Canibus - Watch Who U Beef Wit

Canibus will go down in history as the man who took the last stand for real spitting in hip-hop. LL Cool J featured him in a song, and tried to diss him on the slick, and Canibus was like "FUCK THAT!", and snapped back at him with the jaws of a great white shark. He showed the world that there is no reason to honor any unwritten rules in hip-hop. Legendary status in the game is nothing more than a paper tiger. Anybody who's ever watched a BEEF series DVD knows that "Second Round K.O." didn't just shake up the status quo of hip-hop, he gave an earthquake to the whole game. Alongside Jay-Z vs. Nas, KRS vs. MC Shan, and Ja Rule vs. 50 Cent; the Canibus/LL Cool J saga is revered as one of the best rivalries in hip-hop. And uhh… oh yeah, Canibus won!



It can be agreed that Canibus knows a thing or two about beef. Take two versions of this song "Watch Who You Beef Wit", from 1999, when Canibus was still in his prime on Universal Records:



This one is the album version, from Canibus's 2000 B.C.. Not bad. This is the most recent version, with lyrics reworked to a beat that is obviously inspired by Dr. Dre's 1999 album, 2001. The dark keys is reminiscent of "The Watcher". The whole vibe of this song is menacing, and takes itself a little too seriously, when compared to the original.



Now this is the original and if you ask me, it's a bonafied classic. You'll find this one on the soundtrack to 1999's White Boys. The liner notes say that it was produced by Canibus himself. If you go to the comments section on YouTube, past the part where I say, "This is the best version of this song. The album version doesn't have shit on this gangsta ass beat.", you'll see see some dumbass complaining about this version being too upbeat. True, this version is noticeably more upbeat. But in my opinion, it does the song much greater justice. It sounds like a leftover track from Dr. Dre's 1993 sessions for The Chronic. "Somethin' I can sit back and roll a fat-ass chronic blunt to." This version, is also very nicely decorated. I love the beeper noises at the beginning before the organs come in, and the crazy echoing screaming sample at the end always has me chuckling a little bit.

In the mythology of hip-hop, Canibus has earned his place in the pantheon. He's never had much commercial success. But he will always have the respect of the true hip-hop heads. Like Van Gogh, he was misunderstood during his time on Earth
But years later, there will be a revival of appreciation for his work.





Me vs. You