“Biggie, remember when I use to let ya sleep on my couch, And beg the b**** to let ya sleep in the house. Now it’s all about Versace, you copied my style. Five shots couldn’t drop me, I took it, and smiled, Now I’m ’bout to set the record straight, with my AK. I’m still the thug that you love to hate” —Tupac Shakur
These were some of the strongly worded lyrics written by Tupac Shakur in the song “Hit ‘Em Up” after the believed betrayal of his once close friend, Christopher Wallace, also known as Notorious B.I.G or Biggie, and his record company, Bad Boy Records.1 The battle between these two infamous rappers was well known in the 1990’s as the Battle of the Coasts, West Coast vs. East Coast. So how did these two legendary rappers become such close friends, and how did it go sour between them?
The two rappers first met on the set of the film “Poetic Justice” in 1993, in which Tupac was featured. Biggie was visiting the set while Tupac was playing Biggie’s newly released single “Party & BullS***” on repeat. Biggie was flattered that such an advanced rapper was enjoying his music. Shakur eventually introduced himself to Biggie as a fan of his music. That’s when it clicked for the two. As their friendship began to grow, the two would hang out frequently at Tupac’s home in Los Angeles, where they smoked, drank, and wrote rhymes. This helped bring the two together and bond through their love of Hip-Hop. Little did they know that their friendship would later become one of the biggest feuds in Hip-Hop history.2
The two artist began to bond, and while Biggie Smalls was just making his breakthrough in the Hip-Hop industry, Tupac decided to take him under his wing and become his mentor because he was the more experienced artist, according to D-Dot in an interview. D-Dot was a close friend of both Tupac and Biggie.3 Shakur offered Smalls valuable advice, and even helped create the sound that made Smalls as big as he was. As their relationship grew and Shakur continued to mentor him, Biggie assumed that, since the two had been spending a lot of time together and had become close, he could ask Tupac to become his manager, according to Ben Westhoff.4 Tupac kindly declined, saying that Biggie’s manager “Puff Daddy” would take Biggie where he wanted to be in the charts, telling him that he was going to make it big in the industry.
Their friendship lasted one year, and the two made back and forth trips between Los Angeles and New York. Over time Tupac began to like the respect he received from the East Coast and became involved with some very dangerous shot callers, high-ranked gang affiliates, of the East Coast. Biggie warned Tupac about getting involved with particular individuals, because he knew just how dangerous some could be, and they weren’t afraid to take a life; but Shakur assumed he was on good terms with everyone.5
Tupac was being convicted of sexual assault charges and was looking at serving up to twenty-five years behind bars. On November 30, 1994, he made a stop in Harlem, New York, and was supposed to go to Quads Recording Studio to record with “Little Shawn,” an east coast rapper, since it would possibly be his last recording session for a long time. After a situation involving payment, the recording session was delayed, and Tupac finally arrived at midnight. Once he walked into the lobby, he was ambushed by three men in army fatigues, held at gunpoint, robbed, and then shot multiple times. According to Tupac, when he saw the faces of Biggie and Puff Daddy shortly after the incident, their faces looked guilty. This led Tupac to believe that Biggie knew about the set up and didn’t warn him in advance. That was the end of their friendship.6
On December 1, 1994, less than one day after the shooting, Shakur showed up to court bandaged up and in a wheelchair. He was found guilty of sexual assault and then sentenced to prison for a year and a half to four and a half years on February 8, 1995.7 During his time behind bars, Biggie released a track titled “Who Shot Ya,” which led Tupac to believe that it was a diss-track aimed at him because of the robbery, but Biggie discredited that claim. Shakur appealed his convictions and a New York judge released him on $1.4 million bail with the help of Surge Knight after he signed to Death Row Records.8 Tupac became as ruthless as ever, once he was released. He went to the extent of making the claim that he slept with Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans, and that Biggie was stealing his style because he was the superior in the industry, which he emphasized in his diss track “Hit ‘Em Up.”
On the night of September 7, 1996, the feud between the two came to a climax when Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas. He was placed in the intensive care unit. Days later, Tupac was pronounced dead from internal bleeding caused by multiple gun wounds.9 But the murder of Tupac was not the end of their situation. On March 9, 1997, Notorious B.I.G was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Many believe his death was a result of the toxic relationship between himself and Tupac.10 Although both legends were killed and the issues between the two were never resolved, the two brought the West Coast vs. East Coast rivalry to life.11 It continues, and so does their legacy that was left behind.
