One of the earliest examples of a diss track was "You Keep Her" (1962) by Joe Tex. He wrote the song after his wife left him for famous soul singer James Brown, then broke up again and wrote Tex a letter he could have her back. Tex refused and ridiculed this offer in his song.[1]
Another example of a diss track occurred in Jamaica. After Lee "Scratch" Perry left producer Coxsone Dodd he released a track called "Run for Cover" (1967) poking a joke at him.[2] Perry in particular has a long history of releasing diss tracks directed at former musical collaborators. The musical single "People Funny Boy" (1968) attacked his former boss Joe Gibbs by adding sounds of a crying baby into the mix. In response Gibbs himself released a track called "People Grudgeful" (1968).[3] Perry's "Evil Tongues" (1978) was aimed at The Congos[4] and “Judgement Inna Babylon” (1984) and "Satan Kicked the Bucket" (1988) at Chris Blackwell.[4] Perry also attacked Michael Jackson (with whom he never worked together) on the track "Freaky Michael" (2010).[4]