Snoop Dogg has admitted that he “didn’t like” 2Pac‘s famous diss track “Hit ‘Em Up.”
Sitting down with Big Boy for an “Untold Stories” interview, the Long Beach rapper reflected on his turbulent relationship with his former Death Row Records labelmate in the days leading up to his death in September 1996.
Snoop said he and ‘Pac were on great terms a week before his passing, but complimentary comments he made about Diddy and Biggie days later changed that.
“Man, I’d say a week before he died, we was best of friends. Two days before he died, I don’t think he liked me,” he explained. “Because we was in New York and shit had happened. New York n-ggas had shot at me and did all kinds of shit to me, just the worst shit you could think of, and I forgave ’em.
“Then I went and did an interview and was asked how did I feel about Puffy and Biggie. I was like, ‘I like them n-ggas, I wanna do some music with ’em.’
“And that just rubbed cuz the wrong way, like, ‘N-gga, fuck them n-ggas, them n-ggas tried to kill me. N-ggas shot at you, and you talking about you wanna do a song with them n-ggas?'”
He continued: “I wasn’t thinking about [2Pac’s] emotions, I was thinking about the way I felt at the time. I wasn’t into no controversy. I liked them n-ggas’ music, they was our friends, we was all friends at one point.
“There’s video footage of all of us hanging out. ‘Pac, Biggie, Puff, Suge [Knight], all of us together prior to Death Row, just on some regular shit. So that to me, I never seen myself getting involved.”
For that reason, Snoop Dogg wasn’t a fan of “Hit ‘Em Up,” 2Pac’s vicious 1996 diss track aimed at Biggie that heightened the East Coast–West Coast rivalry.
“Even when he played the video for me to ‘Hit ‘Em Up,’ even when he played ‘Hit ‘Em Up,’ the song, I didn’t like the song,” he said. “I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the shit. It wasn’t the shit to me. Like, you buying more problems, cuh. You buying problems. Gangstas is everywhere. They make ’em everywhere.”
He added: “I think he got to the mindstate that, ‘We the muthafuckas, and ain’t nobody like us.’ Always people like us everywhere.”
Fellow Death Row alumnus Kurupt also recently reflected on “Hit ‘Em Up,” claiming 2Pac recorded the track immediately after being visited by Biggie’s ex-wife, Faith Evans, in the studio.
“When ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ dropped, that was around the time everything was fresh. 2Pac and Biggie was fresh, because this was after Faith came to the studio,” he said in an interview with The Art of Dialogue. “She came to work and, you know, we was all looking like, ‘Damn! That’s Faith, cuz!’… Then he made ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ [laughs]. That fast.”
Revisit “Hit ‘Em Up” below.
I mean, but Snoop was a part of the video for 2 of amerikaz most wanted, where Tupac clowned Big big time, I wonder how Snoop feels about that one. That was funny one scene by the way, until someone got shot it was all laughs…
If only things were THAT simple.
Snoop is the biggest sellout if I’ve ever seen one
pussy . never really likes his music
Snoop was trying to move away from the gangsta image after beating that case. Unfortunately it affected his music in a bad way (Doggfather).
Most overrated diss song of all time! 2pac only cussed at people he was mad at without making any wordplays or punchlines. He could have dropped a 4 minutes track just naming people and dropping a “fuck you” at the end of each rhymes it would have been the same! FOH
You sounds stupid ask puffy if it was overrated
You don’t really understand the concept of a diss song do ya. Hit Em Up is the crown jewel when it comes to diss songs, it took them to another level. It was personal, dangerous and catchy as fuck. It wasn’t trying to outsmart another rapper with clever lines, nah this was basically a threat by a man full of anger who really meant what he said and people were SHOOK, they felt it in their bones and I bet still do to this day. Just the scathing outro alone shits on just about any diss song ever released. I don’t condone violence or taking beef from wax to the streets in any way but Hit Em Up, now that is how you do a fucking legendary diss song. It was so powerful and damaging that his enemies didn’t really even know how to respond.
