Music fans love comparing two artists with relatively close sounds, genres, amount of fame, or anything other they might have in common. For instance, many people have heard of the ‘The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones’ debate and picked a side regardless of their interest in rock music. Since music lovers cannot help themselves but create rivalries, every artist has experienced at least one incident related to these comparisons.
Red Hot Chili Peppers also had their fair share of these rivalries when lead singer Anthony Kiedis came across Faith No More’s music video for ‘Epic.’ In addition to the similar genres, Mike Patton’s attitude in the video encouraged fans to stir the pot between the two bands. Hence, a feud was instigated between Kiedis and Patton, who made several statements about each other during interviews.
As a result of their history with such matters, Anthony Kiedis was asked if there were any rivalries between him and other bands in a 2002 interview with Penthouse. Surprisingly, the singer didn’t mention Faith No More. Instead, he said, “Back in the day, we always had this thing with the Beastie Boys, where they were East Coast, and we were West Coast.”
Kiedis continued, “Our music sounded a lot different, but I always felt there was this weird competition. I hope they did. Otherwise, I was imagining things.” The musician also noted that Red Hot Chili Peppers had been compared to multiple acts, but he believed this was unnecessary. Anthony added, “We’ve had other rivalries, but I feel there’s enough to go around for everybody. I don’t have to worry about getting mine.”
Beastie Boys were formed five years before Red Hot Chili Peppers, but they achieved success with their 1983 comedy hip-hop single ‘Cooky Puss.’ From then on, the band dropped seven platinum-selling albums from 1986 to 2004, during which they shifted towards rap rather than rock music. Still, some fans saw similarities between the two bands due to the rap elements in RHCP’s music as well.
