In the rap and grime scene, a lot of artists, critics and fans, discredit ‘beefs’; stating that it is not healthy for the progression of the music scene and artists have more chance of success sticking together. While I see where they are coming from and unity can equate to great music, there’s always room for a little bit of confrontation in grime and rap. When a rapper talks on a record about issues with another artist, I always feel it brings some of the the most sincere and passionate moments in the genre.

Grime has seen so many clashes/beefs between rappers such as Skepta vs Devilman, Bashy vs Ghetts, Dizzee Rascal vs Crazy Titch, The Movement vs Boy Better Know and Wiley vs almost every artist in the scene. These classic clashes of grime titans have gone relatively unmatched throughout the years, however, the war between two legends of grime, Dot Rotten and P Money may be of this calibre. This article will explain just why I think this clash is so interesting and why it could potentially be one of the greatest clashes in the grime scene.

Skills

I want to start by just simply pointing out these are two of the most skilled rappers the grime scene has seen in its years. Dot Rotten, despite being absent from the scene for a number of years, is always fondly remembered by long time grime fans, and his talent as, both an MC and a producer, is undeniable. His lyrics are always potent and filled with emotion, mostly rage, and his relentless flows is something that is perfect for grime. P money, in contrast, has remained a prominent figure in the grime scene through its up and downs and is one of a handful of artist that has stayed relatively loyal to the genres sound. His flow and distinct voice make him one of the most exciting artists in grime, and what he lacks in complex lyrical skill; he more than makes up for with his hard-hitting punchlines and cleaver wordplay. P Money is so respected in the scene, that the grime originator himself, Wiley even made a whole song about him.

History

These two MCs have a much deeper history than what’s on the surface of it and makes this battle extremely personal, in comparison to clashes such as Bugsy Malone vs Chip, where they haven’t even met (to my knowledge). P money and Dot Rotten both belonged to the grime collective known as OGz (Organised Grime), which included other MCs such as Little Dee, Jendor, Blacks, Desperado and N.E., who sadly passed away. If you listen to OGz mixtape ‘OG Season Vol. 1’, as well as solo projects of the members, Dot Rotten presence is clear with an array of his instrumentals and feature verses. However, OGz has by no means disbanded, but Dot Rotten left around 2009 and this is rumoured to be down to a problem he had with Little Dee. Dot began to do his thing solo but this eventually led to a hiatus in rapping and saw him spend a lot more time behind the boards rather than the mic. This came to an end earlier this year and Dot went straight for the neck of OGz and P Money, which eventually led to this enthralling clash.

Former clashes

Neither of these MCs are new to clashing or verbal altercations with fellow grime acts and both have their own history of sending and receiving lyrical shots. Dot Rotten had a very one-sided issue with the Godfather of grime himself, Wiley, where Dot continually prodded the grime giant over and over with lines such as “Think you can beat me and test me no chance/ try eat me in E3/ I’ll pull out the streezy and make eskimo dance”. However, Wiley never entertained this with much of a response and it seemed like Dot Rotten eventually got bored.

P Money on the other hand has had a range of high profile clashes the first being against grime legend Ghetts. This featured a range of dubs back and forth; as well as a dub by Ghetts sending for himself. It’s hard to say who won the battle but the two best diss records were All Black Winter by Ghetts and War Dub by P Money, check them both out and slect your personal victor. P Money then clashed the controversial figure in grime that is Big H for Lord of the Mics. This clashed was one of the most hyped battles LOTM had seen and ended with Big H refusing to spit for the bonus round leading to the crowd fury and P Money winning by default.

Dubs (Diss Records)

Now, we can bring this back to the present day and what is so fascinating about this clash is the sheer number of dubs and the speed at which both artists are recording them. It has been relentless and the speed at which these songs are being created is by not reducing the quality, as each dub becomes more lyrical and venomous than the last. Both Dot and P are claiming the other MC is spouting lies and the truth is coming from their records and both sound extremely convincing. Dot Rotten has constantly referred to allegations that P Money has assaulted previous girlfriends with lines such as “You beat up both your exs/ got arrested for abusing women…”, as well as discrediting his hood status: “Never been G Checked dawg he’s lying/ you beg endz and you beg crews too…”.

P Money, on the other hand, has discussed how Dot is broke and being taken advantage of in relationships: “Would hate to be you, that would be horrid/ Your bank card will probably decline on a Boris (bike)”and “Let’s talk about you getting cheated on by Mz Bratt/ Yeah let’s talk about that/ You found out Black the ripper was ripping her back.”

Not sure how long this will go on for but this clash has honestly been ruthless yet entertaining and it is going to spilt grime fans down the middle as to who will emerge as victor.

Follow Both Dot Rotten And P Money ot keep track of this battle of MCs:

Twitter

P Money: @KingPMoney

Dot Rotten: @ProducerZeph