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Joey Badass and Ray Vaughn's 2025 hip-hop beef is heating up, with the latter dropping an official response to the East Coast MC's recent diss tracks.
Their fued seemingly kicked off early this year, when Joey released a record titled The Ruler's Back, where he seemingly took shots at the West Coast hip-hop scene after a dominant year that followed Kendrick Lamar's iconic 2024 run.
Joey recently featured on the Red Bull 1520 Spiral Freestyle, where he performed alongside peers Big Sean and Ab-Soul, dropping bars that took shots at Ray Vaughn. The Top Dawg Entertainment signee responded with a diss track, titled H*E ERA, addressing those subliminal shots.
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The diss track, whose title is a play on the name of Badass' record label Pro Era, included shots at Joey's legacy in hip-hop, with Ray Vaughn dropping bars like:
"He had y'all fooled like he do it for the sport (For the sport) / I'm Snoop Dogg kickin' over his lil' fort, ayy (Aw) / B***h, you washed, you ain't carryin' no torch / You let Ice Spice turn into the king of New York, what the f**k? (Yeah)"
Joey would later respond to these callouts with two separate diss tracks, The Finals and My Town (feat. Loaded Lux), both of which addressed Ray Vaughn's diss track.
On The Finals, Joey Badass doesn't just call out Vaughn but takes shots at former and present Top Dawg Entertainment signees, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, rapper Daylyt, and Compton icon Kendrick Lamar.
"Yeah, that was my last shot / And it's a difference between that and Ruler's Back, let's be clear (Uh-huh) / I salute you Kenny but I know you well aware (Uh-huh) / You lookin' for some competition? Then just know that I'll be right here"
Ray Vaughn's latest diss track, titled Golden Eye, was uploaded to social media and TDE's official YouTube channel earlier today.
The record serves as his third diss track in his beef against Joey Badass and serves as the official response to both The Finals and My Town (feat. Loaded Lux). On Golden Eye, Vaughn also calls out Joey's relationship with actor Serayah when claiming the Pro Era CEO attended multiple Diddy Freak Off parties.
"If you're standin' next to Diddy, then you shouldn't mention d**k / 'Cause if they ever show that footage, you gon' have to plead the fifth / I'm the n***a you should dread, I'm on yo' head, I'm Vaughn Wick / Them gay lines is out of pocket, I ain't never been to Diddy house / Serayah gon' be shocked when all that footage out," Ray Vaughn raps on 'Golden Eye'.
Bar-for-Bar: Breaking down Ray Vaughn's third Joey Badass diss track 'Golden Eye'
Fueled by a menacing production that features high energy drum sequences and fast-paced hi-hats, credited to producer J. White Did It, Ray Vaughn delivers his third official diss track in his beef against Joey Badass.
The diss track acts as an official response to multiple claims and allegations that Joey brought forward on records like The Finals, where he alleged that Vaughn wanted to beef with him in an attempt to revive his career.
On Golden Eye, Ray Vaughn flips the narrative on Joey, claiming that the East Coast MC is better suited as an actor, referencing Badass' appearance on 50 Cent's "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" television series.
Notable themes explored on Ray Vaughn's third diss track, Golden Eye, have been provided below:
- Status
- Influence
- Legacy
- Affiliations
- Career
- Pop Culture
- Hip-Hop community
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader discretion is advised.
(Verse 1)
"Holy s**t, it gotta get back on Troy and ain't say s**t / Heard he out here begging for Dot, I let the K spit / Get smacked down, thinkin' we wrestlin' with all them Ray flips / Them shots ain't hurt Vaughn Wick, I'm in the Matrix"
Ray Vaughn opens on Golden Eye with an aggressive verse seemingly referencing Joey Badass' 2016 beef with rapper Troy Ave where he stepped away from the rap battle without a response.
Ray calls out Joey for wishing to battle Kendrick Lamar, before addressing the multiple shots the East Coast MC took at Vaughn on The Finals. The TDE rapper compares himself to Keanu Reeves' character from "The Matrix" when suggesting that none of Joey's shots hit him.
"Electrician, oh, we out here flexin' with his power check? / Had a n***a pushin' up daisies in some flower set / Y'all troopin' with this n***a then why y'all ain't deploy? / I heard y'all was slidin' on Diddy, but won't slidе for your—, mm"
Ray Vaughn continues by calling out Joey for flexing his wealth, which he suggests was primarily earned from an acting career and getting casted on 50 Cent's Power television series.
