RAP BEEF TIMELINE · 1994–2016
Common vs. Ice Cube
“I Used to Love H.E.R.” to the Nation of Islam summit
West Coast listeners, including Ice Cube, read Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.” as a critique of gangsta rap. Westside Connection answers with “Westside Slaughterhouse”; Common answers with “The Bitch in Yoo” before a 1997 peace summit ends it. The former rivals later co-star and record together.
THE RECORD
The moments
Diss track · disputed account
“I Used to Love H.E.R.” is read as a West Coast criticism
Common uses H.E.R. as a metaphor for hip-hop’s evolution. Lines about the genre moving west and adopting gangsta tropes are heard by Ice Cube and others as a slight, although the song does not name them.
▶ Watch “I Used to Love H.E.R.”Diss track
“Westside Slaughterhouse” makes Common a direct target
Ice Cube, Mack 10, and WC answer on Westside Connection’s record, framing Common’s metaphor as disrespect toward California and West Coast rap.
▶ Watch “Westside Slaughterhouse”Diss track
Common returns with “The Bitch in Yoo”
Over Pete Rock production, Common answers directly, challenging Ice Cube’s posturing, Hollywood turn, and the Westside Connection’s standing.
▶ Watch “The Bitch in Yoo”Reconciliation
The Farrakhan peace summit ends the conflict
Following the deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G., Minister Louis Farrakhan hosts a Chicago hip-hop peace summit. Common and Ice Cube meet, embrace, and publicly end the dispute.
Read the receipt ↗Collaboration
Later work makes the truce tangible
Common and Ice Cube co-star in Barbershop: The Next Cut and record “Real People,” making their long-term reconciliation public and creative.
▶ Listen to “Real People”
THE RECEIPTS
Sources and listening
Common — “I Used to Love H.E.R.” ↗Westside Connection — “Westside Slaughterhouse” ↗Common — “The Bitch in Yoo” ↗Ice Cube — People’s Party reflection ↗Common & Ice Cube — “Real People” ↗ARTIST LENSES