tupac Archives

Scarface Says He Is The GOAT MC & Explains Why

Last month, Justin "The Company Man" Hunte published a special video breaking down his personal "Top 5, dead or alive MCs" list. In the visual essay, the prominent video personality, host, and member of the Ambrosia For Heads team explains his choices, which he asserts are purely music-based. "These five... Read more

March 20, 2019 TBD, Video

Mike Tyson Recalls The Time He Bribed A Cop With His Car (Video)

In late 2017, Ed Lover shared a captivating Mike Tyson story wherein the champ gave him a Bentley Azure after a wild night of New York City partying. The only catch was, the former Yo! MTV Raps host and C'mon Son Podcast creator says that he was unaware that the gesture... Read more

March 1, 2019 Throwback, Video

MC Breed & Tupac’s Message Is Still Relevant. It’s Time To Get Yours

Tupac Shakur was born in New York City. He spent his teens in Marin City, California, following a brief but meaningful stop in Baltimore, Maryland. Pac's life is one of extremes and contradictions. At a time when Shakur was portrayed to be condemning the East Coast Rap community, he was... Read more

February 28, 2019 Do Remember, Video

John Singleton Recalls Trying To Convince Tupac To Hang Up His Mic In 1993

While director John Singleton's career spans a hearty three decades and is chock full of incredible stories to revel in, memories surrounding his cherished interactions with Tupac remain as fresh as ever. In a new interview with The Daily Beast's Stereo Williams, which arrived in tandem with his Poetic Justice... Read more

February 6, 2019 Throwback, TV/Film

Vic Mensa Says Biggie Knew Who Shot Pac & Suge Knew Who Shot Big In A Fiery Freestyle

As has been the case throughout the last five years, Vic Mensa had a busy 2018. The Chicagoan showed no signs of slowing down or taking a pause this year, both in terms of making music and staying in some headlines. Mensa released Hooligans on Roc Nation. The eight-song release... Read more

December 28, 2018 Video

Eminem Names His Top 12 Rap Diss Songs Of All-Time (Audio)

Despite being a perennial Grammy darling, with 44 nominations and 15 wins, Eminem's 2018 Kamikaze album has no nominations. The LP also was missing from a number of prominent "best album of the year" lists. But, make no mistake, Kamikaze, which became Em's 10th album in a row to reach... Read more

December 27, 2018 Audio

Suge Knight Describes The Night Tupac Was Shot & Retraces Their Route Step By Step

The night of September 7, 1996 changed history forever. Mike Tyson defeated Bruce Seldon in a WBA championship fight that lasted less than two minutes. He entered the ring to a song by friend Tupac Shakur, who attended the MGM event seated beside manager and employer Suge Knight. After the... Read more

December 26, 2018 TV, TV/Film

Real Hip-Hop Finally Has Its Own Home On TV

“It's like that uh and it sounds so nice. Hip-hop, you the love of my life.” I’ve been on the same mission for 20 years. Having grown up in the 80s, the soundtrack to my coming of age was fueled by the sounds of Grandmaster Melle Mel, Run-D.M.C., LL Cool... Read more

December 11, 2018 News, Video

Who Are The Top 5 MCs Of All-Time? Allen Iverson Has The Answer.

Allen Iverson wrote a lengthy article in the latest edition of The Player’s Tribune (December 6) titled, "Allen." In the piece, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee covers everything from his connection to Meek Mill, to an anecdote about giving a Bentley to former teammate Larry Hughes, to... Read more

December 8, 2018 News

A New Documentary Shows How Suge Knight’s American Dream Became His Nightmare

This September, Marion "Suge" Knight was sentenced to 28 years behind bars for the killing of music executive Terry Carter. For the Compton, California native, it was the stiffest punishment in a career that has marred by incarcerations, legal roadblocks, and a very public fall from power. Twenty-five years ago,... Read more

