7) 2nd Round Knockout – Canibus
There are very few rappers who had the hype and promise of Canibus back in the mid to late 1990’s. He slayed countless guest appearances and freestyles, and many proclaimed him as a can’t miss Hip Hop legend in the making. Canibus lyrical skillset was something unseen and you would have never thought any rapper would even consider battling him. But much to our surprise, the legendary and seasoned battle rap god LL Cool J stepped in the ring to challenge him.
This beef all started over what could be perceived as a terrible misunderstanding. LL enlisted Canibus as a guest MC on his classic posse cut 4,3,2,1 that featured Redman, Method Man, and DMX. LL mysteriously took offense to a line Canibus initially used referencing borrowing the mic that LL had tattooed on his arm. He ordered Canibus to change his verse, which he did, but subsequently wrote his own verse dissing Canibus!
Understandingly so, Canibus fired back with an epic diss track that many feel is superior to any diss LL has thrown at him. With a surprisingly dark and menacing beat by Wyclef of The Fugees, and an even more surprising guest appearance from Mike Tyson, Canibus meticulously exposes LL’s flaws.
Whether it’s LL’s hypocrisy (Frontin like a drug-free role model, you disgust me/ I know bitches that seen you smoke weed recently), or his fan base (Mad at me cuz I kick that shit real ni—az feel/while 99% of your fans wear high heels), Canibus delivers a blow that in most cases no one can recover from.
