Even though Tha Dogg Pound’s “New York, New York” was viewed by many Rap fans as a diss of New York, Kurupt says that the 1995 song started out as a tribute to the birthplace of Hip Hop culture.
“It wasn’t even going after New York,” Kurupt says during an interview with xxlmag.com. “It wasn’t a diss record. It really wasn’t. ‘New York, New York’ was a record that we made in dedication to New York. We really felt that New York created Hip Hop. New York created battle rap and the whole ball of wax so what I did was a battle rap on this beat DJ Pooh did.”
The song almost didn’t come to fruition, though, Kurupt says to xxlmag.com, because DJ Pooh had given the instrumental to The Notorious B.I.G. for a St. Ides commercial. But since the music was only used for a commercial, Tha Dogg Pound made the song nonetheless.
“Snoop [Dogg] came in the studio when I was laying my second verse,” Kurupt says to xxlmag.com. “I laid the first verse in one day and then the next day I laid the second verse. And then when I laid the second verse Snoop came through and he came in and he just got finished listening to Melle Mel, Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five. He came in saying ‘New York, New York. Big city of dreams and everything in New York ain’t always what it seems. You might get fooled when you come from out of town but I’m down by law and know my way around.’ He was singing the Melle Mel chorus [from Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five’s ‘New York New York’]. He was singing the chorus and we was like, ‘That’s shit’s perfect. It fits perfect.’”
It was during the so-called East Coast-West Coast rivalry when Tha Dogg Pound went to New York to film the video for “New York, New York.” Snow was falling and the crew was filmed having fun.
“We wanted Nas and everybody from New York to be in the video,” Kurupt says. “It was a dedication to New York, but then we got shot at it while we were shooting it. New York felt we were disrespecting them. [Laughs] The New Yorkers wasn’t going for it. They was like, ‘Oh, no. You ain’t gonna shoot this shit out here dissing us.’ They shot at us the next day, so I mean after they shot at us, we went back home and Snoop was like, ‘Man, fuck that.’ Then we shot the other part of the video where we started kicking everything the fuck over. That’s why we started kicking things over because we got shot at it.”
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Back then, nobody was fucking with Kurupt on that mic!
real shit, nigga still smooth on the mic
Chingy would murder this dude any day of the week. Jackpot sold more than all of Kurupt’s albums combined. #FullDekk
From back then to now niggas still in F-ing with Kurupt, the nigga is Trash
Dogg Pound was nice but not great. Back then they were just a part of deathrow.
BTW cnn’s response was much better. diss or not
How you gonna say Kurupt was not great? He murdered verses round that period. Kurupt was on some next level shit
you obviously a weak ass radio listenin nigga
fuck you niggas Kurupt never made a classic nor did DAZ. get over it and listen to gucci mane then you have real street shit
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LOL at these West Coast niggas not admitting their own actions.
lol @ insecure NY niggas…u cldn’t even snuff out 2pac in your own city…dude came back laughing at ya! What u shoot at DPG for if you’re not hittin no-one? are you still vex ’cause biggie smalls got his head blown off in cali? is that where your secret hatred for West comes from? just be honest with yourself.
Now u want to hate the south??…bro, tell me…erm…where did the black population migrate to the NY from again?knowledge the fact!
Cost to cost racist shame on lames
Man, They west coast Mess up hip hop, Period and when some of them figure that out the run like chick, Dr. Dre seen it so run and left haft his owning setup up aftermath, snoop run to no limit, 2 pac try but got killed before he could step off.
LOL – the “east coast” or “NY” wasn’t trying to “snuff out” Tupac… It was a group of dudes… Yall need to get that dumb gang mentality out of your heads where no one can think for themselves.
Btw – a lot of the blacks in NY are from the Caribbean (mainly Jamaica).. It was that group who started what we no know as rap – not the blacks that migrated from the south.. They (their children) started after.
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Back then niggas were lame as fuck all the wanted to do was dance and shoot each other but I am happy how Hov came into the game and thought lame black niggas how to listen to music and not skip through it.
your dumbass doesnt seem to listen to the music like you say hov taught you. He sais skim not skip lol. Ignorance at its best
Most New york niggas are sensitive, i mean, damn…
Man it was a diss song period, They all just looking back now and see how they all had a part in almost distorying Hip Hop, so from snoop to the rest of them keep yelling nothing they did back then was a diss, they all trying to put i all on suge Nigga Please
Exactly correct…Thank God somebody else has a fuckin brain and know the business.
Dogg Food is a straight classic…that and The War Report are the most slept on and better than damn near everything else from the 90’s classics.
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When he said he shed a tear for Jay-Z I scheme he was just be sarcastic. This guy has way more substance than most of the so called rappers out there today
Yea shooting at the dogg pound was good times lol kurupt left out him crying like a girl when shots was going through their trailer…#facts!..we gonna bring it back an start pressing these rappin hillbillies
new york rappers always getting punked like some bitches