December 7, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

Hear The Original Version Of California Love & It’s Nuthin’ But A Dre Thang

UPDATE: The same version through an alternate upload has been added. ORIGINAL STORY: When Tupac Shakur got out of prison in late 1995, he boarded a private jet and went straight to Death Row Records' Can-Am Studios in Tarzana, California. After pausing for dinner at Monty's Steakhouse with his new... Read more

December 3, 2018 Throwback, Throwback

Spice 1 Believes This Is The Last Song Tupac Recorded (Video)

In the 12 years since Tupac Shakur was murdered in September 1996, the rapper's discography has grown to include a slew of posthumous releases and compilations. Beginning with The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, the string of projects released after his death have made him one of the most... Read more

November 14, 2018 Throwback, Throwback, Video

Former Rap Exec Jimmy Henchman Sentenced To Life For Murder

Less than two months after Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight was sentenced to 28 years behind bars for the 2015 killing of music executive Terry Carter, another former, sometimes feared Hip-Hop manager is formally ordered to serve the rest of his life behind bars. James Rosemond, Jr., perhaps better... Read more

November 9, 2018 News

Spice 1 Reveals He Was Considered For The Role Of O-Dog In “Menace II Society” (Video)

Spice 1 was a driving force in 1993's Menace II Society soundtrack. Released on Jive Records, the platinum-certified compilation opens with Spice's "Trigga Gots No Heart." The E-A-Ski and CMT-produced song became a single from the audio companion to Allen and Albert Hughes' film. Spice's longtime collaborator MC Eiht followed... Read more

October 25, 2018 TV/Film, Video

Take A 25-Year Ego-Trip Back To One Of De La Soul’s Best Videos

De La Soul's third album celebrates 25 years of being on planet earth today (September 21). Of all the LPs from the Plugs, it can sometimes seem easy to lose Buhloone Mindstate in the lights of a discography as consistent and far-reaching as any in the Rap genre. Many Heads... Read more

September 21, 2018 Do Remember

Jay Electronica Threatens Eminem For Saying Puffy Had Tupac Killed

Earlier today (September 14) Eminem sent shock waves through the Rap community with his latest MGK diss, "Killshot." The second Em offensive aimed at the Cleveland, Ohio rapper in the last three Fridays was in response to the Bad Boy Records artist's "Rap Devil," a scathing reply to Slim Shady's... Read more

September 14, 2018 News

Kurupt Explains How He & DMX Made Peace 20 Years After Their Beef Over Foxy Brown (Video)

Two years after the Tupac and Biggie Smalls beef came to a screeching and tragic halt, tensions lingered between East and West Coast Rap communities. At the center of a 1999 beef was Kurupt—whose role in 1995's "New York, New York" helped escalate a feud to begin with. While the... Read more

September 13, 2018 Video

Escobar Season Has Returned. Nas Reunites With Karl Kani For A Clothing Line

Since the Karl Kani street clothing brand was relaunched in 2016, it has reintroduced the company’s vibrant but rugged aesthetic which saw the Kani signature logo stitched across the chest of most big-name rappers and R&B singers of the early-1990s era. Icons like Tupac, the Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Nas,... Read more

August 29, 2018 Fresh, Lifestyle

One Of Biggie’s Final Radio Appearances Is A Moment That Can Never Be Tuned Out (Video)

In today’s Hip-Hop landscape, Sway Calloway is most synonymous with hosting both established and budding MCs at the Shade 45 studios in New York, providing them a globally esteemed platform to showcase their verbal readiness. A successful Sway In The Morning appearance has become somewhat of a seal of approval for... Read more

July 26, 2018 Do Remember

J. Prince Reveals The Original Plan For Scarface & Tupac’s “Smile” (Video)

J. Prince has shunned the spotlight for much of Rap-A-Lot Records' 32 years of business. The label's founder, the man born James Smith, has gone public in a very big way this year. The Houston, Texas native published his memoir The Art And Science Of Respect. Right as the text... Read more

