At their core, rap diss songs are often viewed as exercises in immaturity. Is it appropriate for a grown man to let another man make him upset? Yet, from the silly to the ultra-serious, beef has been the driving force behind enduring hip-hop anthems, from “Ether” to “Not Like Us.” Consider “9 bitches” an audition tape for Ken Carson to be added to that storied canon.
Rage rap’s preeminent star has had implicit beef with other artists before, but “9 bitches” dispenses with the subtleties, calling out Nine Vicious by name. For his part, Nine Vicious has been on a rage-baiting world tour since his dismal response to grooming allegations, alternately making up and falling out with everyone from Tezzus to OPIUM producer OPM Babi. Lately, he has been clip-farming at shows by waving the Israeli flag. It seems every generation gets their own 6ix9ine.
The Art of the Diss Track
When evaluating rap beef, listeners often get caught up in lyrical sparring, breaking down bars for double and triple entendres. While that impulse is understandable, a quick survey of winners and losers over the past decade suggests that nothing matters more than crafting an insanely catchy song—the sort of thing fans might find themselves mindlessly humming at any random moment. Ken has always possessed an instinct for percussive hooks that ingrain themselves in the subconscious, and in that sense, “9 bitches” is an unqualified victory. His underenunciated chorus is matched by hilariously bloodthirsty verses: “Pop it on the internet, we gon leave that boy on the concrete,” he raps. “Bro don’t even tote no nines.”
ApolloRed1’s Breakout Moment
Secretly, “9 bitches” serves as a showcase for ApolloRed1, the latest YVL signee who has struck up a close friendship with OsamaSon. His verse is remarkably nimble, skipping and crawling around the ominous pocket in a free-flowing torrent. He claims he will take Nine’s ex-girlfriend to brunch and suggests that Lil O had been all too close to confronting the 5’7” rapper in real life: “Osama had got through the gate, he was all at your spot / you better be quick on your feet.”
Part of what animates Apollo’s verse is undeniably distasteful—including threats to shoot any “bitch” associated with Nine Vicious and a mildly homophobic bar. If one were to explain those comments away, they might argue he is simply meeting Nine at his level, which is not an excuse by any stretch. However, these are the moments where ApolloRed’s flow is at its most agile, breathlessly tracing out syncopated cadences. By the time Apollo wraps his verse up, repetitively taunting, “you ain’t nun,” the listener is often left reaching to rewind before the track is even over.
