’t a long history of tensions under the surface that the general public is aware of, likely another tally towards this remaining more of a competitive endeavor than anything incredibly personal. For those hoping for the fireworks of “Not Like Us” and last years festivities, it’s bad news, but all four of these gentlemen are very much on the way up—keeping it sport should be an opportunity to raise profiles a bit, showcase talent, and come out stronger on the other side.