July 17, 2018 Throwback, Throwback, Video

When Stakes Were High For Hip-Hop, De La Soul, Common & Mos Def Got Down To Bizness (Video)

De La Soul has always stood for raising the musical bar. Celebrating its 22nd birthday this week (July 2), the trio's 1996 album Stakes Is High parlayed the group into its second era of prominence. Three years since their last LP, the work also proved that they were able to... Read more

July 5, 2018 Do Remember

Snoop Claims Biggie Tried To Have Him Shot & Explains How They Made Peace (Video)

While Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls had the most storied and ultimately tragic Rap beef in history, there were other moments that greatly defined a coastal conflict between the Death Row and Bad Boy labels. In 1995, there was a shooting in Red Hook, Brooklyn while Tha Dogg Pound and... Read more

June 11, 2018 Throwback, Video

A New Film Will Show The Conspiracy & Cover Up Of Who Shot Biggie (Video)

Yesterday (May 21), The Notorious B.I.G. would have turned 46 years old. Due to violence and tragedy, that never got to happen. On March 9, 1997, 24-year-old Christopher Wallace was fatally shot in a drive-by outside The Peterson Auto Museum in Los Angeles, California. While Biggie's murder remains unsolved, there... Read more

May 22, 2018 TV/Film, Video

TDE’s President Makes A Compelling Argument For Why Cardi B Is Like Tupac

Cardi B released her major label debut album, Invasion Of Privacy, last Friday (April 6). Within hours, the Bronx, New York rapper achieved gold certification for the Atlantic Records LP featuring YG, Chance The Rapper, Migos, and SZA, among others. In the days ahead the music industry will see if... Read more

April 9, 2018 Fresh

Tupac Hit Up Many More People Than Biggie In His Original Makaveli Liner Notes

Tupac was not alive for the release of his fifth solo album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. However, he was promoting and working on the LP at the time of his September 13, 1996 death. Fresh off the success of double-album, All Eyez On Me, Tupac wrote and... Read more

April 5, 2018 News, Throwback

With A Clear & Open Mind, Deniro Farrar Aims To Elevate (Video)

The pursuit of self-realization, with an open mind at the forefront, often leads to an abundance of mental liberation. With nearly a decade of releases to his lyrical resume, Charlotte, North Carolina MC, Deniro Farrar, who is the self-proclaimed conductor of “Cult Rap," has confidently arrived to that arena of... Read more

April 4, 2018 Ready Or Not

Coolio Explains Why His Tupac Collaboration Was Deliberately Erased (Video)

In the mid-1990s, two of the biggest stars in music were rappers, Coolio and Tupac Shakur. At the 38th Grammy Awards in February of 1996, the two men competed for "Best Rap Solo Performance." Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" took the trophy home, while Tupac's "Dear Mama" joined singles by Biggie, Dr.... Read more

March 28, 2018 Throwback, Video

T.I. Rates The Bars. He Gives Iggy Azalea More Love Than Tupac (Video)

"Rate The Bars" is a fun series that can test a rapper's objectivity. MCs are often handed lyrics by artists in their crews, from their same cities, or even rivals and past enemies. Raekwon, Royce 5'9 and Rah Digga have all had potent things to say about excerpts that are... Read more

January 15, 2018 Video

Michael Rapaport Reveals Tupac, Leo & More Were Part Of The Original “Higher Learning” Cast (Video)

Michael Rapaport's acting career goes back nearly 30 years. In an array of roles, one of his most memorable is that of 1995's Higher Learning. In the John Singleton film about college and diversity, Rapaport played "Remy," a student who transforms into a skinhead. However, that role was first attached... Read more

November 30, 2017 TV/Film, Video

All Eyez On The Score: A Breakdown Of The Beef Between Tupac & The Fugees (Video)

On February 13, 1996, two of the biggest, and best-selling Hip-Hop albums of all time were released. That Tuesday, Tupac Shakur made his Death Row Records debut with double LP All Eyez On Me. The Fugees followed a tepid response to 1994's Blunted On Reality with a critical and commercial... Read more