The TDE signee ends the bar by suggesting a deeper connection and relationship between Joey Badass and Bad Boy Records CEO Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
"I was signed for five years and got blockеd by Covid (Fact) / You was signed for like twenty and still ain't got motion (Fact) / You had legends in your corner and still turned out boneless / Just a Forbes list miss with a bad boy bonus"
Ray Vaughn signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2020, during the COVID pandemic which reportedly affected a major portion of the entertainment industry.
The TDE signee uses this as an explanation for why his career took time to recover while simultaneously suggesting that Joey Badass has yet to "make it big" after a 20-year career.
Ray Vaughn claims that Joey missed out on being named in Forbes' "30 under 30" list, citing that the East Coast MC failed to get noticed even after developing strong relationships with established rappers like 50 Cent, Diddy, and more.
"Look, CJ got no hit (No), Kirk got no hit (No) / You ain't got no hits, so Pro Era don't exist / TDE East, n***a, ain't that 'bout the b***h? / You got a label full of artists, every blog post skip (On God)"
Ray Vaughn proceeds to take shots at Joey's Pro Era record label, claiming that although signed artists like CJ Fly and Kirk Knight continue to drop records, the label is nonexistent and irrelevant if Badass isn't releasing music.
He also pokes fun at Joey's claim from The Finals, where the East Coast MC took shots at Top Dawg Entertainment, claiming he intended on incorporating a new label named "TD East".
"I'm a D1 crash out, I'm dummy as it gets / Indian street food, a n***a made it off the wrist / A n***a made it out of will, but my name ain't Jaden Smith (Mm) / Thinkin' I ain't got his number, b***h he authorized the hit (Doot-doot-doot)"
Ray Vaughn proclaims himself as a "D1 Crash Out," a slang used for someone who acts violently without thinking. He uses this term to highlight his aggressive stance against Joey before speaking on his relationship with former TDE signee Kendrick Lamar.
While on The Finals, Joey Badass did claim that Kendrick is unaware of Ray Vaughn's existence, the Golden Eye rapper hits back claiming his diss tracks were authorized and green-lit by the Compton native himself.
"Words always comin' from your lips / If you're standin' next to Diddy, then you shouldn't mention d**k / 'Cause if they ever show that footage, you gon' have to plead the fifth / I'm the n***a you should dread, I'm on yo' head, I'm Vaughn Wick"
Ray Vaughn highlights himself as a fearless hitman in this rap beef, comparing himself to another famous fictional character, John Wick, once again played by Keanu Reeves.
He also brings up Joey's association with Diddy, claiming that the Pro Era CEO was caught on camera during Sean Combs' infamous drug-fueled s*x parties now known as Freak Offs.
"Them gay lines is out of pocket, I ain't never been to Diddy house / Serayah gon' be shocked when all that footage out / Couldn't get a Grammy and said, "F**k it, n***a, put me on that castin' couch" / That's the type of d**k-lickin' sh*t you should be rappin' 'bout (Bad Boy)"
Ray Vaughn ends his first verse by suggesting Joey's girlfriend Serayah would be "shocked" if the Diddy tapes were ever released, alluding to the Pro Era CEO's involvement in the alleged Freak Offs.
Vaughn claims that because Joey was unable to secure a Grammy win in his career, the East Coast MC pivoted to television and movies instead. That said, the Pro Era CEO was awarded an Oscar in 2022 for his role as James Carter in the critically acclaimed short film Two Distant Strangers.
(Chorus)
"Big TDE, what you know 'bout me? (Haha, you might be Joe Vaughn, but you ain't Ray Vaughn, so shut the f**k up) / Gas tank on E, RV finna crash out / N***a tucked his tail, In Detroit, had beef (You crashin' like the Twin Towers, n***a) / Now a n***a talk street, but his credit is maxed out (Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom)"
Ray Vaughn seemingly channels 50 Cent over an eerie production, continuing his verbal assault on Joey Badass.
With memorable flows and inflections, often attributed to Curtis Jackson's rap style, the TDE signee draws inspiration for his hook from 50 Cent's 2003 record Back Down.
"Rap for twenty years, still ain't made big three (N***a been in this b***h for like twenty years) / Now he went to TV 'cause in New York, you a cast-out / Couldn't get a verse from the H-O-V (Motherf**kin' freak-off this, n***a) / Now you at Diddy house and you puttin' your back down"
Ray Vaughn highlights that in the 20 years that Joey Badass has been active in the hip-hop scene, he has yet to gain a feature from Roc Nation CEO Jay-Z, who many claim to be one of the greatest East Coast rappers of all time.
(Verse 2)
"With the clout chasin', going after Dot for the control / F**k the clout chasin', n***a, why you givin' up your hole? / Oh, you a badass, a bad boy, there he go / Tryna cook a fake beef 'cause Puffy called you Sloppy Joe?"
