The 20 greatest musical beefs in history

If we're to believe the 1979 musical and 1984 Oscar-winning film, "Amadeus," Antonio Salieri was not only a rival of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; he was responsible for his death. The very assertion itself makes for one of the juiciest of musical beefs, but unfortunately, much of this rivalry was simply a bunch of make-believe, based on one incident in 1781, where the two composers competed for the right to teach Princess Elisabeth of Württemberg. In fact, the real Salieri would go on to teach Mozart's son, who was born in the year following his father's death.

One more piece of exculpatory evidence was found in a piece of music earlier this year that looks to be a collaboration between the two composers. But then, there are a number of musicians who once worked together only to be at each other's throats, as we'll see later in the list.

As a performer, Joe Tex didn't enjoy nearly the same amount of success as the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, but the two were once locked in a bitter feud that led to shotguns being pulled – literally. The beef itself built up over a dispute about stage moves. Remember Brown's famous microphone kicking tricks? Well, Tex claimed he invented those, and that Brown stole them. From there, the beef would escalate into Brown making off with Tex's girlfriend and go on into Brown notching hit after hit, while Tex seemed stuck in obscurity.

The beef really started sizzling when the two were double-billed at a concert in Macon, Georgia, something Tex took an opportunity to mock Brown by using a torn up blanket as a cape to replicate his signature begging act. The Godfather didn't take kindly to being embarrassed in his hometown, so he went outside, grabbed some shotguns and went after Tex. Once the smoke cleared, seven people were injured, and Brown flew out of Macon like a bat out of hell. Years later, the two rivals would patch things up. Tex, however, would remain in relative obscurity, but if you're a fan of Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs," you can hear Tex belt out his signature song, "I Gotcha" during one of the scenes.

Even legends have someone they look up to, which was the case with legendary Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who idolized '50s and '60s rock pioneer Chuck Berry so much, he may have stolen a lick or two from him down the line. Over the years, the pair had a number of choice run-ins, largely attributed to Berry not always being pleased with how Richards got away with aping his sound. Fellow Stones bassist Ronnie Wood recounted a time when Richards went to see his idol Berry perform at a show, and upon seeing him in the crowd, Berry leapt off stage and punched Richards in the eye.. .just because.

A memorable run in between the two happened during Berry's 60th birthday show, which would be chronicled in the concert film "Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll." In the film, we see a practice session where Berry makes life hard for Richards as they rehearse a song. What seems like a battle of wills ends up feeling more like a master taking out his frustrations on his apprentice. While Richards may have admiration for his favorite icon after all these years, Berry could be the one harboring deep-seated resentment for the millions the Rolling Stones made using his sound.

Many successful bands fight and bicker, but few – with the exception of others included in this list – did so with the level of ferocity that would not only destroy a band, but also wreck a family and even a desire to play the music that made its writer a rock icon. With Creedence Clearwater Revival you have all these things, and the eye of the storm was its leader and composer John Fogerty. Fogerty, along with his brother Tom, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford took the music industry by storm with their unique brand of swamp rock. Unfortunately, nothing good lasts, as John Fogerty's demanding standards forced his own brother out of the band in 1972.

As the primary driving force behind the band, Fogerty became disillusioned with the rest of the band as well as his music label, Fantasy, who he would fight for rights years after the end of the band. John and Tom never recovered their relationship, with Tom dying from AIDS as a result of a bad blood transfusion in 1990. John Fogerty would not play another CCR song until goaded into it nearly 15 years after the end of Creedence. 

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were a supergroup whose members were just as well known for the work they did outside of the group as they did inside. This was especially true in the case of Neil Young, who was already popular on his own, leading to some, let's just say, mercurial behavior, most of which was fueled by a unhealthy amount of cocaine. As a member of CSNY, Young would enjoy a number of hits, though the supergroup only recorded three albums together: 1970's "Deja Vu," 1988's "American Dream" and 1999's "Looking Forward."

Much of the reason the beef lasted so long was continued acrimony between Young and Stephen Stills, who fought constantly over creative control of the band. They would all reunite from time to time for concerts, but never long enough to put out more studio albums. The remaining three members would grow to hate each other enough to completely disband in March 2016, after nearly 50 years of back and forth beefing. 

