Music Digital Beef 101: How To Win A YouTube Video Battle

What’s beef, anyway? Is it talking greasy about your daughter for having octuplets after already having six kids? Is it slagging on your tween pop-sensation colleague? Prolly not, but that doesn’t stop everyone and their artificially-inseminated grandmother from taking their feuds to YouTube.

If you’re gonna go the digital route, though, you might want to take a second and get familiar with the new art of war, as pioneered by the original catfighters: rappers! Read on to see the 5 best ways to win a shit-talking video battle…

Style Who Wore It Worst? Shawty Lo vs. Fabolous

The red-and-black Lumberjack, with the hat to match.

LEFT: Shawty Lo, Dirty Awards, ATL, Nov. 24

RIGHT: Fabolous, Get Out The Vote Party, NYC, Oct. 30

Who wore it worse? Vote and learn about their jackets below…

Music Shawty Lo & T.I. Spar At Birthday Bash

Photo: Julia Beverly/Ozone Magazine

This past weekend at Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash, the biggest night in Atlanta hip-hop, the city’s superstars all came out to perform at the Phillips Arena. Predictably, the show’s most talked about moments were the subliminal messages sent back and forth by Shawty Lo and T.I., who have been quietly feuding over Tip’s allegiance to Bankhead.

Lo started his set off by showing a video which depicted him running from a federal agent, who was played by an actor that reportedly resembles T.I. After performing the “Dey Know” remix with Ludacris, he ended his set with a screen that said “A New King Has Been Born,” an obvious jab at T.I.’s “King of The South” title. Tip’s headlining set included a vague response to his critics and a performance of “No Matter What” where he immitated Shawty Lo’s running man dance. See videos of both below.

Music Shawty Lo Answers T.I. On The “Foolish” Remix

This week will be remembered as the moment when the T.I./Shawty Lo beef finally came out of the closet. After throwing subliminals at each other for the last year, they both publicly acknowledged the tension for the first time in separate radio interviews'Tip on ATL’s 107.9, and Lo on Kay Slay’s show.

Now, on the brand new “Foolish” remix, which features DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Jim Jones and Birdman (on the vocoder!), Lo contunues his quest to bring Tip’s Bankhead origins into question: “Cross your T’s and dot your I’s / I’m the real Bankhead, that’s no lie!” It ain’t exactly an ether, but its the closest either of them have come to saying the other man’s name on record. Listen after the jump.

Music Killer Mike Reps The Real Atlanta On “2 Sides”

When Shawty Lo said “N*ggas say they from the Westside?/Well Goddamn, there must be two sides!” in “Dunn Dunn,” he was clowning certain rappers who claim to be from Bankhead, his Westside Atlanta neighborhood, but are actually from the outskirts.

Killer Mike isn’t from Bankhead, but he reps Adamsville, another area on the Westside. On his new joint “2 Sides,” the former OutKast affiliate turns Lo’s memorable line into an anthem for the entire A, calling out folks for falsely claiming the Eastside, Southside and Northside as well. With Atlanta going through a boom lately, attracting out of towners from all over, keeping sight of the real ATL seems more important than ever. This joint is rumored to be on Mike’s upcoming album I Pledge Allegience To The Grind II. Listen after the jump.

Music Shawty Lo Dunn Dunn It All

For the follow-up to his hit single “Dey Know,” D4L boss Shawty Lo keeps it decidedly hood. In the new video for “Dunn Dunn/Foolish,” two of the strongest anthems off his rock-solid debut Units In The City, L-O takes us on a tour of Bankhead and Bowen Homes, his grimy Atlanta neighborhood. Pay close attention to the lyrics'Lo, as usual, is calling out a nameless rapper who mentions Bankhead and doesn’t acknowledge his presence. Unrelated note: T.I. also reps Bankhead.

Check the video after the jump.