Beef Rap… It can still get your teeth capped.

Rap battles are an integral part of hip hop culture. This may stem from a sense of competition between peers through friendly fades and lyrical sparrings, and others stem from beef. Whenever hip hop fans ask about the greatest rap battles of all times, most if not all will mention The East vs West Coast battle in the 90s, specifically surrounding 2Pac & Biggie. However, I don’t look at that moment as a legendary moment but more of a tragedy. As an aspiring MC myself I love when two MCs go head to head and trade diss records back and forth, regardless if it’s beef or not. Pac & BIG went on a war that went further than diss records and led to their demise. So let’s talk about beef rap and what better way to discuss this than to learn from one of the greatest songs from one of the greatest rappers ever with a song literally titled, “Beef Rapp” by the illest villain himself, MF DOOM.

Beef Rap is the intro to one of the most creative rap albums ever made from DOOM entitled, “Mm… Food.” This is a concept album where DOOM takes different foods and makes them as different metaphors and double entendres discussing various topics, many being hip hop related. Beef Rap to me is the one that stands out to me the most as it is in general one of my favourite DOOM records ever. It’s about rappers who monetise off ‘beef raps’ to boost their sales. While it’s important to note that battle raps are an integral part of hip hop culture, in some scenarios rap battles can come with a serious cost. So let’s dive in.

What better to start this song by saying, “Beef rap could lead to getting teeth capped. Or even a wreath for Mom Dukes on some grief crap.” Getting your “teeth capped” means getting dental work done to repair cavities (e.g. from eating too much greasy beef). It is also old-school NYC slang for getting jacked in the face. If you put DOOM on blast on a track you might get punched in the mouth. DOOM further emphasises this point by saying, “I suggest you change your diet

It can lead to high blood pressure if you fry it. Or even a stroke, heart attack, heart disease. It ain’t no starting back once arteries start to squeeze.” Firstly, the internal rhyme schemes here are dope as you would expect from DOOM with the heart attack, heart disease/ starting back, arteries, start to squeeze, and also the wordplay here is crazy in a couple ways. DOOM uses the metaphor of frying fatty foods to symbolise heat, as in guns and anything that causes drama and pressure in a hip hop beef. MF DOOM is warning that if you don’t stop drama with other rappers it can get dangerous, just like Biggie and Pac. Following that, DOOM talks about how, “They know they wouldn’t be talking that bologna in the bullpen.” A bullpen is a temporary holding cell in a prison and ‘talking that bologna’ is a double entendre with the word baloney, meaning to avoid talking that nonsense or else you’ll come into the wrong hands of another inmate who may have a problem with you. Essentially, DOOM is advising rappers to change their diet before it’s too late, or in other words take the easy way out because you don’t want to settle things the hard way.

Now into the 2nd verse where DOOM expands the food imagery into consumption. In this verse DOOM raps, “Enough about me, it’s about the beats. Not about the streets and who food he ‘bout to eat. A rhyming cannibal who’s dressed to kill and cynical. Whether it is animal, vegetable or mineral.” Now we know in battle rap culture, to eat means to dominate someone bar for bar, but DOOM flips this into literal cannibalisation, in a way how rap beef consumes lives. Rappers metaphorically consume each other for clout. In this verse, DOOM talks about how rap beef has become entertainment because conflicts help drive sales, revenue, gossip and attention. Hence why this DOOM line sticks out when he spits, “For a mil’, do a commercial for Mello Yello. Tell them devils, “Hell no, sell y’all own Jello.” DOOM distrust this form of commodification as it exposes rappers as products that are sold to be consumed like food instead of being appreciated for the music and craft, hence beef itself becomes marketable.

Then we get into the 3rd verse with another one of DOOM’s best opening bars of his career with, “What up? To all rappers: shut up with your shutting up. And keep a shirt on, at least a button-up. Yuck, is they rhymers or strippin’ males? Out-of-work jerks since they shut down Chippendales.” DOOM criticises rappers that monetise off beef rap (i.e 50 Cent and Ja Rule as their beef was occurring during the release of this) as well as rappers going shirtless for publicity (also could be a shot at 50 Cent). DOOM also mentions the Chippendales, who are a male strip dance group and comparing shirtless rappers to them is a message on how these rappers are closer to those of Chippendales then they are to lyricists. Also, to keep up with the food metaphors, beefcakes could also refer to muscular males, like the Chippendales.

After this, DOOM sends a message to all his people “skippin’ bail. Dippin’ jail, whippin’ tail and sippin’ ale.” He tells these rappers to avoid trouble that can damage their lives and live a peaceful and calm lifestyle the way DOOM intends to live his life. Whether it be to stay in the lab “on some old Buddha Monk sht. Overproof drunk sht, but who’d’a thunk it?” Buddhist monks are generally considered to be wise and full of wisdom. DOOM, like a Buddhist monk, likes to put himself into deep thought and meditate in order to come up with potent records. Overproof is a very high proof alcohol rum that has a 120–180 range. This may be slick as Dr Doom,which is DOOM’s influence for this persona, trained with monks when his face messed up during an experiment as well as performing multiple experiments in his lab.

Then, DOOM wraps the song up with an important message to alert the rap game. “Punk, try and ask why ours is better. Could be the iron mask or the Cosby sweater. Yes, you, who’s screwed by the dude on the CD, nude.” DOOM is talking to the fans about how rap has taken the focus off skills and placed it on the negative antics that’s damaging the culture, hence why “we need food.” We need substance, not drama. Therefore, “Beef Rapp” serves as a warning that the overconsumption of beef can negatively affect one’s health, growth and integrity.