What is hip-hop beef?

In hip-hop culture, "beef" is a slang term used to describe animosity between two or more rappers. Beef usually manifests in the form of insults in songs, though the conflict occasionally turns violent.

In 2015, one of the most notable hip-hop beefs occurred when Meek Mill, an up-and-coming rapper, accused Drake of employing a ghost writer. Both artists insulted each other with "diss" tracks, with audiences unanimously declaring Drake the "winner" of the feud. However, hip-hop beefs were different in the 1990s, with the feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers bringing about the deaths of stars such as Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.