The world of hip-hop is in many ways built on the shoulders of controversies. Whether it is the provocative lyrics making the headlines or the artists themselves creating tension — rappers in 2024 managed to rake in significant business by embracing scandals. The success of Kendrick Lamar’s diss tracks that resulted from his beef with Drake prove that. Apart from rap beefs, the year also witnessed the downfall of high-profile personalities like Diddy. To help you keep up with every scandal from the hip-hop world, here is a round of all the controversies involving rappers in 2024.

The arrest of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in September this year shocked the entertainment world. The disgraced rapper is currently facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges. In light of his arrest, several Hollywood personalities who had close ties with him have also found themselves in a soup. Following Diddy, another rapper now finding himself in serious trouble is Kanye West. The “Monster” singer has been sued by America’s Next Top Model contestant Jennifer An for alleged assault during a music video shoot. Every big name from the rap industry has been involved in some major scandal this year including the likes of Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Eminem and others. Here’s a rundown of all the controversies involving rappers in 2024.

Biggest controversies involving rappers in 2024

Diddy’s arrest and accusations

Undoubtedly the biggest scandal that rocked the music industry this year has been the arrest of rapper Diddy. The 55-year-old music producer was arrested in New York amid a series of civil suits alleging sexual assault and physical violence, some even dating back to the 1990s. Nearly two dozen people have filed lawsuits against the rapper, accusing him of using his influence in the entertainment industry to drugging and assaulting people. Following his arrest on September 16, prosecutors have accused Diddy of “creating a criminal enterprise” in which he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” as per BBC.

The scandals involving Diddy don’t just stop at the assault charges against him, the rapper’s home raids also revealed unsettling details such as the retrieval of firearms, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant. In the ongoing case, the singer-producer has pleaded not guilty to the three felony counts. Recently, he was also denied bail for the third time in the trafficking case and is currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

In the wake of Diddy’s arrest, several videos and photos from the rapper’s infamous White Parties have been doing the rounds on social media. Given that the rapper’s celebrity friend circle included some big names, the likes of Jay-Z and Beyoncé have come under public scrutiny. Speculations were also rife that due to his close friendship with Diddy, actor Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis’ marriage hit a rocky patch.

Jay-Z’s lawsuit and Diddy connection

While 2024 may be soon coming to a close, the scandals revolving around famous rappers seem to be on the rise with billionaire musician Jay-Z being the latest target. Professionally known as Jay-Z, Shawn Carter has been accused in a lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 allegedly along with Sean “Diddy” Combs. As per NBC News, the anonymous accuser said the assault happened after she was driven to an MTV Video Music Awards after-party. The lawsuit which was originally filed in October was refiled on Sunday (December 8) to include Jay-Z’s name. After being named in the civil lawsuit, the rapper released a lengthy statement calling the accusations “idiotic”, he also told NBC News, “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”

Despite the allegations, Jay-Z and Beyoncé seem to be putting on a brave face and recently also made a red carpet appearance together at the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King to support their daughter Blue Ivy Carter —who voices Kiara, the daughter of Simba in the prequel.

Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rap beef

Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s long-running feud reached new heights in March this year, as the two rappers went all out by declaring a diss-track war against each other. It all started with Lamar mocking Drake and J. Cole on Future and Metro Boomin’s track “Like That.” In response, Drake dropped “Push Ups” where he clapped back at Kendrick and rapped about SZA, Travis Scott, and 21 Savage being bigger names in the hip-hop industry than him. He then followed up with another diss track called “Taylor Made Freestyle” coercing Lamar to participate in a rap battle. However, the song landed Drake in a separate controversy for using AI to generate the voices of the late Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, in the first two verses. After Tupac’s estate sent a cease-and-desist letter to Drake, he removed the song from streaming sites and social media.

