RAP BEEF TIMELINE · 2010–2020
Kanye West vs. Ma$e
A 2010 line gets a 2020 apology
Kanye West’s “Devil in a New Dress” line about Ma$e leaving rap resurfaces when Ma$e asks for an apology amid Kanye’s own contract-reform campaign. Kanye publicly agrees the line was wrong and praises Ma$e’s influence, ending the small but meaningful dispute.
THE RECORD
The moments
Diss track
“Devil in a New Dress” turns Ma$e’s exit into a punchline
Kanye’s released lyric characterizes Ma$e’s decision to leave rap for ministry as a mistake, becoming the public artifact at the center of the later dispute.
Read the receipt ↗Social media · disputed account
Ma$e asks for a public apology
During Kanye’s contract-reform campaign, Ma$e posts that the old line misrepresented a decision shaped by the very system Kanye is now criticizing.
▶ Read Ma$e’s public postRead the receipt ↗Reconciliation
Kanye says Ma$e is right
Kanye acknowledges that the lyric felt wrong and publicly praises Ma$e as an influence, ending the exchange with an apology.
▶ Read Kanye’s archived replyRead the receipt ↗
THE RECEIPTS
Sources and listening
Kanye West public conflicts — broadcasts, posts, released music, and interviews ↗ARTIST LENSES