90’s Hip-Hop/R&B Rivals Reunite at Lovers & Friends Festival

Author: Y-Lii

After much speculation, The Lovers & Friends Festival has proven its authenticity by confirming some of the biggest names in 90’s Hip Hop and R&B to headline the massive concert scheduled for this spring. Just days ago Usher, TLC, Amerie, Mario, and Ms. Lauryn Hill have all taken to their social media platforms to confirm their attendance to what seems to be a very promising event to remember. Much to the surprise of many, two of those names on the line up listed side by side are old school rap rivals, Foxy Brown and Lil Kim. Days ago, Foxy Brown confirmed her attendance by posting the event to her social media. Both excitement and nostalgia began to brew until confusion erupted on social media after COMPLEX reported that Lil Kim announced via Instagram Story ‘This is so fake, I am not a part of this.’ in a bold red text box across the lower half of the flyer covering Foxy Brown’s name. Clearly, Kim wasn’t feeling the fact that the graphic designer listed their names together, to begin with.

News spread fast as fans began canceling their plans to support “The Queen Bee” amongst others set to perform at the festival. The very next day, Lil Kim recanted her statement by reposting the event flyer with the caption ‘The check has cleared. Thank Uncle Snoop cause if it wasn’t for him this would not be happening.’ Although this update brought wonderful news, many could not help but notice that Foxy Brown’s name had been removed off the line-up. Goldenvoice, Bobby Dee nor Snoop Dogg has yet to confirm any changes in the line up for the Lovers and Friends Fest, even though Lil Kim was the first and only artist to post the updated version of the event flyer with the Ill Na Na rappers name, nowhere to be found. It seems as though Kim may still be holding on to the beef leftover from their unsettled past.

Nearly 25 years ago, the pair dropped their debut albums just seven days apart, finishing out the tail end of what was known at that time to be an eventful year for women in Hip Hop Music. Although the wordplay on both albums was piping hot, an unexpected cold front surfaced as their friendship took a turn for the worse. Rumors suggest that the Thelma and Louise project, a collaboration between the two initially slated to be released in 1997 became a dream deferred due to Foxy Brown’s diva-like attitude that the industry soon became familiar with. Since then, there have been multiple attempts to bring both rappers together to call a truce, but all efforts have consistently failed as one or both refused to cooperate every time. The Lovers and Friends Festival is the first time that Foxy and Kim have been scheduled to perform on the same stage, in the same night since their beef ignited in the late ninties.

Another unexpected yet unconfirmed match-up set to perform at the Lovers & Friends Festival, Brandy and Monica. These two ladies have been back and forth between confrontations and coexistence since recording their chart-topping duet in 1998. “The Boy Is Mine” was a modern-day “Barbara this is Shirley” moment that reigned 13 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The feud initially began when Brandy performed the song solo on live television after the pair had already recorded and released the single.

Things got a lot worse before they got better, as the pair reportedly did not speak to each other during the filming of their music video. Months later, the tension came to an all-time high. Multiple sources have confirmed that just before a live performance at The MTV Video Music Awards, things got very physical. Since then, reconciliation brought them together again to create “It All Belongs To Me”. Was the feud finally over? Not by a long shot. Brandy and Monica were back at odds again after the passing of Whitney Houston.

Disagreements resurfaced when Monica mentioned how close of a relationship she had with Whitney, and Brandy was not here for any of it. The most recent jab came during the 2018 Essence Festival. Brandy was once again as she has always comfortably done, performing “The Boy Is Mine” without Monica. As she ended the song, she switched up the ending lyrics by saying ‘The song is mine’. The crowd erupted as she formed two fists, posturing herself in the stance of a boxer rocking back and forth. We hope she keeps that same energy if they cross paths at The Lovers & Friends Festival, but neither have confirmed their attendance. 

Last on the roster, is Cam’ron and Mase. A childhood friendship that evolved into a music partnership, eventually ending in with a diss track. No word yet from Cam’ron, as to if we can look forward to hearing hits from the harlem bread rapper. Unfortunately, Mase has already confirmed via Instagram that he will not be in attendance. Rapper Twista recanted his statement initially telling fans that he would not be attending, only to later reverse his decision to support the festival. I suppose we have uncle snoop to thank for that well, but we need more confirmations. Many more. Needless to say, The Lovers & Friends Festival is gaining the momentum needed to pull off what could be the best Hip-Hop/R&B Music festival of all time, especially if the opportunity presents itself to extinguish beef over two decades old. Don’t just do it, do it for the culture!