In the meantime, April 2024 ended with Kendrick Lamar dropping the explosive “Euphoria” track — a six-minute song admonishing Drake and everything he hates about him. Following this, hip-hop fans were in for a treat as both Lamar and Drake got back at each other in a series of tracks starting from “6:16 in LA” by Lamar, then “Family Matters” by Drake followed by Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” and consecutively released “Not Like Us” that went on to become a No 1 Billboard hit. The track also grabbed attention as Kendrick made some serious accusations in his rap verses claiming that Drake and his entourage are pedophiles. Drake later denied the allegations in his final track from the diss-war called “The Heart Part 6”, in which he also bowed out of the rap battle.

The successful streaming numbers for “Not Like Us” led netizens to declare Lamar as the winner of the diss-track war. To further celebrate the song’s reaction, Lamar performed it five times at the Juneteenth show called The Pop Out: Ken & Friends. He later also dropped a music video for “Not Like Us” in July 2024. Since then, the song has continued to make headlines all year round and even grabbed five nominations at the 2025 Grammy Awards in the Record and Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Rap Performance and Music Video categories.

In the latest happenings surrounding Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud, the “God’s Plan” singer has now sued Universal Music Group and Spotify for allegedly inflating streams for “Not Like Us.” In another lawsuit, the rapper has also accused the record label of defamation. Amidst this, Lamar dropped a surprise new album titled GNX which makes fresh references to his Drake feud.

Nicki Minaj vs Megan Thee Stallion: Friendship to feud

Like we said, there was no dearth of controversies involving rappers in 2024; and this also includes popular female hip-hop artists Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion. After collaborating on 2019’s hit song “Hot Girl Summer”, things surprisingly spiralled down to a full-fledged feud between the two artists over the following years and reached a new high in 2024 with the release of fresh diss tracks.

Starting with Megan Thee Stallion seemingly taking potshots at Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty in her track “Hiss”, the beef further escalated with a response from Minaj in her combative track “Big Foot.”

In Megan’s song “Hiss”, the line “Megan’s Law” supposedly references the federal law that requires police to share information about convicted and registered sex offenders. Since Kenneth Petty, is a registered sex offender who served four years in prison after being convicted of attempted rape in 1995, the song reference was considered to be a direct diss at Minaj by fans.

With her track “Big Foot”, Minaj then clapped back at Megan by making references to her rapping ability, the Tory Lanez 2020 shooting incident and more.

Besides releasing the song, Nicki continued to double down on Megan Thee Stallion in scathing social media posts. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) she stated that she “does not condone ‘bullying,’” but called Stallion a “pathological & manipulative liar,” alleging that she’s “using ghostwriters.” As for the current status of this rap feud, in a September 2024 interview with Billboard, Megan Thee Stallion answered a question about the possibilities of a reconciliation with Minaj and said, “I still to this day don’t know what the problem is. I don’t even know what could be reconciled because I, to this day, don’t know what the problem is.”

Nicki Minaj’s arrest in Amsterdam

Nicki Minaj couldn’t catch a break in 2024, what with multiple scandals looming over the artist. The rapper was arrested by the Dutch police in May 2024 at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport after they found “dozens of joints in her luggage.” Minaj was travelling to Manchester, England, from Amsterdam for a concert of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour when she was arrested. According to reports, she was held in custody for four hours and fined 350 euros (USD 380). While the Dutch prosecutors told local media that the rapper was carrying 30 to 100 grams of cannabis – Minaj claimed “the pre-rolls” belonged to her security guard.

Due to the delay caused by her arrest, Nicki had to postpone her show in Manchester at the last minute. Addressing her arrest in an Instagram live stream, she claimed to have received “disgusting” treatment and suggested it was partly because she was from “a confident other race”. However, the Dutch police later clarified that race played no part in her drug arrest and stated that it was “annoying that she drew that card”.

Nicki Minaj vs Ice Spice beef

Yet reason why Nicki Minaj made the headlines this year was her move to drop past collaborators such as JT and Ice Spice from her social media. It seemingly felt like an open move against Ice Spice with whom the rapper had worked on the Barbie World single, which famously featured in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. While Ice Spice’s career seemed to be on an upward trajectory with major collaborations including the likes of Minaj and Taylor Swift (for “Karma”), the 24-year-old rapper’s popularity came crashing down following a feud with ex-support act Cleotrapa, who accused her of mistreatment on tour in a series of TikTok videos. Amid these allegations, Isis Naija Gaston, professionally known as Ice Spice lost more than 500,000 followers.

