Between “No Vaseline” and “Real Muthaphuckkin’ G’s“, the early 90s standout as a time of iconic diss tracks, especially amidst the peak of gangster rap dominance. Infighting among N.W.A., rival sets, and early seeds of the East Coast – West Coast beef (“Fuck Compton“) marked a spirit of competition in hip-hop that would tragically spill into real life violence.
Lost in all of these classics, however, is a fascinating rivalry between Death Row and the godfather of Miami Bass, Luke Campbell. Despite spawning massive pop hits and preceding much of Southern rap as a whole, Florida hip-hop and its biggest players remain somewhat forgotten and disrespected in the hip-hop canon. What many don’t realize despite references to it in beloved classics, is that Uncle Luke and Dr. Dre himself were embroiled in a scathing and personal beef throughout these pivotal years. Here, we will attempt to uncover and shine light on an underrated story in hip-hop
Background
As with much of the history of Miami hip-hop, it is important to remember there is little clear information on the beef between Dr. Dre and Uncle Luke, and many reports on its origins are conflicting.
For starters, Luke’s group The 2 Live Crew were originally from Riverside, California, before relocating to Miami and blowing up. Not only this, but Luke, according to many, was a rather abrasive, polarizing figure. Brother Marquis of the 2 Live Crew recalls that on the group’s excursions back home to Los Angeles, many of his friends, family, and local gangsters were rubbed the wrong way by Luke’s business practices and attitude towards the Crew (it was likely casual ribbing at the time, but would of course boil over into lasting resentment and a split). This would lay the foundation for a general disdain by players in LA hip-hop towards Luke.
Another alleged incident came when The 2 Live Crew was on tour with N.W.A.. Marquis claims that amidst more minor tensions, Dr. Dre would sleep with one of the Crew’s dancers, prompting Luke to ditch the tour without notice. This would likely be the final straw for the rival scenes and stars.
Fakin’ Like Gangsters
Things kicked off with the track “Fakin’ Like Gangsters”, from Luke’s 1992 album I Got Shit On My Mind. The track starts off general enough, with JT Money of Luke’s fledgling group The Poison Clan taking typical shots at artists who act tough on wax, but whom everyone knows are putting on an act and were never really about the gangster life. JT also uses a popular knock against Dr. Dre, referencing his time with the World Class Wreckin’ Cru:
Like n—-s makin’ love songs first
Next time you see em, all they do is curse
Talkin bout all the n—-s they killed
First they was lovers, now they trying be real
Like Ice Cube before him, JT would also allude to N.W.A.’s servitude to Jerry Heller and Ruthless Records. Even more blatant is Luke’s decision to sample “Appetite For Destruction” on the bridge, scratching the lyrics, “Real N—-s, faking like gangsters (you know who I’m talking to)”.
Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’)
Immortalized on The Chronic, it’s amazing that “Fuck Wit Dre Day” is remembered only as a diss on Eazy-E (and to a lesser degree, Tim Dog). While it is great in that regard, there are bars aimed at Uncle Luke which people seem to either ignore or misunderstand to this very day.
In verse three, Dre and Snoop go at him directly, rapping, “Luke’s bending over, so Luke’s getting fucked” and, “gap teeth in your mouth so my dick’s gots to fit (with my nuts on your tonsils)”, before more broadly threatening, “Imma rob you in Compton and blast you in Miami”. While the sex bars aren’t exactly inventive, it would be a blow for an act like 2 Live that was all about machismo and partying. Furthermore, dissing Luke’s iconic look and declaring war between the cities escalated things fully.
Snoop would take the beef into his own hands on Doggystyle with “Tha Shiznit“, where he once again goes after Luke for a few bars.
Cowards in Compton
Luke’s next album Luke In the Nude would feature an all-time underrated diss track, “Cowards in Compton”. While it covers many of the same bases as Eazy and Cube’s prior attacks, Luke, alongside JT Money and Clavosie, holds nothing back here.
Preceded by the skit “Dre’s Momma Needs a Haircut”, the trio focuses on downplaying “Fuck Wit Dre Day” by calling Snoop and Dre gay for how they came at Luke. There are, of course, more references to the World Class Wreckin’ Cru (“Before you diss my n—a Luke, you better think twice, I’ll pull the trigger, n—a, and turn off your lights”) and threats that Miami won’t play (“Cowards in Compton get sprayed in Dade), but the highlight is a hilarious interpolation of “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang“. On top of all this is a video set in an LA hood that’s chock full of references.
Luke Records would like to acknowledge
That all references made in the previous work towards homosexuals
Is not reflecting an anti-homosexual position on our part
Our problem is with homosexuals by the name of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
Jack the Rapper ’93
The beef culminated after “Cowards in Compton” at the 1993 Jack the Rapper Family Affair convention in Atlanta, where various artists and industry figures were gathered (fun fact: Mr. Serv-On of No Limit claims this is where he first met Master P and gave him a tape). What was traditionally a protected and professional atmosphere erupted into violence as members of Death Row and Luke’s Skyywalker Records faced off.
Though it remains unclear who all was involved or what precipitated the brawl – initial reports claim Dre wasn’t even present – the convention was left in chaos as neutral parties joined the fray. Luke left bloodied, knives were drawn, and some recall shots being fired; a vending machine was even tossed from the Marriot’s balcony (Ben Westhoff, Original Gangsters).
Though other beefs would come to haunt Death Row and hip-hop as a whole in the following years, Miami Bass and this series of events remain core to the mythos of gangster rap.