After a Back Down interpolated hook, Ray Vaughn returns with more aggressive bars, suggesting that Joey Badass calling out Kendrick Lamar on The Finals was him clout chasing for attention.
Interestingly, on The Finals, Joey too makes the claim that Ray Vaughn is clout chasing, suggesting the TDE signee was pushing for a rap beef to revive his career.
Vaughn also includes lines that highlight Joey's affiliation with Sean Combs, using salacious entendres to reference their relationship.
"F**k it, I'll be the Kendrick copy (Copy) / N***a, that's better than bukkakes (B***h) / You Diddy's sidekick how you got somethin' to say / At the freakoff for a week and you was callin' me gay"
Ray Vaughn continues to attack Joey by suggesting a close relationship between him and the Bad Boy Records CEO, proclaiming himself to be a Kendrick Lamar clone.
Vaughn goes on to address several bars from The Finals, where Joey made lewd claims that Ray was a homos*xual, even referring to him as "Gay Vaughn" at one point.
"Before the spice was Tekashi and where was you at? (Where was you at?) / Troy Ave entered the chat, n***a, where was you at? (Where was you at?) / You wasn't tryna save New York and put that s**t on your back / It took a California n***a just to get you to rap (Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop)"
Ray Vaughn seemingly doubles down on his take of Joey Badass not being a relevant force within his hometown of New York City, citing that newer artists like Ice Spice and Tekashi 6i9ine garnered more relevance than him.
Vaughn suggests that when Joey was beefing with Troy Ave, he could've represented the East Coast stronger instead of stepping away from the rap battle. He also claims that Kendrick Lamar's status in hip-hop motivated Joey enough to get back to rap.
"40 pokin' out like pegs on a mongoose, I can handlebars / You been rappin' twenty years straight, you work for Santa Claus / Secret handshakes and baby oil, yeah, we saw that / That's what he meant when he was saying he with all that"
Ray Vaughn flexes his ability as a rapper, using a double entendre when referencing Mongoose bicycles to suggest he can "handle bars".
Vaughn continues to downplay Joey Badass' career suggesting he's not gifted with music when drawing comparisons between the East Coast MC's 20-year career and Santa Claus' elves, who "wrap" gifts day in and day out for the entirety of their lives.
"Lightyears ahead, your name buzzin' 'cause of mine / Last time we gave a f**k 'bout you was 1999 (1999) / If I aim at your big apple, changes New York's state of mind / N****s playin' with your name, that don't mean you play with mines, p***y"
Similar to Joey Badass' reference to Buzz Lightyear on The Finals, Ray Vaughn too makes a subtle nod toward the iconic Pixar character from Toy Story.
The TDE signee claims that the last time Joey was relevant in hip-hop was following the release of his debut mixtape 1999, which many regard as the Pro Era CEO's most successful EP.
"I know a guy that know a guy from Brooklyn's side / That said you ran from real demands and wouldn't slide, why? / N***a you was supposed to shoot like GoldenEye / You at the crib with ocean eyes / You should've put em close to God, but you not like that"
Ray Vaughn then seemingly references Joey Badass' character from the Power television series, where he played the role of Unique, a powerful drug dealer based in New York City.
The reference to James Bond's Golden Eye can be interpreted as Ray suggesting Joey is an on-screen action star only, given the previous lines that claim the Pro Era rapper isn't who he makes himself out to be.
"The f**k made you think you close to Vaughn? / I seen that in your posture, you get posterized / CJ Fly dropped a diss too, damn for Pete's sake, post the guy / Pro Era like a drop-through speaker, broken fry / Just a old-a** n****s get mad at the up-and-coming (Up-and-coming)"
Ray Vaughn continues to attack Joey Badass and his Pro Era record label claiming that he doesn't give his artists recognition.
He references CJ Fly's recent diss track, STINGray, which primarily took aim at TDE affiliate Daylyt, when requesting Joey to put his artists on the map by reposting the music that they make.
"I revived your rap career, I'm why Joey Buzzin' / N***a thought he was unique when he clearly wasn't (Nah) / Had them matching haircuts I know they up to somethin"
Ray Vaughn ends his second verse by proclaiming he revived Joey Badass' "rap career" while simultaneously using a double entendre for the word "unique," seemingly referencing Joey's character from 50 Cent's Power, to suggest he isn't special.
Ray returns with Golden Eye's hook one more time before the diss track officially closes out.
During his recent Red Bull Spiral Freestyle, Joey appeared to call out popular battle rapper Daylyt as well, when taking shots at TDE and Ray Vaughn.
Daylyt has since responded with a highly aggressive diss track, titled WRD2MIMVA, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday (May 19), where he also name-dropped Joey's late friend Capital Steez.
