A (Brief) Recent History of Rappers Publicly Beefing With Their Crew

Now that Meek Mill and Wale are beefing, we took a look back at other recent times when crews had inner turmoil that went public.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Yesterday, Meek Mill called out Wale on Twitter. It all started on Monday when Meek announced the release date for his forthcoming sophomore LP, Dreams Worth More Than Money. In response, an array of artists showed the Philly rapper online love—but not Wale. Angered by Wale’s lack of support on social media, Meek Mill dissed Wale on Twitter calling him a "cornball" and starting the hashtag "UNotMMG." Wale consequently took to Instagram and typed a long winded caption, emphasizing that he meant no disrespect to Meek. 

Although the beef was somewhat unexpected, it really shouldn't have been. No matter how tight a rap crew seems, history has shown us that things can change overnight and friends can become foes. Sometimes things happen behind closed doors and sometimes they lead to beef on wax (like the breakup of N.W.A which lead to some of the best diss songs ever). But in recent years, with the rise of social media and blogs, when rappers have beef with their crews, it often spills out into the public. From G-Unit to Dipset, squabbles prove that friends can quickly turn to foes, leaving relationships in a messy rubble. Here’s A Recent History of Rappers Publicly Beefing With Their Crew...

RELATED: The 17 Biggest Music Fails of 2014 (So Far)

Consequence Beefs With G.O.O.D. Music

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Cam'ron Beefs With Jim Jones, Says Juelz Santana Is Addicted to Syrup

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Date: May 2007 - April 2010

Dipset's falling out was a public and well documented one. Rumors of tensions building within the group broke surface in 2007, with Miss Info reporting that Jim Jones hadn't spoken to Cam'ron in over a year. The controversy came to a head later that same year when Jones and Juelz Santana appeared onstage with 50 Cent while Cam'ron was engaged in a public feud with the G-Unit rapper. 

Cam'ron took a three year hiatus from music following the falling out, but along the way confirmed to Angie Martinez that he hadn't spoken to Jim Jones in over three years. He also told XXL that he stopped talking to Juelz Santana because he was addicted to cough syrup (a claim Santana denied). To top it off, Cam'ron said he sold Juelz Santana's contract to Def Jam for $2 million in 2008. 

Jones and Cam'ron finally spoke to each other again with Miss Info in April 2010. During the call, they squashed the beef and promised further collaborations. Dipset would go on to release the single "Salute" two months later. They eventually signed a deal with Interscope, but were released from the contract in 2013 without putting out an album. The trio continue to collaborate on each other's solo albums, and Cam'ron recently released the Juelz Santana assisted "Dipshits." 

Raekwon and RZA Feud, Make Up, Then Feud Again

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50 Cent Embarasses Young Buck, Calls Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo Lazy

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Date: April 2008 - June 2014

Perhaps no group in recent hip-hop history has had a more tumulutous existence than G-Unit. Of course, back in 2005, 50 Cent publicly kicked Game out of the crew but that was just the beginning. The Unit seemed to keep trucking along until 2008 when 50 unceremoniously kicked Young Buck out of the group too, citing a number of issues in an MTV interview, including his public support of Lil Wayne and an alleged drug problem. 50 later leaked a tape of a tearful and embarrassing phone conversation that revealed Young Buck owed him money.

Buck responded with a diss song "Taped Conversations" featuring fellow ex-G-Unit member The Game, claiming the conversation was over a year old and calling out 50 for being focused on money. The rapper subsequently fell upon hard times, narrowly escaping a drive-by shooting and declaring bankruptcy. G-Unit even filed a $10 million lawsuit against him, claiming breach of contract.

It was one thing for 50 to beef with hired guns like Game and Buck, but we never thought he'd beef with his day–one comrades Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. But that's exactly what happened. 50 basically spent two years throwing Banks and Yayo under the bus, saying they had to do it for themsleves because he no longer do it for them. Things came to the forefront earlier this year when 50 gave a series of interviews about G-Unit and went so far as to call Banks and Yayo "Troy Ave's hypemen," a comment that prompted a Twitter response from Yayo saying he made the G-Unit brand. 

Despite all this drama, all four G-Unit members reunited for the first time in years this June at Hot 97's Summer Jam. Less than a week later, 50 Cent announced that the group would be releasing a new album with all the original members. Well, except for Game, of course. 

Gucci Mane Throws Everyone on Brick Squad Under the Bus

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Date: March 2013 - Present

While Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame have long been the pillars of their 1017 Brick Squad label, everything has not been cool between the two rappers. The pair beefed in the runup to their 2011 album Ferrari Boyz after Gucci Mane dropped Waka's mom as his manager. Although they later claimed it was much ado about nothing, it came roaring back to life in March 2013, when Gucci Mane abruptly announced that Waka was dropped from Bricksquad with the tweet "Big Guwop say give me a offer fa this disloyal nigga."

The feud quickly bubbled over, with both rappers taking shots at each other online. While Gucci's management would later claim the rapper's account was hacked, Waka never seemed to buy it. The duo, along with labelmates Frenchie, Wooh Da Kid, and OJ Da Juiceman eventually had an epic Twitter war, where each traded shots at each other.

The incident was followed by Gucci Mane's infamous and bizzare Twitter meltdown, where he called out everyone from Nicki Minaj to Young Jeezy to Black Chyna, just to name a few. A few weeks later, Waka released the diss track "Ice Cream" directed at Gucci Mane.

Last December, Gucci filed an extensive lawsuit against Waka, his mother, OJ Da Juiceman, and producer Zaytoven, accusing them of fraud, racketeering, and breach of contract. Although Waka Flocka claimed the pair would never work together again and said Gucci "didn't exist to him," they dropped "Shine" with Young Thug back in March. With Gucci currently behind bars, exactly where the two stand after nearly a year of very public beefing is somewhat of a mystery.

Freddie Gibbs Calls Out Young Jeezy

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Havoc Fires Shots At Prodigy, Says His Phone Was Stolen (Twice)

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Date: April 1, 2012

After making some of the best hip-hop music of the '90s, Prodigy and Havoc's relationship took a turn for the worst in April 2012 when Havoc spewed a slew of negative tweets at Prodigy. After calling Prodigy a "bitch" and a "faggott,[sic]" the storied producer challenged his partner to a physical fight. The following day, Havoc issued a statement through Rap Radar, claiming that he left his phone at a gas station and denied authoring the hateful tweets, which had since been deleted. However, screenshots of his tweets told a different story, as they were sourced from the web rather than a cell phone. Prodigy, for his part, stood clear of any inflammatory stance, issuing the following tweet April 9th:

But later that year, The Breakfast Club debuted audio of Havoc calling out Prodigy in a voice recording. Surrounded by new controversy, Hav yet again claimed his phone was stolen.

In a 2013 interview with MTV News, the duo appeared on-camera together to explain the beef. Havoc admitted to published the negative tweets, apologized for his actions, and acknowleged his mistakes. Since then, the two have put the beef behind them and went on to release another album, The Infamous Mobb Deep, earlier this year.

A$AP Ty Beats Calls Out A$AP Rocky & A$AP Yams For Living Lavish While He Struggles

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