Tupac Shakur and The Notorious BI.G, two of the most legendary rappers of all time, started out as close friends before becoming embroiled in one of hip hop’s most infamous feuds. Their tragic falling out stemmed from distrust, misunderstandings, ego, and regional pride, eventually turning friends into bitter enemies. This fateful beef would help fuel the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry of the 1990s, culminating with both rappers being murdered in drive-by shootings within 6 months of each other.
Two Friends with a Shared Dream
Long before their legendary beef began, Tupac and Biggie were aspiring rappers with a mutual admiration for each other’s talents They met in 1993 and quickly bonded over their shared passion for hip hop. At the time Tupac was already a rising star while Biggie was still relatively unknown outside of Brooklyn
Tupac took Biggie under his wing, letting him stay at his home in LA and offering career advice. When Biggie asked Tupac to manage him instead of Diddy, Tupac prophetically declined, telling him “stay with Puff, he’ll make you a star.” Their friendship was more of a mentorship, with Tupac recognizing Biggie’s potential for greatness.
The Shooting that Changed Everything
In November 1994, Tupac was shot 5 times in the lobby of a Manhattan recording studio. Even though Biggie was also there that night, Tupac blamed him for setting up the attack, believing he conspired with Diddy and other East Coast rappers.
Tupac interpreted Biggie’s song “Who Shot Ya” as mocking his shooting, destroying his trust. In Tupac’s mind Biggie had betrayed their friendship and plotted against him along with his East Coast associates. This suspicious shooting severed their bond and made Tupac feel vulnerable.
How Beef Bred An East vs West Rivalry
To protect himself Tupac aligned with Suge Knight’s Death Row Records wanting the intimidating CEO’s muscle behind him. After his shooting, a paranoid Tupac viewed New York rappers as enemies plotting against him.
Biggie took offense to Tupac disrespecting him on records, feeling it was unjustified. As tensions escalated, hip hop fans started to align themselves with either Biggie’s East Coast or Tupac’s West Coast side.
Their personal beef soon evolved into a coastal rivalry, with other rappers joining the fray. The two biggest stars in hip hop were suddenly spearheading rival factions.
From Diss Tracks to Death
Tupac threw fuel on the fire with “Hit Em Up,” which viciously insulted Biggie and other East Coast rappers. He also claimed to have slept with Biggie’s wife Faith Evans, although she denies this. Biggie never directly responded on a track, but felt deeply disrespected.
As the beef reached its peak, Tupac was murdered in September 1996 in Las Vegas. Biggie was killed 6 months later in LA. Both murders remain unsolved, but many suspect they were revenge killings tied to the coastal rivalry.
Two Icons Lost to Senseless Violence
This is the heartbreaking story of how two close friends got caught up in ego, anger, resentment, and regional pride, turning them into bitter rivals. Their falling out helped divide hip hop regionally in the 90s and ultimately culminated with the deaths of both men.
Tupac and Biggie’s murders robbed the world of two incredibly talented artists, leaving fans to mourn the unnecessary loss of their musical gifts. Their tragic feud underscores how even the tightest friendships can unravel for seemingly small reasons. Twenty five years later, the world is still pained by the loss of these two icons.
Videos by American Songwriter
Two of the biggest rappers in the 1990s decade, Tupac and Biggie were meant to lead a generation of rap for years to come. Here is the story of why that didn’t happen.
In the early 1990s, Biggie was still very much an underground artist, looking for a breakthrough. At the same time, Tupac was one of the most exciting acts in hip-hop, releasing his beloved debut and sophomore albums, 2pacalypse (1991) and Strictly 4 My N.*.*.*.*.Z… (1993), respectively.
The same year Pac dropped his second album was when Biggie finally earned a tad of recognition, being signed to Diddy after a demo track of his gained steam. Biggie would then release his debut single “Party and Bullshit” in June 1993, which then led to him building the courage to approach Tupac, who he looked up to in the industry.
Both born in the New York City surrounding areas, Pac and Biggie developed a friendship, which even saw Biggie ask Pac if he would be his manager. But, Pac insisted he stay under the guidance of Diddy and his Bad Boy Records label.
“Nah, stay with Puff. He will make you a star,” Pac told Biggie, according to Ben Westhoff’s book Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap (2016)
This affinity would not remain for long, even though their short-lived friendship saw Pac let Biggie crash at his place in California when in town, which Pac noted in his 1996 song “Hit ‘Em Up,” (more on that below). In 1994, when Pac went to work with Biggie and another New York emcee Little Shawn at Quad Recording Studios in Times Square, he would end up being shot five times in the lobby of the studio.
While this is still unconfirmed, Pac believed Biggie and Diddy set him up that day. He would survive and make a full recovery and Biggie would dispute this claim, but that would not change Pac’s mind. What also did not help was when Biggie released his single “Who Shot Ya?” in February 1995, attached to his smash hit at the time “Big Poppa.”