Here's a beef based more on ideology than anything else. During the '70s, Neil Young took aim at the South’s treatment of African-Americans in a pair of songs, "Alabama" and most notably, "Southern Man." Both songs made clear references to slave ownership and cross burning. Of course, this was something that did not sit well with proud Southerner and Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, who thought it only fair to take a shot at the Canadian putting down what he saw as his friends and neighbors. The result of which became one of the most classic songs of the period, 1974's "Sweet Home Alabama." One of the lyrics targeted Young directly, saying that the South “don’t need him around anyhow.”

The veracity of this beef, however, was more myth and legend than fact as both musicians had a respect for one another, with Young saying in his 2012 autobiography Waging Heavy Peace, "My own song 'Alabama' richly deserved the shot Lynyrd Skynyrd gave me with their great record. I don't like my words when I listen to it. They are accusatory and condescending, not fully thought out, and too easy to misconstrue." Van Zant died tragically in a plane crash in 1977.

Now there may have been hip-hop beef before the infamous Bridge Wars, but what took place between Boogie Down Productions and the Juice Crew set the stage for hip-hop for years to come. More importantly, this wasn't a beef about women or simple braggadocio: This was about laying a claim on the true birthplace of hip-hop. While there were many skirmishes on wax between the groups, the prime pugilists were BDP leader KRS-One and Marley Marl protege MC Shan. These names may not mean much to modern day rap fans, but between these to, fans were treated to two of the best dis tracks in hip-hop history: "The Bridge" and "The Bridge is Over."

It would be dishonest to say that things didn't get dirty in this feud, and among the victims were insulted families and friends, and a suspected murder or two, including BDP producer Scott La Rock. But it was here were hip-hop finally showed its teeth, and for better or worse, became the urgent poetry of the streets. The BDP/Juice Crew feud extended in one form or another until 2007 when KRS-One and Marley Marl produced an album together signifying the decades-long battle, one that fell out of favor with fans years ago, had finally been quashed.

This is the beef to end all beefs, and sadly the flashpoint of East Coast vs. West Coast feuds closed with the deaths of two of hip-hop's greatest artists, The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Unlike the Bridge Wars that preceded it, East Coast vs. West Coast skirmishes had no real value outside of record sales. What was about honor in the late '80s with the Bridge Wars, turned into senselessness in the '90s as record labels Death Row, headed by thug impresario Suge Knight and Bad Boy Records mogul in the making Sean "Puffy" Combs. The sadly ironic part of all this was that once upon a time, earlier in their careers, Biggie and Tupac recorded together, but time, circumstance and the greed of others (namely, Knight) turned something much simpler into something dark.

Suge Knight goaded his stable of artists to go after Bad Boy performers, and in kind, they would retaliate. While beefin' on wax isn't all that bad, the problem here was that the violence was spilling over into the streets, and criminals from both coasts took a musical feud and spun it into a civil war. Tupac would be attacked in New York on more than one occasion, with his survival only fanning the flames as harder tracks came out. Tupac's luck, however, would run out in 1996, as he was gunned down in Las Vegas next to Knight, who was only wounded. Not long after, Biggie would be similarly murdered in Los Angeles, in an act that many deem as retaliatory, even though there's no evidence whatsoever that he or Bad Boy were in any way involved with Shakur's death. Their deaths closed a bloody chapter on hip-hop that changed the status quo forever.

Depending on who you ask, this is a hip-hop beef that didn't sink the genre lower, but actually elevated the game. Instead of fighting in the streets, the beef between Jay-Z and Nas in 2001 bore itself out in two instant classic tracks, Nas' "Ether" and Jay-Z's "The Takeover." While both MCs were at the top of their game at the time, the tracks reminded hip-hop fans who really ran things post Biggie and Tupac. That the feud was bloodless in nature only raised its popularity among fans.

While the rivalry between the two entertainers seemed to simmer for years within every, "who's the greatest MC" debate, it wasn't until these two tracks came out that the beef hit a higher level of awareness. As it played out in radio stations through interviews and on MTV, fans knew that no matter how bad things got, the real winner here were the fans, who got the absolute best out of two MCs who when at their best couldn't be touched by any of their peers. The best part? Once the smoke cleared and the dust settled, the two came out on the same side, later collaborating and both, for better or worse, are still around to this day.