November 25, 2017 Exclusive, TBD, Video

The D.O.C. Speaks About Idolizing Rakim & Making Plans To Work On New Music Together (Video)

On August 1, 1989, The D.O.C. released his debut album, No One Can Do It Better. The Ruthless/Atco/Atlantic Records album was the solo debut from the Dallas, Texas MC, formerly of the Fila Fresh Crew. Produced by N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre, it was not only an important mainstream representation of Southern... Read more

October 23, 2017 Video

The Outlawz & Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Are Still Riding Hard For Makaveli & Eazy (Video)

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and The Outlawz have a long collaborative history. Both groups, West Coast transplants, are mourning their figureheads: Eazy-E and Tupac Shakur, respectively. In the third installment of Thug Brothers, that's just the idea. Bizzy Says He & Krayzie Are The Ones Capable Of Creating New Waves For Bone... Read more

September 28, 2017 Video

50 Cent Explains Why Despite Their Beef Prodigy & Tupac Were Truly Alike (Video)

In May of 2006, Mobb Deep would release their seventh album, a first with G-Unit/Interscope Records. Blood Money would be Prodigy and Havoc's lone album with 50 Cent. However, a Queens, New York bond seemed especially strong, when Curtis Jackson—at the top of the Rap food-chain gave his borough neighbors luxury... Read more

September 27, 2017 Video

A Study Identifies Words That Make Each MC Unique. Here’s What Defines Some Of The Best.

In 2014, data scientist Matt Daniels released a comprehensive study that stirred up intense discourse in the Hip-Hop community. The analysis dissected over 35,000 lyrics to determine which MCs had the most extensive vocabularies in their rhymes. Now, Daniels has returned with another deep dive into Hip-Hop linguistics, and this... Read more

September 26, 2017 Lifestyle

21 Years After Tupac’s Death, The Game Questions How He’d Fit In Today (Audio)

Twenty-one years ago today, the physical world said goodbye to Tupac Shakur. Even with a week spent fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital, the 1996 news was sudden and scary, surrounding a Rap star that seemed, at times, immortal—and other times, doomed. Kanye West Killed 50 Cent... Read more

September 13, 2017 Audio

Scarface Rides Hard With The Outlawz In Search Of True Justice (Video)

Scarface and Tupac Shakur were close friends. The "Smile" collaborators are incredible artists, who climbed up the charts but took the ghetto with them. After Pac's 1996 death, 'Face showed tremendous loyalty to his people, including Death Row artists, Thug Life, The Outlawz Immortalz, and others. That is true through... Read more

September 13, 2017 Video

The Outlawz Dispute Jimmy Iovine’s Claim That He Bailed Tupac Out Of Jail (Video)

The Outlawz have a complicated history with Death Row Records. Tupac's squad of New Jersey proteges would never release an album on Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's label. Marketed as acts on the imprint following Pac's death, they did sign, however, 1999's Top 10 Still I Rise album famously did... Read more

August 1, 2017 Video

Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals She Left The Thug Life Right As Tupac Entered (Video)

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith met Tupac Shakur at Baltimore School For The Arts in the mid-1980s. While Pinkett would graduate in 1989, Pac and his family relocated to Marin City, California in 1988. While Shakur paid his dues as a roadie, dancer, and eventual MC with Digital Underground, Jada made... Read more

July 19, 2017 Video

Respect The Sole: A New Collection Of Hip-Hop Sneakers Is Genius (Video)

Sneakers and Hip-Hop have been hand-in-hand for more than 30 years. In 1986 Run-D.M.C. screamed "My Adidas" so loud that the German apparel brand responded with a check. That relationship has evolved to JAY-Z, 50 Cent, and Kanye West signing off on shoe lines, and some equally great Rap lines... Read more

