8 of the music industry’s ugliest feuds: From Taylor Swift and Kanye West to Drake and Kendrick Lamar
Music industry’s 8 biggest beefs: From ugly catfights to explosive diss tracks
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Music industry is one of the most creative industries in the showbiz. While the artists often promote the humane feelings of love and friendship through their craft, sometimes, even the creative souls cannot ignore little fights. Thus, artists like Taylor Swift, Drake and Kanye West have often found themselves getting into sensational fights with some of their peers from the industry.
1. Dave Grohl and Taylor Swift
During Taylor Swift's London leg of Eras tour, musician Dave Grohl picked a fight with the pop star as he called her tour "Errors Tour". While performing in London, he said, “I know that she’s on her Eras Tour. I’m telling you, man, you don’t want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift,” he said. “So we like to call our tour the Errors Tour because I feel like, we’ve had more than a few eras, and more than a few f**king errors as well. Just a couple.” He continued, “That’s because we actually play live. What?!” Just a day after, Swift indirectly hit back at him during her Sunday's performance when she thanked her band during the concert for “playing live for you for three and a half hours tonight". Grohl later said in one of his other concerts that he was merely joking with the Errors Tour comment.
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2. Cheryl Cole and Lilly Allen
Cheryl and Lily Allen's fight will be remembered as one of the most memorable feuds of the music industry. It all started in 2006 when Lily name-dropped Cheryl on the B-side of her debut single, 'Smile'. Cheryl too retorted back by calling Lily a "chick with a d**k". Lily retorted back again by writing on her MySpace page, "Cheryl, if you're reading this, I may not be as pretty as you but at least I write and SING my own songs without the aid of autotune," and added, "I must say taking your clothes off, doing sexy dancing and marrying a rich footballer must be very gratifying, your mother must be so proud, stupid b***h." After reigniting the feud once again in 2013, the duo finally set their differences aside in 2018 with Lily apologizing to Cheryl. She wrote in her book, 'My Thoughts Exactly', "I was frustrated, I was struggling with my own issues around sexuality," per Daily Mail.
3. Jesy Nelson and Little Mix
Jesy Nelson had a major fall out with the other members of her band Little Mix. Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jade Thirlwall won the 'The X Factor' in 2011 together. Following the win, the band not only became successful but also gained global success. However, in 2020, Nelson quit the band citing mental health reasons. Since then she has not talked to her former bandmates. Leigh-Anne previously said that her quitting the band led to the rest of the members having "painful" and "traumatic experiences". The remaining trio disbanded in 2021.
4. Drake and Kendrick Lamar
Drake and Kendrick Lamar's feud is like friendship turned into bitterness. While the two rockers started as friends in 2011 with Drake's album 'Take Care', their relationship soon turned sour around 2014. After releasing multiple diss tracks back-and-forth, the two rappers halted their rivalry for some years until it was reignited again in October 2023. At that time Drake and J Cole released their song 'First Person Shooter' where they referred to themselves and Kendrick as 'the big three', as they sang "Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K. Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three, like we started a league." Kendrick, however, took an issue with the matter as in March 2024 he expressed his anger through an uncredited verse on 'Metro Boomin' and Future's track 'Like That'. At this point, the fans have concluded that Lamar emerged as the winner of the feud.
5. Kanye West and Taylor Swift
Kanye West and Taylor Swift have a long history of feud since 2009. After the 'Golddigger' rapper interrupted the 'thanK you, aIMee' singer during her award winning speech at the 2009 VMA, the feud started. While it had a temporary halt in the intermittent years, the feud restarted again in 2016 when he released his 'Famous' where he sang, "I feel like me and Taylor Swift might still have s*x/Why? I made that b***h famous." Though he claimed at that time that Swift gave her blessings to the lyrics, the songstress retorted back saying she never approved the vulgar lyrics. Later, West's then wife Kim Kardashian released a phone call snippet where it appeared Swift agreed to the lyrics, leading many fans to call her a "snake". Nevertheless, it was later said that the phone call was edited. Subsequently, it led to the most dramatic fights of the music industry.
6. Cardi B and Nicki Minaj
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj- who were friends previously - started feuding since the collaboration of Motorsport Song with the Migos. Their fight later escalated during the New York Fashion Week when Cardi B threw a shoe at Minaj. Nicki Minaj then retorted back at Queen's Radio.
7. Rihanna and Ciara
Ciara and Rihanna had a shortlived yet momentous fight. After appearing on E!'s Fashion Police, Ciara called out Rihanna, saying "I ran into her recently at a party and she wasn't the nicest". Rihanna almost immediately replied on social media, "My bad ci, did I 4get to tip u? #howrudeofme", per BuzzFeed. After a brief back-and-forth on social media, Rihanna said that while she loved Ciara, the social media exchange "hurt [her] feelings real bad on TV". They appeared to made up by 2018 as Ciara wished Rihanna on her birthday with the Barbadian singer posting a video of her singing Ciara's song two months later.
8. Cher and Madonna
Cher and Madonna have been fighting for a long time. It is thought that the reason for their feud is regarding Cher thinking Madonna is "rude". They met a long time ago when Cher invited Madonna and her then husband Sean Penn to a dinner. Cher thought that Madonna "just was so rude to everybody". In an interview with Steve Kmetko, she said in 1991, "It seems to me that she's got so much that she doesn't have to act the way that she acts, like a spoiled brat all the time." Though Cher had often called Madonna out, they appeared to have united by 2017 when they joined for Women's March in Washington.
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