DJ SNS Liberates The Original Mixtape Version Of Biggie’s Who Shot Ya With A Keith Murray Verse (Audio)

It could be easily argued that the 1990s was the ultimate decade for mixtapes. Still on cassettes, New York masters like Kid Capri, Doo Wop, Tony Touch, DJ Clue, Ron G, Silva Surfa, Green Lantern, and a host of others competed with each other for the best exclusives, freestyles, strongest blends, craziest colors of cartridges, and of course, the ultimate cover art. One of the true masters of the era was DJ SNS. A king of blending, the street-wise S&S was also among the first to get crucial, game-changing records that were not only from Tri-State artists, but guys from Compton, Long Beach, and elsewhere.

NahRight’s been killing the series game lately, and their Mixtape Memories joint with DJ SNS is a walk back in time to anybody (no matter where you lived) who was regularly copping tapes in the mid-’90s. The piece includes links to a lot of rarities, some great photos of the tape J-cards/inserts, and most importantly, DJ S&S’s insights into how some of those groundbreaking moments happened, and how the artists reacted (from a flattered Snoop Dogg & Dre to an angry Murda Mase).

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One particular standout from Stan Ipcus’ stellar feature is the bit on “Who Shot Ya?.” The controversial song, produced by Nashiem Myrick & Diddy (who chillingly flipped a sample by Isaac Hayes’ production partner David Porter), featured some uncharacteristic ad-lib shots from Puff Daddy at the time, and seemed to chide Tupac Shakur into the beef that would transpire less than a year later. Like so many great myths surrounding The Notorious B.I.G. and mid-’90s Bad Boy, SNS maintains that his version, hitting the streets first in 1995, featured Keith Murray. While the Def Squad MC’s lyrics would later be re-purposed to a Mary J. Blige interlude, with the interview, SNS digitized this moment in time. K.M., like Biggie, is an amazing lyricist who’s never been too far from controversy.

Here’s what he said: “I had ‘Who Shot Ya’ with Keith Murray’s verse. To this day, no one still has that record. [Laughs.] You only heard Keith Murray’s verse on the Mary [J. Blige My Life interlude]. But his whole verse wasn’t on there, [it was just a snippet that faded in and out]. I had the full version.

Take a listen, and see what you think about this, from two guys not often associated with each other:

Do you believe this was a blend, or as intended?

Bonus Beat: Jeru The Damaja’s HOT 97 promo, over “Ten Crack Commandments” (before The Notorious B.I.G.’s track)

Check the full Mixtape Memories joint with DJ S&S.

Related: NahRight’s 10 Classic Biggie Smalls Mixtape Cuts