July 19, 2017 Video

Jimmy Iovine Reveals He Was Behind Suge Knight Bailing Tupac Out Of Jail

In October of 1995, Tupac Shakur signed with Death Row Records. Reportedly inking his deal on a napkin, Pac joined Dr. Dre and Suge Knight's reigning and equally notorious record label. In that transaction, Shakur was able to post bail and leave Clinton Correctional Facility. In a matter of days,... Read more

July 11, 2017 News, Throwback, TV, TV/Film

Treach Says Biggie Did Not Set Up Tupac & Explains Why (Video)

The night Tupac Shakur was shot in November of 1994, Naughty By Nature was one of Hip-Hop's biggest acts. The East Orange, New Jersey trio had back-to-back platinum albums. Group front-man Treach had appeared on Pac's sophomore album, care of "5 Deadly Venomz," also featuring Apache and Live Squad. Treach's... Read more

June 27, 2017 Video

Holler If Ya Hear Me: A Look At Tupac’s Most Revolutionary Calls For Change

“Everything I do I do to represent my people. ” - Tupac Shakur, 1994 In his music, Tupac Shakur brilliantly blended the revolutionary messages of Public Enemy with the shock and awe approach of N.W.A. Shakur's catalog was built on a foundation of hard truths and upsetting the status quo.... Read more

June 16, 2017 Food for Thought

Vic Mensa Says He Will Slap MCs Who Say They Are Better Than Tupac (Video)

Vic Mensa freestyles are as dynamic as the Roc Nation MC's song-making. Following his new EP, The Manuscript the Save Money MC hits Los Angeles, California's Power 106 FM. There, before the L.A. Leakers, Vic finesses a freestyle flow over Prodigy's "Keep It Thoro." Vic Mensa’s Freestyle Causes Sway To... Read more

June 13, 2017 Video

How Prison Transformed Tupac But Could Not Save Him From Death Row

On Valentines Day 1995, Tupac Amaru Shakur was processed into general population at Clinton Correctional Facility. Approximately eight months later, Pac left the maximum security prison in Dannemora, New York. And nothing was the same. From his cell, Tupac counted his time. Unless he had visitors, Pac was in isolation... Read more

June 10, 2017 Food for Thought

Tha Outlawz Say Tupac Declared His Beef With Biggie Was Over Shortly Before He Died (Video)

There has been a great deal of speculation surrounding the last days of Tupac Shakur. There are reports that the superstar rapper had short term plans to squash his beefs, unite the nation's Hip-Hop community, and help mentor an army of other artists. Last Fall, actor Bokeem Woodbine told The... Read more

June 7, 2017 Video

The Original Ending To “Juice” Shows Bishop Choosing His Own Destiny (Video)

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Juice. The film, which starred Omar Epps, Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain, and Tupac Shakur, in his debut role, became an instant classic, both for its gritty portrayals and its high-powered soundtrack, which featured the likes of Eric B. & Rakim,... Read more

June 6, 2017 TV/Film, Video

Tupac’s Spoken Words: Why His Interviews Are Even More Compelling Than His Music (Video)

"I want when they see me, they know that every day that I'm breathing, it's for Us to go farther. Every time I speak, I want the truth to come out. Every time I speak, I want a shiver. I don't want them to [predict] what I'm gonna say 'cause... Read more

May 24, 2017 Food for Thought

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... Read more

May 20, 2017 News, Video

Tupac Shakur’s Formative Years: The Young Man Before The Myth (Video)

"I loved my childhood, even though it was bad. I love it. I feel like it's taught me so much. Nothing can faze me. Nothing in this world can surprise me. It might set me back, but only momentarily can it set me back. I think it's helped me to... Read more

May 18, 2017 Food for Thought

A New Documentary Series Will Show The Rise & Fall Of Death Row Records

There are few storylines, whether fact or fiction, filled with more drama, violence, or ups and downs than the tale of Death Row Records. Founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight, with help from SOLAR Records' Dick Griffey, The D.O.C. and incarcerated silent partner Michael "Harry O" Harris,... Read more

April 20, 2017 Video