- Stereo Williams, “Tupacs Hit Em Up: The Most Savage Diss Track Ever Turns 20,” The Daily Beast, June 04, 2016, accessed February 11, 2018, https://www.thedailybeast.com/tupacs-hit-em-up-the-most-savage-diss-track-ever-turns-20. ↵
- Candace Sandy and Dawn Marie Daniels, How long will they mourn me?: the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur (New York: Random House, 2006), 54. ↵
- “D-Dot talks Tupac & Biggie’s Early Friendship,” Interview by VladTV, D-Dot talks Tupac, biggie’s friendship before beef, November 11, 2013. ↵
- Ben Westhoff, Original gangstas: the untold story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the birth of West Coast rap (New York: Hachette Books, 2016),267. ↵
- Tayannah Lee McQuillar and Freddie Lee Johnson, Tupac Shakur: the life and times of an American icon (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2010), 137. ↵
- MusicVibe | September 13, “V Vintage (1996): Kevin Powell Interviews Tupac,” Vibe, February 24, 2015, , accessed March 08, 2018, https://www.vibe.com/2010/09/v-vintage-1996-kevin-powell-interviews-tupac/. ↵
- Natalie Finn, “Untangling the Conspiracies Surrounding Tupac Shakurs Unsolved Murder,” E! Online, February 25, 2018, accessed March 07, 2018, http://www.eonline.com/news/915786/the-unsolved-murder-of-tupac-shakur-untangling-the-epic-layers-of-conspiracy-surrounding-the-case. ↵
- Chuck Philips and Alan Abrahamson, “Rapper leaves tangled financial, legal legacy,” Los Angeles Times, December 24, 1996, accessed March 05, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-shakurlegacy24dec2496-story.html. ↵
- Michel Marriott, “Shots Silence Angry Voice Sharpened by the Streets,” The New York Times, September 15, 1996, accessed February 13, 2018, http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/16/us/shots-silence-angry-voice-sharpened-by-the-streets.html. ↵
- Carrie Wittmer, “The murders of Biggie and Tupac are still a mystery after 20 years – here are all the theories about them,” Business Insider, March 27, 2017, accessed February 13, 2018, http://www.businessinsider.com/biggie-and-tupac-murder-theories-cases-suspects-2017-3/#but-then-a-violent-rivalry-started-2. ↵
- Meghan Giannotta, “A look at Tupac and Biggie’s infamous hip-hop feud,” Am New York, February 20, 2018, accessed March 05, 2018, https://www.amny.com/entertainment/east-coast-vs-west-coast-rivalry-a-look-at-tupac-and-biggie-s-infamous-hip-hop-feud-1.13742586. ↵
81 comments
Mariah Cavanaugh
I grew up in the 90’s when the Biggie and Tupac feud was at its peak, so your article was very nostalgic for me. I always enjoy reading articles such as this, that focus on the impact of artists. As you mentioned, their fight and eventual deaths lead to a rift for artists in the Rap and R&B scene at the time.
Hailey Rodriguez
I never knew the story of these two rappers. I had almost always heard their names in a pair. It is a shame that we will never truly know whether or not Biggie and his manager were behind Tupac’s robbery or not. I think there is a possibility that it wasn’t them and they didn’t know about it which would have meant they were fighting over nothing. I also think that it is extremely sad that both of these two famed rappers were shot and killed not that far after one another.
Richard Morales
I knew Tupac and Biggie had a friendship before the bitter rivalry but this article truly sheds light on how much they respected each other. It’s crazy how quickly their relationship turned south. I believe that Tupac was too paranoid and that Biggie was innocent, although I’m no expert on the matter. It’s just a shame to see such great potential wasted over misunderstandings.
Nathalie Herrera
The story behind two of the most influential rappers is a tragic one. It’s funny because when I hear names Tupac and Biggie together I think of the conspiracy that lay behind their deaths. Not only that but I forget they were once really good friends. Their growing platform is what allowed their friendship to become hate to one another. The world they lived in was not a surprise on how things ended, but it is sad moment for all those who were inspired them. Their legacy still live on.
Diego Aguilera
I love the first paragraph of this article as it quotes a very significant event in both careers of B.I.G and Tupac that would stir up crazy events to follow. Its very interesting to see these successful rappers be the greatest friends to only see them later trying to kill each other leading to death and both careers being left to the question… ” what if they were still alive?”. Its crazy to be the greatest friends and helping each other to stardom for it all to lead to death starting the West coast vs. East coast rivalry.
Jennifer Salas
I’ve been listening to the Notorious B.I.G and Tupac since i can remember, but i never really knew the extent of their friendship. It’s crazy to think how they went from friends to foes so fast and the intense fued that followed. It was as if everyone was to pick a side and stick to it, you either liked Tupac or Biggie but not both. It must have been hard for both of them, Tupac went from Biggies mentor to his biggest enemy. This just shows how rumors and hanging around the wrong crowd can really affect your friendship. Even though their music careers ended shortly they’re still known as the greatest rappers of all time. Although its been 22 years since their passing you can still hear their influence in music today wether it’s hiphop, pop and even rock. Although they never mended their friendship their legacy will never die.
Donte Joseph
I am a huge fan when it comes to old school rap and I loved all the greats including Biggie and Tupac, but I had never known their origin story because I had only listened to their music. From movies and documentaries, it had seemed that Biggie was more interested in Tupac at the start but in this article, it was clear to see that it was the other way around which given Tupac’s personality it had made sense since he was a very humble guy. Because of how close the two rappers were I knew that Biggie didn’t shoot Tupac, but the release of his song “Who Shot Ya” might not have been released at a good time and I am sure that Biggie realized that afterwards.
Brianna Ford
When I read the intro to this article, I did not know that the two greatest hip-hop artist, Tupac & Biggie, were actually friends with each other. It is sad to see a friendship spoil due to the dark side of the hip-hop industry. As I continued reading I did not know that tupac took biggie under his wing, when biggie was starting out in the industry. As well as tupac getting involved with the “high-rank gang, of the east coast.” a two part legacy could have been one great dream team, but all because the west side/ east drama took a turn for the worst, people will never get to see that dream become reality. We lost what could have been a longer and greater hip-hop era.
Micaela Cruz
I started listening to Biggie Smalls only a few short years ago and I absolutely loved listening to his raps. I enjoyed reading and getting to understand more of the relationship between the two musical icons. One part that I found the most fascinating was how the two met; I wasn’t aware that one of Biggie’s songs had such an effect on Tupac leading him to have much respect for Biggie. Although the article was a good read, the article felt too short for me and I was left wanting to hear more about how outside forces and acquaintances of Tupac and Biggie might have played a role in their feud.
Carlos Robles
I have always known the way the biggie and Tupac rivalry started and ended but I never really knew about the friendship they had before all of that. This article taught me that. I did not know that they met on the set of poetic justice. I also did not know that it was biggies song “Party & BullS***” that brought the two together. I also did not know that Tupac become biggies mentor. I also did not know that Tupac was considered a bigger rapper than biggie.