Diss (music)

A diss track or diss song (diss – abbr. from disrespect) is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the two people; for example, the artists involved may be former members of a group, or artists on rival labels.

The diss track as a medium of its own was popularized in the hip hop genre, fueled by the hip hop rivalry phenomenon (especially the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry of the mid-1990s). More recently, entertainers from outside the traditional music landscape have adopted the genre.

In the course of constructing their argument, artists often include a wealth of references to past events and transgressions in their diss tracks, which listeners can dive into. Artists who are the subject of a diss track often make one of their own in response to the first. It is this back-and-forth associated with a feud that makes this type of song particularly viral.

History

Origin and early examples

An early example of a diss track was "You Keep Her" (1962) by Joe Tex. He wrote the song after his wife left him for soul singer James Brown, who then broke up with her and wrote Tex a letter saying he could have her back. Tex refused and ridiculed this offer in his song.

After Lee "Scratch" Perry left producer Coxsone Dodd, he released a track called "Run for Cover" (1967) poking fun at him. Perry in particular has a long history of releasing diss tracks directed at former musical collaborators. The musical single "People Funny Boy" (1968) attacked his former boss Joe Gibbs by adding sounds of a crying baby into the mix. In response, Gibbs himself released a track called "People Grudgeful" (1968). Perry's "Evil Tongues" (1978) was aimed at The Congos and "Judgement Inna Babylon" (1984) and "Satan Kicked the Bucket" (1988) at Chris Blackwell. Perry also attacked Michael Jackson (with whom he had never worked) on the track "Freaky Michael" (2010).

John Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" (1971) from his album Imagine is another prototypical example of a diss track. Lennon had the impression that the song "Too Many People" from Paul McCartney's Ram (1970) was a dig at him, something McCartney later admitted. Lennon thought that other songs on the album, such as "3 Legs", contained similar attacks, and the back cover of Ram, showing one stag beetle mounting another, has been described by McCartney as indicative of how he felt treated by the other members of the Beatles. As a result, Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" indirectly mocked McCartney's musicianship. While McCartney is never mentioned in the song, the many references make clear he is the target, particularly in the lyrics "The only thing you done was yesterday/And since you've gone you're just another day", the first lyric being a reference to The Beatles' 1965 song "Yesterday" and the second line referring to McCartney's 1971 song "Another Day".

The opening track on Queen's album A Night at the Opera, "Death on Two Legs", is a prime example of a heavy metal diss track, directed toward the band's former manager.

Wild Man Fischer wrote a song called "Frank" in 1980, which was aimed at his former record producer Frank Zappa, who enabled him to record his debut album An Evening with Wild Man Fischer (1969) but afterwards broke all contact when the mentally disturbed Fischer threw a bottle at Zappa's infant daughter and missed. Dr. Demento once played "Frank" when Zappa was a guest on his show and to his amazement Zappa turned absolutely livid with anger when he heard it, even threatening the radio host to never ever play this song again on the air.

Coalescing of the genre: Early hip-hop rivalries

The 1980s saw significant early traction for diss tracks in hip-hop feuds such as The Bridge Wars and the Roxanne Wars.

East Coast vs West Coast era

Diss tracks surged in popularity during the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry in the 1990s. Local feuds continued, including a feud between rappers DJ Quik and MC Eiht.

Online renaissance

Diss tracks found a resurgence in the late 2010s as personalities from platforms outside of music, especially YouTubers, entered the medium. Diss tracks performed especially well on the platform, often drawing 10s or 100s of millions of views, spawning internet memes, and earning millions of dollars in AdSense revenue for their creators. Notable participants in this movement included Logan Paul, Jake Paul, RiceGum, KSI, and PewDiePie.

In 2018, YouTuber Jake Paul was certified RIAA platinum for his track "It's Everyday Bro", and YouTubers RiceGum and Alissa Violet were certified platinum for "It's Every Night Sis", the diss track they made in response.

See also

• List of diss tracks
• Answer song
• Battle rap
• The Dozens