– Blur vs. Oasis
In the post grunge world of the mid 1990s, Great Britain roared to the top of the charts with the island’s newfound genre, Britpop. Two bands battled it out for the crown of this new rock and roll; the lively indie Blur and the incredibly talented but unstable Oasis. The rivalry came to a head in 1995 when both bands released singles (Blur’s “Country House and Oasis’ “Roll With It”) on the same day in the famed “The Battle of Britpop.” Both bands harvested contempt for each other, feeling as if the other had stolen their sound. Noel Gallagher infamously wished death the Blur front man Damon and bassist Alex. Both bands eventually split, but Blur reunited stronger than ever in 2009 and then again in 2012. Oasis brothers Noel and Liam both confirmed that Oasis would never reunite, years later crowning Blur the winner.
– Beatles vs. Rolling Stones
The original rock and roll rivalry goes back to the first musical “British Invasion” of the 1960s. The Beatles were the youth pop stars and the Rolling Stone were the edgy, exotic rockers. Also, although they were both British, the Beatles came from the gritty, blue collar Liverpool area while the Stones came from a more comfortable, modern London. These two would battle it out on the charts year after year for most of the decade. This rivalry adds even more intrigue to both bands’ already incredible legacy.
– Nirvana vs. Guns N’ Roses
This feud famously began backstage at the 1992 VMA Awards. Prior to the show, Axl Rose made derogatory comments toward front man Kurt Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love. Later that night, the Cobain family was hanging around before Nirvana went on stage to preform when Axl Rose walked past. Courtney Love, with their baby daughter in hand, shouted “Axl, Axl, you’re the Godfather!” mocking him. Rose then approached Cobain and told him to “control your woman”, which Kurt then sarcastically said he would do so. Axl stormed off, and later on stage after Nirvana played, bassist Chris Noveselic shouted, “Hi Axl!” again mocking Axl Rose. Axl then gathered a film crew and approached Chris in his dressing room. This night created tensions between the bands that would never truly be reconciled.
– Notorious BIG vs. 2Pac.
The epic East Coast vs. West Coast rap battle that raged in the mid 1990s took place between New York’s BIG and Los Angeles’ 2Pac. The two were at first allies but where separated over crime accusations and gang affiliations. The two then began to put insults against each other into their music, hurling hate and anger as tensions grew. Sadly, 2Pac was shot dead in 1996, and BIG was slain a short few months later in 1997. No one “won” the feud, as the world lost two musical legends both before they were 26.
Any rivalries in music that I missed? Which one impacted you the most? Comment!
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