Way before “Hit ‘Em Up” ever crossed his mind, Tupac reportedly mentored The Notorious B.I.G. as he was starting his rap career. In an interview with the “Murder Master Music Show,” author Ben Westhoff details the early relationship between the West Coast and East Coast legends and says that Biggie asked Tupac to be his manager. The information was part of his findings in his new book, Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap.
“People forget that Tupac was already blowing up, already a pretty big star when Biggie was just kind of getting started,” he says. “Tupac kind of took Biggie under his wing and tried to teach him everything he knew, kind of took him to school. Biggie’s career wasn’t taking off as fast as he hoped it would. And so he actually asked Tupac if he would be his manager, and Tupac said, ‘No I think you should stick with Puffy and he’ll get you where you need to be.'”
And the rest is history, as two albums later, the man born Christopher Wallace became one of Bad Boy Entertainment’s brightest stars. Puff Daddy & The Family honored Biggie this year through its 20th anniversary performance in New York and celebrated what would have been his 44th birthday.
As the rivalry between Tupac and Biggie developed, Westhoff explains how their closeness in the early days intensified the pain of the possibility of betrayal in the Quad Studios shooting where Tupac was hit five times.
“After he got shot, Tupac believed that Biggie knew about it in advance, knew it was going to happen,” he says. “That made him doubly mad because he mentored Biggie so much and helped him, and he really believed that he double-crossed him.”
Westhoff’s Original Gangstas is set for a September 13 release. Pre-order the book here.
2Pac blowing up? He had modest succes with the song i get around 92/93. 2Pac as manager lol. 2pac just gave Biggie some advice to make not only hardcore songs but also some songs for the radio. Ben Westhoff talks like 2pac teached Biggie how to rap. Dude only want to sell his book.
pac had gone gold and platinum with his first two albums – hardly moderate success. Sounds like you need to ease up off biggie’s nuts.
Lmaoooo getem
No dumbass Pac first album went gold or platinum later in his career. His second went gold because of the song i get around. In the beginning the album didnt sell. Pac had modes succes and don’t talk about his wack movies. And for that dumb ni99a who said i get around was a world hit? LMFAO. But its always hard talking to people who were shitting in their pants in 92/93.
In 91-92 songs like trapped, if my homies call, and brendas got a baby was in heavy rotation on the tv and radio. He also released the movie Juice in 92 which was a instant hood classic. In 93 hollar if you hear me, keep ya head up, and I get around was in heavy rotation. He was known as a double threat with the talent to act in movies and rap. 2pac solidified his hood stardom in 94 with the release of the album thug life and the movie above the rim. He was now crowned king of the hood and the voice of the black youth. I’m not referring to album sales and revenue because his success was based on what his peers and fans thought about him at this point in time. In 95 he was a superstar. After he died he became a megastar.
Everybody including yourself just shut you up with facts first album gold second as well right? But in the very same breathe that’s not success to you lol you sound dumb…there wasn’t a single rapper more famous than pac at that time besides snoop he was the first on the big screen and the most talked about and most popular just stfu you probably weren’t even born then keep googling your facts
He was also in Juice and Poetic Justice in 92 / 93, so yeah he was pretty successful….
yeah By 94 Tupac was pretty huge. Keep ya head up was international hit. his movies also helped is fame.
Yall must have forgot … Juice was a huge movie in the hood and had commercial success
2Pac said this back when it happen also …this is nothing new just confirmation
Teached? Go to school stupid.
yeah…..PAC was a successful artist before biggie……so that’s true.
PAC was a big homie to biggie……both are legends.
Bankmuzik I be youtube
Pac was a big name already sure, but what was Pacs master plan to the game- Get fucked over by Suge Knight? That’s with hindsight obviously, but seriously? All the NY names on his doorstep, and he would of turned to Pac? I’m not doubting anything im just surprised.
Also, sure Biggy could of learnt from Pac, but man, Biggy could of taught Pac a thing or two about freestyling…. (Ref: big scoob/Biggy/Pac freestyle “I got seven mack11s, about 8 38s, nine nines…….”)
Hurts dont it…bitch nigga
Wait so biggie didn’t get fucked over by puff? Last time I heard biggies daughter was tight cause he don’t even fuck w bigs family but ok kid. Another thing big can’t see pac on any level yeah bigs freestyle that day was fire but if your dumb ass listens close pac got the crowd hype doing less a lot less
Proves once again that Pac will forever be the GOAT! Pac made over 1,000 songs in such a short time span, and Biggie barely made two albums. They pale in comparison but mad respect to both in their own right. Pac was just way more influential, had a message, and represented the black youth struggling to make it out.
Without pac there’s no biggie … That’s why one of the reasons pac is on my wall nd not biggie
Lol?? This is news?? Hahahaha fucking idiots. This is known history to any real hiphop head. I guess good on ya for schooling these new cats who are all fucked up.
these dudes got killed cuz contracts were expiring and they were gunna do a double/triple LP and start their on lable together, which woulda crippled bad boy/death row
They were gonna start their own label together after tupac thought biggie knew about his set up? Stfu kid you don’t know nothing probably one of these kids born in 95 acting like they know something about the 90s
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