You need a nemesis: The history of diss tracks shows enemies can improve you

… but hey, whatever gets you through the night.

Elton John and John Lennon during the recording of Whatever Gets You Through The Night.

When the history of diss tracks — songs explicitly written to attack a fellow artist — is presented, it usually begins with the battle raps of hip-hop. But diss tracks started much earlier:

‘You Keep Her’ by Joe Tex, released in 1962 is effectively a diss track in which Tex goes for James Brown after the Godfather of Soul took up with his wife, dumped her, and sent a letter saying “you can have her back”. Tex refused Brown’s offer and slammed him in song.

In reggae, which formed the foundation for hip-hop through soundsystems and clashing, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry broke ties with the producer Coxsone Dodd and put out the track ‘Run for Cover’ in 1967 to mock him.