Irving Berlin wrote "God Bless America" in 1918 while serving in the US Army at the end of World War I, and then revised the lyrics in 1938 in hopes of using it to spread peace on the eve of World War II. The song was released with singer Kate Smith, getting extensive radio play at the time. After growing extremely weary of hearing it repeated on the radio, folk singer and labor activist Woody Guthrie wrote his sarcastic response. Guthrie, notorious for emblazoning his guitar with the words "this machine kills fascists," wrote "This Land Is Your Land" as a mild criticism of the United States. As a longtime labor advocate and his experiences as one of those who fled the Dust Bowl that ravaged his home state of Oklahoma in the 1930s, he had strong opinions on the severe wealth inequality that gripped the U.S. The original version of "This Land Is Your Land" contains verses that are critical of American domestic policy, which later more popular recordings of the song, particularly those used for nationalist reasons, omitted. The original version (as heard in this video) contained these lyrics: "There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me; Sign was painted, it said private property; But on the back side it didn't say nothing; This land was made for you and me." Did you know that this song was a response to "God Bless America"?

While no rap feud has yet eclipsed Tupac and Biggie back in the 90s, the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake just might do so. Lamar and Drake have been swapping digs since Lamar first dissed Drake with a verse on Big Sean's "Control" back in 2013, but things really got wild in early 2024 when Lamar took shots at Drake on "Like That." Things escalated until May 3, when Drake released "Family Matters," where he explicitly accused Lamar of domestic abuse and of being a cuckold. Less than an hour after "Family Matters" dropped, Lamar responded with "Meet the Grahams" (Graham being Drake's legal surname), which accused Drake of being a sexual predator and running a sex trafficking ring out of his Toronto mansion. Then, before the dust even settled, Lamar took another shot with "Not Like Us," and this one was meant to kill. "Not Like Us" is one of the greatest diss tracks in history, doubling down on the accusations of Drake being a pedophile and also outright calling Drake a colonizer who exploits other Black artists. Drake's response track, "The Heart Part 6," was released on May 5, and Lamar's own "heart pt. 6" came out in late November on the surprise album GNX. Drake's response to that was to file suit against UMG, the label both artists are signed to, alleging the label used illegal tactics to boost "Not Like Us" on streaming services. A little exhausting, but were you aware of this famous rap battle?