From Shanté to Cardi: The Pettiest, Wildest Female Rap Beefs of All Time
Beef is a proven promo tool, but labels lean on it instead of building longevity.
Why does hip-hop treat women as rivals rather than peers? Since 1984, when Roxanne Shanté remixed insult into empowerment, women have been forced into scarcity narratives. Only one can reign — or so the record industry insists.
MC Lyte’s battle with Antoinette was about legitimacy. Queen Latifah and Foxy Brown clashed over sexual politics and feminism. Lil’ Kim and Eve exposed how record labels fueled territoriality. Trina, Khia, and Jacki-O revealed how Southern women were slotted into rivalry to sell mixtapes. And in the 21st century, Nicki Minaj — an era-defining talent — was defined as much by her beefs (Kim, Remy, Cardi) as by her records.
These fights are profitable. They trend, they sell, they make headlines. But they also erase: collaboration, multiplicity, and the idea that hip-hop could celebrate many women at once.
The question isn’t why women fight. The question is why the industry keeps scripting them to? The answer is measurable spikes in attention. Streams surge. Headlines multiply. Careers redefine.
From Latifah vs. Foxy to Trina vs. Khia vs. Jacki-O, these battles weren’t just about pride — they were about market share. Billboard charts show bumps after beefs, proving that conflict is one of rap’s most effective promo tools.
Still, the formula is double-edged. One woman profits, while others are pushed out. The narrative of “only one queen at a time” has dominated for decades. But with more women — Megan, Latto, Doja, Ice Spice — hitting the charts at once, the industry may finally be testing a new model: that rivalry doesn’t have to be the only road to success. Here are notable beefs that went down in Hip-Hop history.
1984–85: The Roxanne Wars. Roxanne Shanté releases “Roxanne’s Revenge,” sparking dozens of answer records.
“Roxanne’s Revenge” by Roxanne Shanté launches the first big female-led battle.
Dozens of “Roxanne” answer records followed, showing that diss culture could be commercialized.
1988: MC Lyte vs. Antoinette. Lyte drops “10% Dis.”
MC Lyte’s “10% Dis” is one of rap’s earliest and most savage female disses.
Sparked debates about originality and credibility at a time when women had to fight harder for respect.
Antoinette’s “I Got An Attitude” is one of her strongest tracks that provoked MC Lyte’s response.
1996: Queen Latifah vs. Foxy Brown. Public exchanges reflect tensions over feminism and sexual expression.
Latifah, who championed unity with “U.N.I.T.Y.”, clashed with Foxy in interviews and subliminals, criticizing her raunchier style.
Foxy fired back in freestyles, representing a generational clash between socially conscious rap and sexually liberated bravado.
Foxy’s “10% Dis” is the original track that referenced Latifah indirectly, sparking tension.
Latifah’s “Name Callin’ Part 1” is not a direct diss but considered part of the early tension in female rap circles.
Foxy Brown’s “Big Bad Mamma” is viewed as a flex against Queen Latifah’s supremacy in rap.
1999–2001: Lil’ Kim vs. Eve. Reported disputes over style and territory.
Eve, rising under Ruff Ryders, and Kim had tension over features, style, and who was “queen of the streets.”
Diss freestyles and industry shade underscored how labels stoked competition between two powerful women instead of letting them collaborate.
Eve’s “What Ya Want” asserted Eve’s arrival in the NYC rap scene, often read as a challenge to Lil’ Kim.
Lil’ Kim’s “Came Back For You” features the Queen Bee’s dominance; indirectly fueled the Eve tension.
Lil’ Kim’s “Suck My D***” is considered a subtle clap back to Eve’s rise.
Eve’s “Who’s That Girl” took to claim that Eve was the rising new face in the genre and staked her claim to be the new “it girl” in Hip-Hop.
Lil’ Kim’s “Who’s Number One?” was a direct shot a Eve letting her know she peeps the game and wears the crown for a reason.
Eve’s response with “Let Me Blow Your Mind” took disses to a new level becoming one of the first diss records to win an award (2002 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards)
2000s: Trina vs. Khia vs. Jacki-O. A series of disses dominate the Miami rap scene.
Khia’s “Don’t Trust No Nigga” and “It’s Whatever” along with constant shots at Trina created a long-standing feud.
Trina took to mixtapes and studio albums with records such as “Grey Goose,” “Lame,” “Clear It Out.”
Jacki-O, another Miami rapper, joined the triangle with disses like “Slow Down” and accusations of copycatting.
Their back-and-forth spilled into diss records over various versions of Notorious B.I.G.’s “What’s Beef?” plus countless records on mixtapes and interviews, highlighting how Southern women in rap were pitted against each other for market share.
2008–2011: Lil’ Kim vs. Nicki Minaj. Includes Kim’s Black Friday mixtape.
Kim accused Nicki of stealing her style; Nicki dismissed Kim as bitter.
Stemmed from collaboration “Grindin’ Making Money.”
Kim dropped the Black Friday mixtape; Nicki shot back on wax with “Roman’s Revenge” and in interviews.
Set the template for how industry framed women in rap as “replacement queens.”
2017: Nicki Minaj vs. Remy Ma. Remy releases “ShETHER”; Minaj responds with “No Frauds.”
2018–2025: Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B. Physical altercation at New York Fashion Week, followed by ongoing social media disputes.
2017: subliminal on tracks and change of verses on “MotorSport.”
2018: physical altercation at a Harper’s Bazaar NYFW party.
2025: renewed online spats during their simultaneous album rollouts.
Showed how beefs became spectacle in the social media era.
Until hip-hop embraces the idea of multiple women thriving simultaneously — and labels invest accordingly — these battles will remain less about art and more about marketing.