Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is widely regarded as one of the best diss tracks in recent times. However, when it comes to the all-time greats, Ice Cube — along with many older Hip Hop enthusiasts — has his own favorites.
In concert footage that surfaced online today (May 28), the AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted artist claimed he released a superior diss track. “[People say] Tupac [Shakur’s ‘Hit ‘Em Up’], but it’s not,” he told the audience. “‘Nah, Cube, wait, it’s Nas with ‘Ether.’’ I love Nas, but it’s not. Maybe it’s Kendrick Lamar now. Maybe it’s him. I love those songs, but ‘No Vaseline’ is the best diss song in Hip Hop history.”
Cube went on to explain why his 1991 track surpasses the others: “One rapper, myself, took out four guys and their manager. You can’t beat that. We did that over 30 years ago. So, as it stands today, I got nothing but love for N.W.A.”
“No Vaseline” was featured on Cube’s Death Certificate album in response to N.W.A’s alleged shots on “Message To B.A.” and “Real N**gaz.” The BIG3 founder left the West Coast group due to financial disputes, which he attributed to their manager, Jerry Heller.
“Half pint bch, fking your homeboys, you little maggot/ Eazy-E turned fgot/ With your manager, fella/ Fking MC Ren, Dr. Dre, and Yella/ But if they were smart as me/ Eazy-E would be hanging from a tree,” the South Central native rapped.
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” also featured cutting lyrics targeting his rival. The Compton rapper accused Drake of being a pedophile and referenced OVO Sound signee Baka Not Nice’s trafficking case. The single’s cover art depicted an image of Drake’s Toronto mansion with red markers resembling those seen on sexual predator locator apps.
