A: Tim Dog
(Q: What super magnetic MC started hip-hop’s first bi-coastal beef?)
When speaking of 90’s rap feuds, invariably talk goes to the Notorious B.I.G./2Pac and the sensationalized East vs. West “beef.” However, the first shot fired in the coastal rivalry occurred years before Pac was reppin’ for the West and before anyone but Ms. Wallace knew Christopher was a prodigy.
Gangsta Rap’s MTV-arrival in the late 80’s shifted the regional balance of power in the hip-hop industry, and New York rappers quietly resented losing influence and opportunity to Los Angeles-based crews like NWA. Tim Dog, a Bronx MC who had made a name for himself on the NY scene by being affiliated with the Ultramagnetic MCs, released the single “F*** Compton” from his 1991 album Penicillin on Wax.
The song attacks several Compton rappers including Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube, and the West Coast scene in general. (However, Tim Dog notably gives Ice-T a specific pass.) After “F*** Compton” became an underground hit, it triggered a period of furious creativity on both sides, including combative classics like Tha Dogg Pound’s “New York, New York” and Capone-n-Noreaga’s “LA, LA.” The song even indirectly lead to Mobb Deep’s intra-coast showdown with Jay-Z. (“New York’s been soft ever since Snoop came through and crushed the buildings….”)
Some even say Tim Dog inspired a young Midwesterner by the name of Common Sense to go after Ice Cube. I wonder if we should nickname Tim Dog “The Archduke”?
The first shot…
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