Beefing Within the Community

 Antwon Wilhite 

Dr. Harris

English 2016-44378

12/1/2025

Beefing Within the Community

For this project, I want to focus on the beef within the community. To me, NBA YoungBoy plays a big part in this. His personal history shapes conflicts, using his music as a weapon to call rivals out, and his influence on other artists. He reflects existing rivals from his environment and intentionally and unintentionally grew them through music, social media, and public interactions.  

NBA YoungBoy, first within the community, was with rapper Lil Durk. This was his biggest and most publicized beef. A beef of two crews going at it and with this I picked four songs to go with that. The first one is “Bring the Hook” by NBA YoungBoy this song mocked von’s death (Lil Durk cousin) and dissing Durk’s crew. The next song is “AHHH HA” by Lil Durk. This song was a direct response towards YB and showing anger and street loyalty. “War” by Chief Kee is a song that shares the same meaning as my block vs your block. The last song is “ATK War” by Yungeen Ace, which shows how the crew ATK can go to war with anyone.         NBA YoungBoy vs Lil Durk beef wasn’t just a celebrity feud it turned a personal clash into a wider cultural and street-level tension.

NBA YoungBoy next beef is with NLE Choppa which has a connection with James Baldwin and Richard Wright. It has a connection cause the young generation is challenging the old generation. Richard was older and an established figure while Baldwin was younger, on the rise and openly criticized Wright’s approach to portraying black life. NLE and YB were both young, but YB was established and influenced, and NLE tried to come in and challenge YB. I picked up four songs to go along with this beef. The first song is “Know Like I Know” by NBA YoungBoy. This main diss questions NLE’s credibility. The next song is “KO” by NLE Choppa. This song is a response to YB calling him fake. “No Vaseline” by Ice Cube is the next song. This song has the energy of the beef calling someone out directly with full raw insults. The last song is “Takeover” by Jay Z. This song attacked the rapper Nas career, skills, and credibility through this song. This conflict connects is generational tension; the younger voice pushing back at the top dog one. 

Another beef NBA YoungBoy had with industry. Which connects to how Richard Wright went at it with the Harlem Renaissance. Wright rejected the idea that black writers should portray uplift images. As for YB to reject the idea that rappers should behave in a certain way for industry approval. I have two songs that go with this beef. The first is “F*** the Industry”. This song was a direct diss calling out the fake relationship and the industry bias. The second song is “I am Who They Say I am” by NBA YoungBoy. This song explains how YB accepts the fact that he is misunderstood in the industry. Both NBA YoungBoy and Wright felt misunderstood, challenged the system, and made insiders uncomfortable. 

The last beef NBA YoungBoy has is with Fredo Bang. That also connects with the MLK and Malcolm X interaction. The same community with just an opposite approach. MLK and Malcolm were both fighting for the same advancements for black people but disagreed on how to do it. YB and Fredo are both from Baton Rouge artists, but moved with different codes, circles, and strategies. My last three songs go with this beef. The first one is “Danger” by NBA YoungBoy. Which became the main shot at Fredo. The next song is “Top” by Fredo Bang. This was Fredo clam diss in response to NBA YoungBoy. The last song is “38 Baby” by NBA YoungBoy. This song is YB rapping about his Baton Rouge roots and his loyalty to his block. Both conflicts show two influential figures from the same community clash to have different ways to handle things even though they are made by the same environment. 

NBA YoungBoy’s beef reflects more than personal rivalries. They reveal how the environment, loyalty, and generational tension shape music and community. Through his songs he mirrors and fuels conflicts, challenging authority, and stays authentic, and influences those around him. Like Baldwin, Wright, MLK, and Malcolm X his story shows how individuals from same environment can clash over methods while shaping culture and leaving a lasting impact.












Mixtape

  1. NBA YoungBoy – Bring the Hook (2022)

  2. Lil Durk – AHHH HA (2022)

  3. Chief Keef – War (2014)

  4. Yungeen Ace – ATK War (2020)

  5. NBA YoungBoy – Know Like I Know (2022)

  6. NLE Choppa – KO (2025)

  7. Ice Cube – No Vaseline (1991)

  8. Jay Z – Takeover (2001)

  9. NBA YoungBoy – F* the Industry pt 2(2023)

  10. NBA YoungBoy – I Am Who I Say I Am (2018)

  11. NBA YoungBoy – Danger (2018)

  12. Fredo Bang – Top (2021)

  13. NBA YoungBoy – 38 Baby (2016)











Work Cited

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbqFFXbghWSLuIRob0WMa_-lou9nK4uYu&si=j-25DvL2p5Ahbh2i

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