It’s been an interesting last 24 hours to say the least. First, Tory Lanez spent Tuesday afternoon sending a diss track Joyner Lucas’s way using his own “Lucky You” beat. Hours later, Joyner would respond with a freestyle over Tory’s “Litty” beat that he originally featured on with Meek Mill. The next morning, Tory Lanez woke up, had his hot cup of coffee with a bagel on the side, and dropped the “Litty Again Freestyle” directed at Joyner’s “lil made in Tokyo looking ass.” Tory’s words, not ours, Joyner. Don’t diss us.
Later that night – as we were writing this up – Joyner dropped another track called “Zeze Freestyle” which he dedicated to his “son” Tory Lanez.
Well, this has to be one of hip hop’s most unexpected rap beefs in a long time. Not just because a lot of us didn’t expect the usually R&B-centric Tory Lanez to spit bars like this, but because this rap beef isn’t actually a beef. It’s nothing more than friendly competition.
It all started when Tory Lanez was asked about Joyner Lucas on Instagram Live, and would call the Massachusetts rapper “nice, but he can’t fuck with me. Not on no level, period.” Of course, Joyner would take offense and proposed a challenge for a rap battle. Tory was quick to accept, and Joyner was quick to respond.
Both rappers made sure to make it known that there isn’t any real beef between them. Joyner ended his “Litty Freestyle” by expressing his hopes of collaborating with Tory in the future. Then, the two took to Instagram Live together to gush about how they’re big fans of each other.
“I talk a lot of shit, but at the end of the day, this for the sport,” Tory would point out.
“This ain’t beef, nigga,” Joyner would add. “This is rap.”
Joyner’s got a point. This is rap. This is pure hip hop. These are the grounds that hip hop was built on. Artists who respect each other trading jabs through music. Not every rap battle needs to be based around talents who hate each other, and if it does, the hate should be expressed strictly through music; not fists or bullets.
That’s what makes this Joyner/Tory “beef” so fun. No one’s getting hurt, and both parties are making great music for the public to listen to. Everybody wins.
Honestly, we need more stuff like this in hip hop. We can never get enough of two talented individuals playing the dozens over the mic, especially when they’re doing so just for a fun competition. Hopefully, this Joyner/Tory stuff sets a positive precedent that other rappers can follow.
