In the 1980s, many rap songs were characterized by lyrical wars; that is, rappers challenging each other to a duel of words, each professing to be a better vocalist than the other. This style mostly fell idle with the emergence of gangsta rap, but now the times have come full circle.
With his first full-length CD single, “Second Round Knockout,” 22-year-old rapper Germaine “Canibus” Williams delivers a verbal attack on legendary rapper LL Cool J. (The feud stems from a disagreement during the recording of a single on LL’s “Phenomenon” album.) The song was such a blow to LL’s ego that he issued a scathing reply in the form of a single titled “The Ripper Returns.”
Here are excerpts from this scuffle of words.
Canibus:
“Yo, I’ma let the world know the truth you don’t want me to shine
You study my rhyme and then you laid your vocals after mine
That’s a (expletive) move, something that a (expletive) rapper would do
So when you say that you platinum, you only droppin’ clues
I studied your background, read the book that you wrote, researched the footnotes, bout how you used to sniff coke
Frontin’ like a drug-free role model you disgust me, I know (expletive) that seen you smoke weed recently
You walk around showing off your body cause it sells, plus to avoid the fact that you ain’t got skills
Mad at me cause I kick that (expletive) real (expletive) feels when 99 percent of your fans wear high heels.”
LL Cool J:
“49 pounds and trying to be a mobster
Run around town with the Bob Marley imposters
Ask Canibus he ain’t understanding this
Cause 99 percent of his fans don’t exist . . .
(expletive) where’s a rhyme when you need it
First rule of a lyrical war never repeat it
You said that same (expletive) in the House of Blues
Lit the pipe, drop the match, and spark the wrong fuse
Tattoo yeah (expletive), I’m going at you
Stop basing and you could be a role model too.”