Tupac was led to believe that “Who Shot Ya?” was a diss to him, even though Biggie tried to clarify that it was a more vague response to drug dealers he used to deal with. So, in June 1996 once he was released from prison for an unrelated offense, Tupac put out “Hit ‘Em Up,” a clear, direct, and ferocious diss to Biggie, where he claims he slept with Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans (which she denied), and delivers the fierce lyric regarding the 1994 shooting.
Biggie, remember when I used to let you sleep on the couch And beg a bitch to let you 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
Amid all of this drama, Tupac would sign to California-based record label Death Row Records, which housed other Cali natives like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and more. Led by Suge Knight, Death Row’s addition of Tupac would practically christen the hip-hop rivalry of West Coast vs. East Coast, with Biggie, Diddy, and New York as their adversaries.
Now comes that part that everybody is familiar with. A few months after the release of “Hit ‘Em Up” and his No. 1 album from February, All Eyez on Me, Pac would end up being shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September. While it’s practically a cold case now and a killer was never convicted, many in Suge Knight and Death Row’s circle believe the murder was orchestrated by Bad Boy Records and its label heads Diddy and Biggie.
According to Biggie’s wife, Evans, though, he had no knowledge of the attack and mourned Tupac’s death upon learning of it. “The night (Tupac was shot) I remember Big calling me and crying,” Evans told MTV in 2002. “I know for a fact he was in Jersey. He called me crying because he was in shock. I think it’s fair to say he was probably afraid, given everything that was going on at that time and all the hype that was put on this so-called beef that he didn’t really have in his heart against anyone.”
Less than a year later, though, Biggie would meet the same fate. While in Los Angeles in March 1997 for the Soul Train Awards, Biggie would be gunned down in his car at a stop light, passing away at the age of 24. Much like Tupac’s death, authorities, and those close to Biggie, believe the murder was arranged by someone affiliated with Death Row in retaliation for Pac’s death.
Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty s
2Pac vs Biggie: From Friends To Enemies
FAQ
What happened between Biggie and 2Pac?
In summary, while Tupac did not initially hate Biggie, their relationship soured dramatically due to betrayal, misunderstandings, and the pressures of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry, leading to a significant public feud before their untimely deaths.
Why did Tupac insult Biggie?
While 2Pac was in prison for sexual abuse, he found out that Jimmy Henchmen, one of Biggie’s friend, orchestrated the robbery because during an interview, 2Pac made a comment that Jimmy Henchmen didnt like. So 2Pac felt that Biggie, who bragged about being the King of New York, failed to inform about the robbery.
What did Biggie think of Tupac’s death?
Did Tupac ever forgive Biggie?
-
Reddit · r/Tupachttps://www.reddit.comIf biggie and pac survived do you think they would’ve squashed the beefFeb 5, 2024 — PAC Said he would tour with Biggie If they Got to donate the Money in all Hood community centres in America And he said this around the time he was r…
Did 2Pac & Biggie have a beef?
Surely, 2Pac and Biggie did both. The beef between 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. (Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace) is not only the most well-known and well-documented in rap history, it has come to embody the West Coast-East Coast hip-hop rivalry that took off in the 1990’s.
What happened between Biggie and Tupac?
The shooting of Tupac in 1994 marked the start of the feud between Tupac and Biggie, which lasted until Biggie’s murder. Their rivalry, central to the East Coast-West Coast conflict, escalated through diss tracks. Tupac was shot on 7 September 1996, and Biggie was killed on 9 March 1997.
How did the Tupac & Biggie beef end?
Sadly, the Tupac and Biggie beef didn’t end with just verbal jabs. On September 7, 1996, Tupac was fatally shot in Las Vegas, a crime that has yet to be completely solved. Just months later, on March 9, 1997, Biggie was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles.
How did the media influence Tupac vs Biggie?
West Coast vs. East Coast: The Media Amplifies the Beef The media played a huge role in fueling the rivalry between Tupac and Biggie. Both artists were relentlessly pursued by tabloids and news outlets, who saw the East Coast-West Coast beef as a sensationalized story that attracted significant attention.
Are Tupac & Biggie friends?
What started as a friendship turned into one of the most infamous beefs in music history, fueling the deadly East Coast vs. West Coast war. This is the full breakdown of the drama, the diss tracks, and the fateful events that led to their untimely deaths. 1993: FRIENDS TURNED FOES Before the beef, Tupac and Biggie were actually friends.
What is Biggie & Tupac’s legacy?
Tupac’s legacy: A revolutionary voice in hip-hop, known for his poetry, activism, and raw emotion. Biggie’s legacy: A lyrical genius who shaped modern rap with his storytelling and flow. Despite their tragic deaths, their music lives on, and their story remains one of the most haunting in hip-hop history.