One of the most beautiful elements of hip-hop is the competitive nature that permeates the genre. It’s totally unique in music. Do you think Beethoven was sneak dissin Mozart for biting Bach’s compositions? Has Vince Gill ever fired shots at George Strait? I would drop all sorts of cash to see Stevie Wonder battle Morris Day, but that will never happen (probably).
Of course, hip-hop is a different animal— and animalistic may be the best way to describe the “kill or be killed”, sometimes literally, mentality of MCs everywhere.
Philadelphia rappers Meek Mill (of Maybach Music Group) and Cassidy (formally of Ruff Ryders and Full Surface) are currently involved in the most noteworthy feud of the moment.
To recap, the two started beefing over who would win a hypothetical rap battle between them. Each said they would put up 10 stacks, but the battle never came to fruition. However, allegations of sneak disses began to surface and after Meek openly clowned Cassidy’s “Condom Style” record, the beef was on officially.
Sidebar: Recently, Cassidy has been getting right with God and embracing his faith. This, in the wake of serving 15 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter and after surviving a near fatal car accident seven months upon his release. It’s with this in mind that Cass has made a conscious effort to convey more positive messages in his songs, such as “Condom Style”. Also, for what it’s worth, Cass supposedly has a major endorsement deal with Trojan lined up after making this record. Can’t knock the hustle, Meek.
Cassidy also felt that Meek Mill has changed since making it big with MMG. He provides a much more detailed account of their fallout in this interview with The Breakfast Club (Cass has also made it known that although he believes Meek was disrespectful, this beef is strictly on wax and it would not result in a physical altercation if they ran into one another):
After denying that his track, “The Diary of a Hustla” was not directed at Meek, Cass would drop “Me, Myself & iPhone” on December 22, an obvious shot at Rick Ross’ protégé.
Though most observers seem to feel that a battle or any kind of beef on wax would favor Cassidy, this diss received modest feedback, at best. However, after weeks of jokes and social media banter, Meek would put out “Repo” on the day after Christmas; a nasty record that featured a few tough punchlines including, “Real nigga/All I know is ‘get a lot of cash’/I took you hatin nigga’s spot, that’s why you probably mad”, and “Been a dead man, so I’ma dig you out the earth, nigga/Just to stuff your skeleton right back in the dirt, nigga/What you made this year?/What you worth, nigga?/I dropped Dreams and Nightmares, I made ‘Church’, nigga/I did ‘I’ma Boss’/Youngin’ set the summer off/Now these old niggas mad at me cuz they fallin’ off”.
This cut definitely had the sound and feel of a true diss record, unlike Cassidy’s iPhone song (both Kevin Durant & Dion Waiters approved of it on twitter). Still, for all this track has in terms of production quality and intent to harm, it was lacking in some ways. Primarily, there was an excessive amount of money talk on “Repo”, which is a predictable stance to take from a guy that’s new to the industry and is hot right now. It would’ve be nice to hear more consistent verbal attacks on Cass’ career or rhymes, rather than simply attempting to compare bank statements.
Sidebar: In Meek Mill’s defense, this is a trend in hip-hop that has gone unaddressed for far too long. When two rappers engage in a battle on wax, sure it’s fine for one of them to reference the 0’s in the account once in awhile if it’s in their best interest. But to make a habit out of it just comes off as lazy. Fans can typically guess who’s raking in more dough at the present time, so pointing that out repeatedly on the same diss record is only redundant and unimaginative.
Apparently, enough was enough for Cass. He put out his 10 minute response entitled “R.A.I.D. (Robert Ass Is Dead)” this week and had the rap world buzzing. It included an old Meek interview where he claims Cassidy would body any rapper in a battle.
Again and again, “The Problem” would take shots at Meek Mill’s diss record…
“Why you drop that song ‘Repo’? That was a wack look/The streets know them people need to repo your rap book.”
his label…
“And Meek, how you gon’ wage war?/When the GDs made MMG shut down they paid tour?”
his past…
“Member when you used to run up on me like, ‘Cass, please listen to my song?’/You used to play the shit/like, ‘This a hit, Cass’/I was thinking, ‘Man, that shit trash, why you lay this shit?”
his present…
“And we know/I turned to Christ like Tebow/But in jail was the only time I hung around a CO (Ungghh!)”
