MC Eiht Reveals Some Unbelievable Secrets About The Casting of Menace II Society (Video)

In the early and mid-90s, MC Eiht was riding high as one of the most talented of the many noteworthy MCs from Compton. His work with Compton’s Most Wanted earned him a reputation as a skillful story teller who narrated the treacherous streets of Hub City with ice cold blood in his veins. However, his role in the 1993 Hughes Brothers film, Menace II Society, would take his star power to a different level. Eiht’s scene leading up to a driveby would prove to be one of the most memorable of the film, and yielded some of its most quotable lines. In fact, just last year, Kendrick Lamar paid homage to the scene in his video for “These Walls.”

Recently, Eiht sat down with DJ Vlad and explained that the role almost did not happen for him. While Eiht was well-respected, he did not have the same level of name-recognition as his Compton peers, N.W.A. As such, the role of “A-Wax” that he ultimately embodied was originally offered to MC Ren. When Ren turned down the role, Eiht read for the part, but was met with hesitancy. When he read for it again 2 weeks later, he was cast, and the rest is history.

Eiht’s tales about the film do not stop with him, however. He also spoke in great detail about Tupac’s involvement in Menace and the events that led to an altercation with Allen Hughes that would cause Pac to be fired from the film and eventually serve jail time. Eiht says that Tupac, who was slated to play the role of the righteous Muslim “Sharif,” did not agree with the Hughes’ brothers choice not to present the character’s backstory. Eiht also says Pac preferred to play more gangster roles, akin to that of the “Bishop” role he played in the movie Juice. Eiht also suggests that the Hughes brothers were less amenable to Shakur’s demands because they did not actually want him involved with the film.

#bonusbeat: Here is MC Eiht’s classic scene from Menace II Society:

Related: MC Eiht Offers Firsthand Insight Into How Tupac’s Gang Affinities Killed Him (Video)