Deadmau5’s most brutal Twitter beefs—and who won them

This week, Deadmau5, a DJ who wears a massive mouse-head helmet, waged Twitter war on Kanye West, a rapper who thinks he’s the second coming of Christ. If that sentence sounded bizarre to you, we envy your ignorance. For the rest of us—for whom social-media onslaughts from Toronto’s famously flippant EDM producer, Joel Zimmerman, are as routine as TTC delays—here’s a non-exhaustive breakdown of Deadmau5’s fiercest online feuds.

Deadmau5 vs. Kanye West

The feud: On Tuesday, Yeezus posted a picture of his computer screen as he listened to Sufjan Stevens’ “Death With Dignity” on YouTube. (Note: not even Kanye West, cheerleader for Tidal, uses Tidal.) Piecing together evidence from the browser’s tabs, Deadmau5 called Kanye out for pirating Serum, a $250 synth software created by Zimmerman’s record label, Xfer. (Have pity, Zimmy; the man is $71 million in debt). Kanye bit back by inviting Deadmau5 to play his daughter’s birthday party because she “loves Minnie Mouse.”
How Deadmau5 felt: Annoyed—like how Kanye fans felt when Life of Pablo was released exclusively on Tidal. Winner: Deadmau5, even if he was a bit holier-than-thou (not to mention hypocritical).

Deadmau5 vs. Justin Bieber

When Zimmerman tried to explain his rancid relationship with Skrillex last year, he came up with just one reason: Justin Bieber. In the video above, he rips on the Biebs for parachuting into the “trappy dubsteppy” scene and taking credit for Skrillex’s work, and, in the ultimate insult, compares him to a Kardashian: “What do you do?” How Deadmau5 felt: Aggravated—like Bieber being asked about Selena Gomez. Winner: Justin Bieber, because he had the good sense to shut up while Deadmau5 made a fool of himself.

Deadmau5 vs. Disney

The feud: When Zimmerman applied for a trademark on his mouse-head logo in the U.S., Disney sued, because, well, have you seen it? Mickey and co. might have had a moral leg to stand on had they not shot themselves in the (big, yellow felt) foot by proceeding to allegedly use the Deadmau5 track “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” in one of their videos without proper permission. After nine months of bickering, the two parties settled their dispute. How Deadmau5 felt: Angry—that is, the character from Inside Out. Winner: Deadmau5, for no reason other than he’s still wearing the helmet.

Deadmau5 vs. Madonna

The feud: In 2012, Madge asked the crowd at Ultra Music Festival, “How many people here have seen Molly?” Mau5 responded with an expletive-laced Facebook post and an 800-word rant condemning Madonna for being a bad role model. The Queen of Pop handily defused the situation with the cute, clever response above. How Deadmau5 felt: Furious—like the Catholic Church’s response to Madonna’s every move. Winner: Madonna, for being the anti-troll.

Deadmau5 vs. Arcade Fire

The feud: After the Montreal indie superstars gave a shout-out to “all the bands still playing actual instruments” at Coachella, the Mau5 pounced. In a string of tweets, he lambasted Arcade Fire and defended digital music (and orchestras, should anyone be wondering how he felt on the subject). During a show a week later, Arcade Fire projected Zimmerman’s mouse logo on an LCD screen while singing, “Do you like rock and roll music?” How Deadmau5 felt: Irate—like Eminem after losing the Grammy to a band he’d never heard of. Winner: Deadmau5, because Arcade Fire were being rockist grumps.