Ice Cube wants in on the chatter; declares his early 1990s track as Hip Hop’s ultimate diss song, surpassing the works of 2Pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, and others.
Addressing the audience at a recent performance, the iconic West Coast rapper acknowledged his appreciation for diss tracks like “Hit ‘Em Up,” “Ether,” and Kendrick Lamar’s recent releases. However, he contended that ultimately, the aforementioned songs don’t hold a candle to “No Vaseline,” his scathing response to his former N.W.A crew’s “100 Miles and Runnin’” and “Real N-ggaz.”
“No Vaseline is the best diss song in the history of hip-hop, and I’ll tell you why,” he said. “One MC, myself, I took out four muthafuckers and their manager. You can’t beat that. You can’t beat that. But we did that over 30 years ago so as it stands today I got nothing but love for N.W.A ok. Nothing but love for Dr. Dre, nothing but love for MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy E rest in peace.”
Ice Cube calls "No Vaseline" the best diss song in the history of hip hop and says 2Pac, Nas, and Kendrick Lamar's diss songs are not better than "No Vaseline." pic.twitter.com/RFFz8MNLfc
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) May 28, 2024
Cube’s recent comments contrast those he made during an appearance on Canada’s E-Talk earlier this month. During the interview, he voiced his dislike for rap conflicts and advised rappers to be cautious when exchanging lyrics, noting how heated exchanges can escalate to violence.
“Beefs are, you know, they’re volatile. So you, you always have to be careful that a beef doesn’t turn into a murder,” Cube said. “Back in the day, you do a diss record, but it would stay kinda somewhat in the hip-hop community. Now, it’s all over the world, all walks of life know what’s going on and you know, some people can’t really take that kind of humiliation.”
He added, “I don’t really like seeing rappers beef. I don’t think it’s necessary to have a great career, but it happens. Hey, it’s part of the game, and I think when you’re in a beef, you can’t really hold back. It’s like being in a fight; you can’t really half punch, you gotta go all the way.”