There will always be an East Coast vs. West Coast dynamic. It’s defined concurrent eras of Hip Hop, from the Biggie Smalls/Tupac dynamic that ended tragically in the late 1990’s, to G-Unit’s rise to prominence and eventual implosion, highlighted by a falling out between New York rapper 50 Cent and Compton representative The Game.
On a larger scale, the tug-of-war that ensued also involved the two biggest Hip Hop labels on each coast, Death Row and Bad Boy. That feud infamously birthed an almost mythical Source Awards moment, in which Death Row head honcho Suge Knight invited artists not in agreement with Bad Boy founder Puff Daddy‘s constant music video cameos to sign with him.
Today, Harlem rapper Dave East, following a weekend of celebrating Bad Boy nostalgia, reminds listeners of that dynamic on a new cut, “Bad Boy on Death Row,” featuring Game. Though East is a fairly new artist, Game is no stranger to East vs. West, having played a considerable role in it throughout his career.
Listen to the two prolific rappers trade bars below.
