Treach Flies To L.A. & Wages War To Protect Tupac’s Legacy
UPDATE: Just over 48 hours after Hip-Hop Heads were questioning whether Naughty By Nature’s Treach and The Game’s manager Wack 100 made an online beef a physical altercation, that conflict has been declared resolved.
Moments ago today (May 22), Treach publicly apologized the the veteran music executive tied to Ray J and DJ Kay Slay. On Instagram, the New Jersey MC admitted he should have squashed the issue with a discussion sooner, especially after alluding to threats of physical harm while traveling in California. Notably, the Grammy Award winner took it one step further and saluted Wack 100 for not “running” from conflict, and seemingly not “coming with everything that he could have” on the rapper and actor.
ORIGINAL MAY 20 STORY: In the 1990s, Naughty By Nature’s Treach was a close friend of Tupac Shakur, dating back to 1990. The East Orange, New Jersey lyricist famously appeared in the “Temptations” video, collaborated on “5 Deadly Venomz,” and made perhaps one of the most emotional, profound statements after his friend’s abrupt death:
“Pac was a prophet. He knew things that none of us could see yet. And he put it into his music. His only release was his music. I rolled with Pac. We came up together. And Pac never let me roll with him to pull no gun on no Black man. Pac wasn’t no gangster. Pac was a soldier,” Treach told a memorial crowd in 1996, with tears coming down his face.
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Similarly, back in 1993, in a TV interview, Pac called Treach “my Naughty n**ga,” where he promoted the collabo which also featured Flavor Unit’s Apache, and Live Squad’s Stretch (both of whom are now deceased). Last month, Treach joined T.I. and Snoop Dogg for performances honoring Shakur’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Throughout this month of May, Pac’s legacy has been called into question. Funkmaster Flex, a contemporary of Shakur’s in the Hip-Hop industry, expressed his belief that the 1994 Quad Studios shooting was caused by Tupac mistakenly shooting himself in the leg following an attempted robbery. “You Pac fans always talking that talk,” Flex stated. “[He] popped himself in the leg. Popped himself first. That’s what happened…He knew who approached him,” he continued. “He had a steel on him, ’cause he knew he had a issue out there, and when get got there, they was just gonna take his jewelry. They didn’t even touch him. He panicked, pulled out the steel, shot himself.”
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The Quad Studios shooting was a turning point. Leaving that venue, shot a reported five times, Pac laid blame on Biggie Smalls, Puff Daddy, and others for knowing who was behind the alleged robbery and not cooperating, if not outright setting him up. Following an unrelated prison sentence that same year, Shakur would sign with Death Row Records, and release a series of tirades aimed at various foes in the industry, especially in New York City and surrounding areas.
On another social media post several days later, Flex contested that had Tupac not lied about the ’94 shooting, his friend The Notorious B.I.G. would not have been murdered in 1997—which many believe to be an act of revenge. “He was screaming Biggie’s name,” he said. “Tupac lied, bro…And Biggie wouldn’t have f*ckin’ died if that ni**a hadn’t have lied. He lied. Y’all ni**as worship him. Lied. [You] never ever said nothing about him. [He] f*ckin’ lied. Nobody wants to tell the truth…That ain’t G-code. He lied and Biggie died. That’s my only issue. That’s it,” Flex said.
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Following Flex’s initial statement (several more followed, discrediting Tupac Shakur’s rapping abilities), Wack 100, an affiliate and alleged manager of The Game, Ray J, and others added to a greater social media discussion that Biggie Smalls’ murder was attached to a Harlem, New Yorker (whose name he kept out), thus not supporting theories and motives pointed back to Death Row Records. Presumably, Wack was contesting that the ’94 Pac shooting and ’97 Biggie murder had any interconnection.
As discussions lingered, Flex released even more statements on social media damning Tupac and the man who was beside him when he was shot: Suge Knight. Knight is now incarcerated, on trial for multiple charges, including murder.
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Enter Treach. On May 12, the “Dirt All By My Lonely” MC released a vitriolic diss record aimed at HOT 97’s mainstay DJ. Called “A Date With Death,” the 50-second snippet attacks Flex and members of his family verbally. Spice 1, another Tupac friend/collaborator released his own “Hit ‘Em Up” diss aimed at Flex, while T.I. expressed his own disagreements towards Flex’s remarks.
Into this week, Treach persisted in his diatribe against Funkmaster Flex. On a May 17 post, he took aim at Wack 100 too, reportedly after the music executive posted a disrespectful photo of Shakur with “#Gangsta” in the caption (reposted below, courtesy of SOHH). Promising another diss record, the Grammy Award winner announced he was in L.A. and looking for action within the presumed turf of Wack. The two sparred further online, with threats of violence.
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That’s when in two separate IG posts (poking fun at both Wack and Flex), Treach revealed that he was in Los Angeles, and looking for Wack to deliver “the fade”:
From social media to L.A., that conflict appears to have possibly gotten physical. While onetime G-Unit/Mobb Deep affiliate (and Game nemesis) 40 Glocc suggests Treach did put hands on Wack 100 in the last 24 hours, the N.B.N.’s latest Instagram post says otherwise:
Treach now calls for a truce, and asks his soldiers to “stand down.”
In a video believed to be from earlier today (May 20) Wack refuses the olive branch. “The n*gga Treach call me out… now I’m the bad guy,” Wack says on camera. “He talking about he sitting down talking to with some n*ggas about a truce. How you talking to n*ggas about a truce? Can’t no n*gga out here call no shot on me. That’s the bottom line, n*gga. Run this fade, or I promise you, one day I’mm a catch you. When I catch you, it ain’t gonna be on your terms.”
Regardless of what specifically has transpired during Treach’s California visit, one can only point to the facts. The MC photographed himself with two members of Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., known Blood gang members with past ties to Eazy-E and Death Row Records.
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Furthermore, amidst his anger with Flex and Wack, Treach also called into question his Naughty By Nature crew. Apparently in response to fans and media approaching Treach’s band-mates Vin Rock and Kay Gee, the artist distanced himself from a group with nearly 30 years of history. In an Instagram post, Treach claimed “We don’t f*ck with each other at all, except on stage.”
Like Mobb Deep, Tha Dogg Pound, and EPMD, Naughty By Nature has a complicated history. Since the late ’90s, Kay Gee previously exited after a financial dispute. After a complete reunion, four years ago this month, Treach announced that Vin had been “fired” from the group, and revealed the two MCs had not spoken in more than two years. Just over two years ago, the group resumed as a trio and toured. They released music and plans for the 25th anniversary of the group’s name-change from New Style to N.B.N., where they found awards, critical praise, and multi-platinum success.
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More than 20 years after the death of ‘Pac, and less than a month from the theatrical release of the All Eyez On Me Tupac biopic (June 16), Treach is apparently still throwing down for his brother-in-arms.
Treach is currently at work on O.G.ology, with Bumpy Knuckles and Trick Trick. The trio has an album reportedly produced in full by Nottz.
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This appeared on the Ride soundtrack.