And his future if the beef continues…
“The meek shall inherit the Earth/Well that’s exactly what Meek gon’ inherit when he buried in dirt.”
Obviously, Meek Mill was unimpressed with the lengthy lyrical execution exhibition. But “R.A.I.D.” has put the young MC in the precarious situation of deciding whether or not to bust a move (See what I did there?).
When is it appropriate for an established artist to battle with another rapper (either by exchanging diss records, or by having a traditional battle)?
On the left, you’ll find what “a boss” looks like prior to scoring his first hit
Meek Mill is on right now, which is so incredibly difficult to do in music (unless you’re Trinidad James), especially in hip-hop, because the landscape changes so frenetically. Everything is always about the next hot artist and the next new single; maintaining relevancy for say five years is a feat that should be commended more than it has been historically. For instance, Cassidy had a nice run from 2003-2007, and that was while overcoming the aforementioned case he caught and his car accident. While Meek has mocked “Tha Hustla” for not being hot at the moment, do we know for certain that Meek will still be in the limelight in 2016?
It would be difficult to say that we do at this point.
So it’s safe to assume that Meek Mill has much more to lose from this conflict. By taking an L to Cassidy on wax or in a battle, Meek would stand to surrender much of the credibility he’s built up in the streets over the last 18 months. This could translate into diminished record sales and, possibly, could evolve into a career-altering incident.
Meek Mill also has to weigh the effects his decision to further pursue a battle with Cassidy would have on his label-mates. Few groups are shining like MMG right now, but is this really what the group needs? With Wale making perfume records, Ross’ pathological lying at an all-time high and with the group putting a halt to their tour seemingly in the wake of the GDs situation, MMG is in danger of jeopardizing their street cred— street cred that Meek was primarily bringing to the table. To back out of a Cass feud at this point, or to go all in on Cass and lose, would go a long way towards changing the narrative to:
Maybach Music Group is soft.
Which is fine, for the record, if a group does not purport itself to be something different. But that ship sailed long ago. The G.O.O.D. Music family, for example, never claimed to be the hardest rappers on the block and (with the exception of Pusha T) have not built their careers on excessive gunplay/dope dealing talk. Yet that’s exactly the type of lifestyle that Ross & Meek claimed to have come from. Thus, by backing down or taking an L to one man, Meek is putting his label’s reputation in the crossfire (especially since Cass threatened all of MMG at the end of R.A.I.D.).
There is, however, the flip side of this situation: Can Meek Mill win? And what then if he does?
As long as an actual battle between the two never occurs (it would be STUNNING if it actually did), the people will ultimately decide who got the upper-hand. Milli’s current status in the rap game goes a long way towards helping his cause. His sheer popularity gives him an advantage because the public is already on his side.
Sidebar: It would be the equivalent to Vegas making the 49ers three point favorites over the Packers this weekend because the Niners are at home. The teams are basically equals, but the home team typically gets the three, so the Vegas line on this beef would have to look something like: Cassidy at Meek Mill -3.
This is most likely why Cassidy’s beat for “Me, Myself & iPhone” was weak by diss record standards, while Meek’s beat for “Repo” was way hotter. Cass knew what time it was, which is why he rhymed over several classic beats on “R.A.I.D.” as opposed to seeking out, then shelling out dollars for an original production.
If Meek Mill can step up the amount of vicious punchlines in his raps and continue to lean on the advantages that come with being affiliated with a major group (I know this was criticized somewhat earlier, but it’s his best chance), he can definitely pull this off. A win over a respected rapper with a graveyard of MCs on his resumé would certainly solidify his spot in the rap game, although it likely wouldn’t lead to any more commercial success.
But he’s in Cassidy’s wheelhouse now (who by the way has nothing to lose and everything to gain from this beef…are we sure this isn’t just a hoax to get Cass back on?) and we know he’s got the heart to toe-tag another Philly rapper. Anybody familiar with the rap game knows that Cass brings the heat to the booth pretty much at all times. After dropping “R.A.I.D.”, he’s crushing Meek Mill at this point and he’s gone so far as to advise Milli not to respond. So Meek is left with a decision that could impact not only his career, but the careers of those around him as well.
The last two years, Meek Mill has been living the dream…but he now may be living a nightmare.