“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
Austin Pena
Great article. Starting the article off with lyrics to one of his best known songs was a great addition to the article especially since it is considered one of the best diss records in hip hop music today. It is hard to imagine what the two of them could have accomplished if they worked together instead of going their separate ways. Its sad that a great friendship like theirs was ruined and eventually lead to their deaths because of conflicts in the hip hop industry.
Maria Mancha
Starting with the song lyrics was a great way to begin the article. I really enjoyed how you showed the two who used to be close friends end up hating each other. I never knew how their feud started so it was really interesting to know that it began with a “set up”. I think its pretty interesting how they fought it our in their music. I overall enjoyed how you approached this article and gave some very interesting information I had never knew.
Gloria Baca
I really enjoyed reading this article I think it was very informative and it extended my knowledge of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls much further. I was unaware of a rivalry between Biggie and Tupac but after reading this article it is amazing to think that the Hip-Hop industry created such thing. This article des a great way in demonstrating how the feuds started and in demonstrating how a once great friendship came to and end.
Kimberly Simmons
I don’t know much about these two rappers, besides the fact that they feuded and were killed. It’s interesting that the two fought via their music. It is unfortunate, however, that they were involved in dangerous gang activity that eventually got them murdered. I enjoyed reading about the history between the two and the story of their relationship, very well done!
Natalie Childs
This was a really interesting article and does a good job of showing the toxicity that surrounded hip hop scene when it meshed with the gang scene. While I knew about the rivalry of Tupac and Biggie, and that both were murdered, I never really knew the context of the rivalry, and the friendship they had had before it went downhill. Also, I had not realized that Tupac was shot before he died, and not only did he blame Biggie, but it was what spurred their rivalry.
Angelica Padilla
I enjoy reading articles about musicians and the stuff that went on during their fame. I never knew there was such a rivalry between Tupac and Biggie. I enjoy the approach that was taken in this article to share that with the readers. I feel like together these two would be the definition of friendship goals and would be unstoppable with the music they would create together. However I
Suvesh Vasal
This article was extremely informative. Biggie and Tupac could have taken over the world together but they destroyed their friendship. The 90’s was a rough time to be in the hip-hop business. I think the whole gang scene affected the music rappers made which indirectly made them rap about those things they were seeing and taking part in. This was a well-written article and I had not known the extent of their friendship until now.
Elias Garza
This article does a great job with introducing both artist and expressing their relationship as they grow older. I admire both artist because both have their own unique way of making music. I cannot choose between either artist. However, I agree with the fact that their friendship ended after that set up. I would have done the exact same. Always get away from bad relationships as soon as you realize that relationship will not help anymore.
Cheyanne Redman
I like how the article showed the rival point of view rather than the typical highlight of their friendship prior to the feud that occurred. These two famous rappers left behind a path for others to follow and their legacy is still implemented and highlighted today in music. I feel that the author did a great job at showing that even the best of friends can go against to be enemies. I also like how the author showed what led next following their deaths. Great article.
Carlos Vazquez
I knew that Tupac was allegedly murdered due to a rivalry in the Hip-Hop industry, and I did not know the rivalry was between Tupac and Biggie. This article does a good job at showing how toxic the world of hip-hop was in the early 90s and how that led to the death of two of the best rappers in history. This article was well written and informative, I really enjoyed reading it.