Music is an incredibly competitive arena, that is for sure. Over the years, certain stars have embraced this fact and become friends, while others let it drive them apart.
Below are 5+ musicians who are besties in real life (and 5+ who can’t stand each other). Good or bad, these are the stories that have helped cement these artists as icons.
Besties: Eminem & Elton John.
After performing Eminem’s smash hit ‘Stan’ as a duet during the Grammy Awards, Elton and Eminem became very close.
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“We became friends. We’ve been amazing friends ever since,” said John. “He’s an amazing guy … I just adore him.”
Enemies: Drake & Chris Brown.
It always boils down to being about a girl. In this case, that woman’s name was Rihanna.
Drake was quick to rush to her defense after the domestic abuse charges were laid against C-Breezy. The rappers remain distant, though they have collaborated together since.
Besties: Lizzo & Harry Styles
Since Lizzo first appeared on the music scene, she and former One Direction member Harry Styles have become extremely close friends.
The pair have even performed together and covered one another’s songs on numerous occasions. Though there are rumors it’s more than friendship, nothing has been confirmed.
Enemies: Zack de la Rocha & Tom Morello.
Zack de la Rocha was barred from participating in the supergroup Prophets of Rage by his former bandmates.
Former Rage guitarist, Tom Morello , cited that a political divide between the two was what ignited their spat.
Besties: John Legend & Adam Levine.
When speaking about Adam’s departure from The Voice , John had only kind words for his longtime friend.
While John lamented on how much Adam would be missed, the R&B superstar also acknowledged that he understood completely Adam’s motivations for leaving.
Enemies: Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel.
As incredible and legendary as Paul Simon is and was, he’s also known for being a little on the sensitive side:
“I remember during a photo session Artie said, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be taller than you.” Did that hurt? I guess it hurt enough for me to remember 60 years later.”
Besties: Tyler, The Creator & A.S.A.P. Rocky.
Without a doubt, Tyler and Rocky’s friendship is one of the greatest things to grace the internet in the past 5 years.
You can constantly catch Tyler trolling Rocky on his Instagram and other social media accounts.
Enemies: Joey & Johnny Ramone.
By the time that The Ramones reached their inevitable demise, the band was in a complete state of disarray.
Johnny and Joey weren’t even speaking to one another, which caused mounting tension and led to the band’s break up.
Besties: Chance The Rapper & James Blake.
James and Chance even lived together at one point:
“We’d very loosely and playfully daydreamed about getting somewhere to live/work for a little while, but never discussed specifics. We wanted to work together on something, so Chance invited me to the house he said he’d rented for him and his friends.”
Enemies: David Gilmour & Roger Waters.
Pink Floyd band members David Gilmour and Roger Waters have had one of the most publicly competitive feuds in the history of Rock n’ Roll.
Unfortunately, due to mounting egos and ever-increasing tension between the group, Pink Floyd disbanded.
Besties: Katy Perry & Niall Horan
”Niall’s amazing, I love him, and I think we feel very connected in a way because I, like, helped him get through The X Factor to join his group. He’s become a big star and I’m like, ‘Cool, I guess that means I have taste?’ I don’t know what that means.”
Enemies: Metallica & Megadeath.
Guitarist Kirk Hammett said:
“I’ve always seen Dave as someone who was just really, really sad, really angry, really frustrated about his situation with Metallica, and he never could let that go. And, you know, I’ve always shown a lot of empathy for him, understanding that he was just pissed off.”
Besties: LLCOOLJ & Brad Paisley
LLCOOLJ and Brad Paisley are perhaps one of the seemingly oddest couples in music. The pair have collaborated and released a song together and keep in frequent contact. Brad told CMT “We’re blood brothers at this point.”
Enemies: Nathan & Caleb Followill.
Don’t you just hate it when brothers fight? Nathan and Caleb of Kings Of Leon take sibling rivalry to a whole new level.
“I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren’t stupid. I can’t lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.”
Besties: Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett.
After recording an album together, Lady Gaga became fast friends with the legendary crooner.
“When we were there, I sang a jazz song , ‘Orange Colored Sky,’ ” she says. “Tony heard me sing it, and he asked to meet me after the show. And I said, ‘Oh my gosh! Tony Bennett’s here!’”
