By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
During the late 1990s, Canibus rose to fame and was hailed as the future of the hip hop game. With a strong underground following, Canibus was signed to Universal Records and was working with many of hip hop’s A-listers. Rubbing shoulders with the veterans led Canibus to work with LL Cool J. Featured alongside Method Man, Redman, and DMX, “4,3,2,1,” which united several of rap’s elite, soon led to war.
On Canibus’ verse, he had some lines, which were received as a diss towards LL Cool J, the lead artist on “4,3,2,1.” Responding to what he assumed was a diss, LL Cool J dedicated his final verse on the song to dissing Canibus. Upon hearing the song, Canibus and LL Cool J talked on the phone, ending the beef. LL Cool J asked Canibus to change his verse and no one would know who he was dissing.
Despite changing the verse, the original version of “4,3,2,1” leaked and Canibus responded to LL Cool J, sparking one of hip hop’s most-notorious beefs. Within two years, Canibus also found himself trading disses with Eminem. Throughout his career, Canibus has found himself feuding with many of the popular rappers in the game. However, in spite of his past, many of the current hip hop stars have mentioned Canibus, saying they have nothing but respect for him. Early this year, Ace Hood revealed he was a big Canibus fan and J. Cole said it was Canibus who inspired him to pick up a microphone.
Yesterday, Canibus returned to the headlines, when he released “J. Clone,” dissing J. Cole. On the heels of releasing his long-awaited debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, J. Cole is one of the most-popular rappers in the game. Because he dissed J. Cole, many have not been pleased with Canibus. Despite J. Cole mentioning him, Canibus said he was disappointed in J. Cole not reaching out to him to do a collaboration or do an interview together. Canbius said when he was popular, he collaborated with several hip hop veterans, introducing his fan base to them.
While Canibus feels J. Cole could have done the same thing for him, he apologized for the “J. Clone” diss, admitting he over-stepped his boundaries. Canibus called his own actions “tacky” and “unsophisticated.”
