Ice Cube Crowns “No Vaseline” The Greatest Diss Track In Hip-Hop History
Ice Cube has revealed his pick for the greatest diss record in Hip-Hop history. Unsurprising to many, he settled on “No Vaseline,” his incendiary takedown of N.W.A. and Ruthless Records.
During a recent live performance, the West Coast legend broke down his reasoning behind why his diss track reigns supreme over all others in the culture. He feels “No Vaseline” is superior in its own right because he was without any lyrical assistance on the record and went toe-to-toe with not only a group of emcees, but record executive Jerry Heller.
“‘No Vaseline’ is the best diss song in the history of Hip Hop, and I’ll tell you why,” Cube told the crowd while stating his case. “One MC, myself, I took out four muthaf**kas and their manager. You can’t beat that. You can’t beat that.”
Ice Cube speaks during SiriusXM and Pandora Playback with Mount Westmore including E-40, Too Short & Ice Cube at SiriusXM Studios on December 07, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for SiriusXM
However, he made it clear that “No Vaseline” was a mere moment in time and is not indicative of his feelings for his former groupmates, whom settled their differences decades ago. “We did that over 30 years ago,” Cube said of their heated war of words. “So as it stands today, I got nothing but love for N.W.A, okay? Nothing but love for Dr. Dre, nothing but love for MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E rest in peace.”
One of the most revered emcees in Hip-Hop, Ice Cube has been vocal about the seeming lack of respect he’s been afforded in recent years, particularly in response to lists ranking the greatest rappers and diss records of all-time. Back in 2023, the Los Angeles native shared his reaction to a list by The Root that chose 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” as the top diss track of all-time, with “No Vaseline” landing in third place behind runner-up Nas’ “Ether.”
Rapper Ice Cube attends Daylight Beach Club at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on May 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
David Becker/Getty Images for Daylight Beach Club
Again, Cube questioned how a diss track with multiple rap artists can outweigh the damage created by one individual artist. “How’s 2Pac number one when he needed help on that record?” questioned Cube, referring to the fact that members of The Outlawz appear on the song. “Me, ‘No Vaseline,’ one MC. I love Nas but it’s not,” he said in reference to the record landing ahead of his own in the rankings.
“Took out four ni**as and the manager. I mean, damn! Got to give me credit for that,” the 54-year-old continued. “[The] group was over. I don’t know if they made another record after that. So, nah man. Sorry!”
See Ice Cube crown “No Vaseline” as Hip-Hop’s greatest diss track of all-time below.