With the explosion of alternative rock in the early '90s, two bands from Seattle seemed to rise to the top very early, Pearl Jam and Nirvana. As bands, they both had different approaches to the Seattle sound, and if we're being honest, of the two bands, Pearl Jam was certainly the more experimental of the two. As beefs go, this one has been viewed in later years as something media-created, but the basis of the feud is clear in statements from late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, who called Pearl Jam "careerists" only looking to make a buck, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, whose comments about the 1994 suicide of Cobain gave credence to the idea that animosity still remained.

The truth is, while there was beef, it wasn't something that couldn't have been reconciled, something Vedder alludes to in a longer interview, where he admits that the two were "probably scared" to approach one another, especially in the moments of need. It's hard not to think what one conversation between the two would have accomplished, not just in clearing the air, but also in potentially saving a life.

Our first and really only generational beef between two country legends was just as much about personalities as it was about the future of country music. Waylon Jennings was never a fan of Garth Brooks, who in 1994 was the model of a country superstar, with sell-out arena shows in the round, and a polished if albeit flashy personality that had none of the outlaw spirit that performers like Jennings exuded in what he considered to be a much simpler time. At the height of their feud, Jennings would often shoot fast and loose about Brooks, saying in a 1994 interview, “I think he’s the luckiest s.o.b in the world. He’s gotten more out of nothing than anybody I can think of. I’ve always accused him of sounding like Mr. Haney on Green Acres.”

Brooks was much kinder to Jennings, who passed away in 2002, saying in later interviews that not only had he never met Jennings, but that he was unclear why there was beef in the first place, although he suspected it was as a result of the direction of country music, something that he certainly was the poster boy for.

Much like hip-hop and alt rock in the US, Brit pop in the UK exploded in a meteoric fashion, with two bands rising to the top in Oasis and Blur. As British media tends to play things fast and loose, especially when it comes to celebrity coverage, it only natural that beef would be manufactured between the popular bands, but it wasn't long before that beef became real as animosity grew between the groups in the summer of 1995 over who would sell the most albums, and fending off nasty comments, largely from caustic Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher, who once famously said he hoped Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Blur guitarist Alex James would “catch AIDS and die.”

But as with all such beefs, time has a way of taking off the sting of things, and by 2013, a kinder, gentler Gallagher would reach out to Albarn and Blur member Graham Coxon to take the stage together for a performance, of which they did, officially burying the hatchet once and for all.

When it comes to family, some beefs are unlikely to be extinguished any time soon. While members of Oasis, particularly vocal leader Noel Gallagher, could bury the hatchet with their greatest Brit pop rivals, the feud between Noel and Liam endures to this day. It's true the relationship between the brothers has always been tempestuous at best, by 2009, the two could barely stand to be in the same room, which meant the death of Oasis as a band, a fact lamented by fans on both sides of the pond.

For those holding out hope that the brother beef will go away, it would be wise not to hold your breath. These days, the feuding siblings do most of their fighting through the press and each never hesitates to blame the other for the lack of an Oasis reunion, leading many to believe that until the two famous hotheads finally calm down, hopefully with age, the return of Oasis is little more than a distant mirage.

In 2003, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines made some inflammatory comments about then-President George W. Bush over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To a country fanbase that mostly considers themselves to be patriots, this would not stand. As they were becoming country music outcasts, Maines doubled down when she took a shot at Toby Keith's pro-war anthem "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," sparking a feud that would essentially drive the Chicks from country music for nearly a decade.

Keith escalated the feud when he began showing a photo of Maines with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, implying the singer was in league with the former dictator. For the better part of two years, the feud raged on until Keith, for reasons unrelated, felt that life was too short to let a beef go on too long.

If one thing is true about beef, often one side keeps the fire burning more than the other. This was the case when it came to Prince's feelings towards reputed King of Pop Michael Jackson. The genesis of the beef seemed to spur from popularity and record sales in the early '80s. As a consummate musician, Prince wanted to be the very best, and he saw Jackson's "Thriller" as a threat as it eclipsed his "1999" in sales.

From that point, Prince waged a silent war against Jackson, even as the Gloved One extended an olive branch by sending him an early copy of his future hit "Bad" to Prince in hopes of a collaboration that would never be. Sadly, neither would ever collaborate with the other, as Jackson died in 2009, and Prince passed away in 2016, coincidentally both as a result of drug overdoses.

