Making music is all about finding harmony between the instruments. However, that doesn’t stop the people playing those instruments from picking fights with those of their caliber. Be it financial disputes, creative differences, love triangles, or simply unchecked egos, musicians can be a prickly bunch.
While many musical feuds disappear as quickly as they arrive, others fester for years, even decades, until they come to a head. The most abrasive, longest-lasting feuds seem to happen between former band members. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, but familiarity breeds contempt. Let’s explore some of the biggest music feuds that defined entire decades. Some of them may surprise you.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
Though they met and recorded music together as teenagers, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel resented each other from the get-go. That acrimony was cemented when Simon signed a solo record deal while Garfunkel focused on school.
Though they rose in fame through the latter half of the 20th century, creative differences brewed until they boiled over. Nevertheless, they kept touring and releasing albums. The feud stayed mostly behind the scenes. During the duo’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, however, Simon said, “Arthur and I agree about almost nothing.” Subsequent interviews give a sense of their decades-long dispute.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon
It may not have been there in the beginning, but tension brewed between the Fab Four as fame overtook them. Only after McCartney made legal moves to dissolve the band’s partnership in 1970 did Lennon make his discontent known. From there, Lennon and McCartney took both subtle and not-so-subtle shots at each other on their solo records. Lennon thought McCartney was a schmaltzy tyrant and McCartney considered Lennon a sanctimonious preacher. They grew closer over time but any hope of true reunion died with Lennon’s assassination on December 8, 1980.
Axl Rose and Slash
They scored huge hits together in the late 1980s, but something was off within the Guns N Roses kingdom. That tension came to a head after Slash contributed guitar to a Michael Jackson record. Rose, who suffered abuse as a child, took this collaboration as a betrayal. The bells of war fully rang, however, after Rose took legal ownership of Guns N Roses and effectively demoted his bandmates. From there, Slash and Rose took various shots at each other through the press, usually when one of them embarked on a new music project.
Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
At the outset of the 1990s, Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were both rising stars. This brought them into each other’s orbit. They became collaborators and friends. After Shakur was robbed and shot at New York’s Quad Studios in 1996, however, he suspected Biggie’s involvement. It didn’t help that B.I.G. released a song called “Who Shot Ya?” only months later.
The beef continued, with bombs thrown at each other in songs. Tragically, they failed to mend their relationship before both parties were gunned down. While rumors persist about the role the beef played in their respective murders, the truth may never be known.
Prince and Michael Jackson
When Prince and Michael Jackson first learned of each other, they sensed a kinsmenship. The ambition of both men, however, evolved their relationship into one of friendly competition; who could be the bigger pop star? Even though they hung out privately, the competition couldn’t help but rear its ugly head at times; Prince turned down collaborations and vice-versa. Will.i.am tried to broker peace at a concert in 2006, but Prince cemented the feud by venturing into the audience and aggressively playing in Jackson’s face.
Keith Richards and Elton John
The feud started after Richards called John a poser in a 1988 Rolling Stone interview. It remained one-sided for another decade or so, with Richards saying John’s artistry was nothing but “showbiz.” It took until the late 90s for John to fire back, calling Richards a “pathetic, poor thing” and an “a**hole.” Peace, however, was finally brokered in 2015 by Richards’ bandmate Ronnie Wood who convinced Richards and John to pose for a photograph together.
Noel and Liam Gallagher
From the outset of their meteoric rise, Britpop darlings Oasis were no stranger to controversy. They enjoyed their public spats, controversies, and feuds with other bands like Blur. It seems, however, that this acrimony was pure projection; no one hated each other more than brothers and Oasis bandmates Noel and Liam Gallagher. Like a proverbial Cain and Abel, the Gallagher brothers came to blows so severely and so often, it ended up breaking up the band. In the hallowed halls of rock and roll, their beef remains legendary.
Kanye West and Taylor Swift
The feud between these massive stars ignited publically after West interrupted Swift receiving an award at the 2009 MTV VMA Awards. He declared Beyonce’s single a better song and more worthy of the award. This gaffe was so epic, even President Obama commented on it, calling West a “jackass.” In the following years, West continued to diss Swift in songs and interviews. Swift, for her part, kept it more machiavellian and diplomatic. She clapped back, once through a social media post, but mostly through cryptic lyrics.
Brian Wilson and Mike Love
Though cousins and long-time bandmates, tension began brewing once bandleader Wilson steered the Beach Boys away from their fun-loving sound to darker, more psychedelic ends. Their feud came to a head during the recording of 1967’s Pet Sounds, which downright offended Love. As Wilson increasingly struggled with mental illness throughout the 1970s, Love took the beef to the courts. The jury ruled in his favor, crediting Love with many Beach Boy hits. Eventually, Love beat out his bandmates for legal control of the Beach Boys name. Though they eventually reunited, suffice it to say that Wilson never forgave his cousin.
Kendrick Lamar and Drake
Compared to the other feuds on this list, the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake continues to heat up. Though a continent apart from each other, both rappers began taking shots at each other back in 2013. This past year, however, the beef was taken to the next level. Each side took explicit shots at each other, with Drake accusing Lamar of domestic violence and Lamar accusing Drake of being attracted to minors.
Whether this was genuine antagonism, a ploy to sell records, or both, the beef was felt far and wide through pop culture. Just last month, Lamar performed his hit Drake diss track “Not Like Us” during the Super Bowl halftime show. This seemingly crowned him the winner even if it brought controversy. Only time will tell if Drake has something else up his sleeve.