In yet another blow, the rapper’s former best friend leaked some of her text messages where she supposedly described Nicki Minaj as “ungrateful and delusional.”After calling Minaj one of her rap idols in the past, her salty messages directed at the senior musician came as a shock to fans. While Minaj unfollowing Ice Spice sent out a strong message, the “Anaconda” singer later also launched a rant against younger rappers who go and sign with white owned record labels over her own Heavy On It imprint —seemingly a dig at Ice Spice who signed a deal with 10K Projects.

Kanye West’s multiple lawsuits

Given his history, a list of controversies involving rappers in 2024 would be incomplete without the mention of Kanye West. The rapper has a penchant for getting into trouble, be it with his avant-garde fashion or social media posts. However, this year Ye is facing some serious charges in two separate legal cases. West’s former personal assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, made significant advancements in her lawsuit against the controversial rapper accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her during a recording session. As per reports, Pisciotta filed an 88-page lawsuit on October 11. While the rapper has not publicly addressed the allegations, Kanye refuted the claims in Pisciotta’s original complaint filed in June this year.

In another lawsuit filed by model Jennifer Ann, the rapper is facing allegations of choking her in a “pornographic” way on the set of a La Roux’s “In for the Kill” music video in 2010. According to USA Today, the lawsuit alleges Ye used both hands to smother the model and continuously inserted his fingers into her throat, screaming, “This is art. This is (expletive) art. I am like Picasso.” The lawsuit also accuses Universal Music Group of failing to investigate the incident. Neither the label nor Ye have publicly commented on the lawsuit.

Furthermore, the rapper is also involved in a case filed by a former employee accusing him of using his professional status to investigate ex-wife Kim Kardashian and spy on current spouse Bianca Censori. As per USA Today, the complainant is also suing West’s company Yeezy, LLC for infliction of emotional distress and numerous labour code violations.

Cardi B and Offset: Second divorce drama

Cardi B and Offset have had a tumultuous relationship for years and after calling off their divorce back in 2020, four years later the “WAP” singer filed for divorce again in July this year. A day after confirming their divorce, the rapper then surprised fans with the announcement of her third pregnancy revealing that she’s expecting another baby with Offset. While the former couple’s second divorce was fraught with rumours of infidelity, the drama further peaked when Offset accused Cardi B of cheating during a heated online exchange. After he publicly accused her of cheating on him while she was pregnant, Cardi responded to the claims, seemingly confirming them in a subsequent tweet by adding, “AND DID !!!!!!”

Later in a livestream, Cardi fiercely defended herself stating, “I’m too much woman for you. I’m too much of a boss b—h for you. I have always been too good for you.” Following this shocking meltdown on the internet, the dust seems to have settled between the two who have plans to cultivate a healthy co-parenting relationship for their kids. Clearing any airs about their future reconciliation, Cardi B discussed on X Spaces that they are “slowly but surely” going their separate way.

Eminem’s controversial Megan Thee Stallion namedrop

Eminem released his comeback single “Houdini” this year and it came under fire within hours of its release for a particular lyrical choice. In the song, Eminem namedrops fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion and raps, “If I was to ask Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me would I really have a shot at a feat?” This references the 2020 incident, in which the “Hot Girl Summer” rapper alleged she was shot in the foot by fellow musician Tory Lanez, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2023. Eminem received online backlash for making an unprovoked joke about a serious incident as fans of Stallion rallied in support of her.

Yet another song from his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) that courted controversy is “Fuel” which references the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after she was shot by a prop gun on the set of the film Rust. In what fans deemed as “tasteless” lyrics, the rapper sings, “But it’s in a holster, I proceed to bust it/ F–k around and get popped like Halyna Hutchins Like I’m Alec Baldwin, what I mean is buckin’ you down, coup de grâce then.” The brazen reference to the tragic incident in the song earned Eminem heavy criticism from netizens.