For 10 years, two of the biggest names in pop music were embroiled in a musical cat fight, as Elton John and Madonna spent the lion's share of the '00s in a very public beef that started with John calling Madge out on her much-reviled single for the James Bond film, "Die Another Day." Not one to rest on her own laurels, the Material Girl stood up to John, even after he accused her of lip syncing during her life performances.

This war of words would go on until 2013, when John would finally get over himself and bury the hatchet with Madonna over for dinner. It is surprising that she accepted the invitation, since he never wasted a moment over the decade-long beef to bury her every chance he got.

Of all the beefs we've covered in this piece, the feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West is by far the most interesting, if only because the shift in villains and heroes has been so dramatic. The beef took flight during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when, as Swift was receiving an award for Best Female Video, Kanye would storm the stage and ruin her moment by saying the award should've gone to Beyonce. The incident stunned everyone in the audience, and forced West to redeem himself through public apologies designed to salvage his image.

Fast forward to 2016, and the beef hit a new height with the release of "Famous" from Kanye's "The Life of Pablo," where he struck yet another low blow with a graphic lyric. However, the tables turned when Kim Kardashian released an audio recording (of questionable legality) of Swift giving Kanye her blessing for the lyric well in advance, painting the beef as manufactured and her as the villain Kanye was meant to be. This is a beef that is not only still-fresh, but looks to burn on for some time to come.

Maybe it was her toughening up as a result of Kanye's machinations, but the Taylor Swift that emerged from their beef over the years would go on to have more public spats with hip-hop artists, all while smartly playing the victim. This time it was another VMAs and the beef was with a much more vocal Nicki Minaj, who was upset that her video for "Anaconda" was not nominated for an award. Of course, the newly emboldened Swift decided to lay her two cents in, and the response was not one she expected, or probably wanted.

The feud would continue into the awards show itself, but in the end, probably because Swift knew she couldn't possibly win, she made a conciliatory gesture meant to bury the hatchet, which, if the beef continued with Minaj much longer, could've ended up buried in her head.

Like similar beefs within Creedence Clearwater Revival and Oasis, the destruction of 80's rock icons Guns N' Roses was a result of mini wars within the band that shook the foundations of the group and, for a time succeeded in killing it dead. In the wake of the uber-successful "Appetite for Destruction," GNR was a band on top of the world. Featuring the genius of Axl Rose and guitarist Slash, there were few competing bands that measured up to their manic energy. But nothing good ever lasts as tensions, drugs and general hard living mixed with massive egos ran the band aground in 1992, effectively killing the band by 1993.

Rose would try to revive GNR with a number of different lineups, none of which found any success and only spawned one disappointing album in that time. However finally, in 2015, the main beef between Rose and Slash was finally put to bed, and the real (but not full) reunion was on. How long that reunion will last and how many original members will return remains to be seen, but for fans, it's just good to see Axl and Slash together on stage again.

And finally, of all the beefs we've covered, few are as ongoing and asinine as the many feuds of Van Halen. Since its inception in 1978, Van Halen have been known for two things: iconic music and volcanic amounts of pettiness, mostly wrapped around the relationship of prodigious guitarist Eddie Van Halen and one Diamond David Lee Roth. For a remarkable run from 1978-1984, Van Halen and Roth ran a well-oiled machine that laid waste to everything in its path musically. When Dave left (or was fired) in 1984, fans thought the end was near, but instead the addition of Red Rocker Sammy Hagar led to a new era for the band, and for a decade, things were good. That is, until Eddie let the beef revive, largely as a result of his alcohol addiction, sending the band into a tailspin and Hagar to leave acrimoniously. Former Extreme lead singer Gary Cherone was brought in only to be sent out again after only one album, by far the worst of the band's career.

But that's where it gets fun. After Cherone was sent packing, Van Halen would see the brief return of Roth and Sammy, but Eddie's unwillingness to let bad blood go, and Roth's never-ending preening took an instant toll and killed things dead before they started. When the smoke cleared, even longtime bassist Michael Anthony found himself on the outs with Eddie, only because he wanted to sell some barbecue sauce. Van Halen would reunite once more with Roth, this time with son Wolfgang Van Halen taking over on bass. But it wouldn't be Van Halen if there wasn't discontent in the ranks, as a now clean and sober Eddie says he and Roth aren't even friends, much less barely bandmates. When it comes to the Mighty Van Halen, beef will always be a way of life, even as the lineups continue to evolve.