Nah this song is overrated as fuck. The beat is trash and the lyrics are school playground level. Yall motherfuckers betta stop sucking this nikka’s dick so much. Yall praising him even when he farts on the mic. If you want to hear some diss songs with a structure, a catchy beat, good lyrics and punchlines listen to Ice Cube “No Vaseline” or Nas “Ether” for example. These records are agressive while also being well structured musically speaking. But “Hit Em Up” sounds like a fucking record made on soundcloud by your neighborhood who’s mad at his bestfriend for stealing his spot at the high school football team. GTFOH!
As a Tupac fan I have to agree
@EquippedWithGame FACTs bro these clowns know nothing about diss tracks Hit Em Up is classic GOAT diss tracks. When you are angry, rather kid over ice cream for breakfast or a 70 year old man with road rage, you let it all out who sits there and come up logical reaction when there letting out anger???. Pac Hit Em Up, seem like he said press record and press stop when I have nothing left to say. A true honest diss record with no thinking about oh let me say some clever Fabolous punchlines for the lyrics fans.
I get what Snoop is saying, 2Pac really was acting like Deathrow was untouchable at the time. ANY person that’s really been in the streets knows anyone can get touched. Hit ‘em up was just pure disrespect, aimed at way too many different people.
Wtf is you talking about?? 2Pac made a song with The Outlaws called “U can be touched” and he said over and over in many songs he would end up killed. So no, he didn’t think Death Row was untouchable. He just didn’t give a fuck.
I never rated the joint to be honest. Him cussing everyone with no real punchlines. I would rather listen to Nas Vs jay or jadakiss Vs 50.
agree with everyone else here posting about it being overrated/overhyped. 1 weak ass verse from Pac that sounds like it was written by an angry little kid, the Outlawz’ verses, and then more shit talking. Pac is one of the greats for sure, but this song does NOT show it AT ALL. nothing clever AT ALL being said, just insults, threats + curses…. yawn.
How you gonna post with three different names shittin on the song? Lmao! Is this Puffy?
Nice theory, but maybe many people just feel the same way about the song, except for the Pac/Death Row stans/knob riders
Well Unk should just focus on the label then rewinding history and we all know that you’re constantly high on most of your interviews fabricating “2Pac stories” lol
Punchlines are overrated. A diss song is exactly that…a diss. Its not meant to be dissected and analyzed, its supposed to be up in your face and personal. Thats exactly what pac did. I remember them playing that song in the club a few years after pac died. That shit was still hitting hard during the Westside Connection and Eminem era. Even if you wasnt from the west coast you knew when that song came on it was time to start grilling and mean mugging. Im not gonna say that Ether didnt get club play cuz it did. But it wasnt nowhere on the same level as Hit Em Up. Ether was comedy. Hit Em Up was real beef.
This new generation is all about sneak dissing, that’s why punchlines and metaphors are a must in disses. Real bitch shit of you ask me. If you have an issue, address it, like pac did. If you aren’t about it, or are too scared about the fallout, then stay away from it.
The majority of pac’s beefs were just made up, so gtfoh with this “he’s a real one” bullshit
Well, id say ots because when many think of a diss track, they think of a fake “beef”, where artists Duke it put by showing off their skills on the mic. But Pac clearly wasn’t like that. He didn’t value his own safety, and I believe he would’ve acted violently had any of the people he talked ill towards confronted him about it in a disrespectful way. Diss tracks between 99% of artists are just music and business. Not actual street shit… well, I will say, with the young cats today it is street shit… but these kids are retarded and can’t even speak properly. I remember in old-school hiphop, it was COOL to fully articulate words, on and off the mic. Knowledge was seen as a good thing. And it was all about weed and some liquor. Not some pills, lean, or H. But yea, with Pac, idk if I’d classify his style as diss tracks. It was real. It was personal. Usually, it’s business and showing off skill.
It was never the artists beefin, it was always the street dudes around them. And Pac. Yeah, Pac was the one artist jumping into street beef. It ain’t turn out so good for him, did it?
“Hold up, the east coast ain’t got no love for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg?” That was the start.
What’s up y’all lame folks
wassup bitch? How yo dirty little ass feel after last night?
Wassup lames
Wassup lames
Most overrated diss song of all time! 2pac only cussed at people he was mad at without making any wordplays or punchlines. He could have dropped a 4 minutes track just naming people and dropping a “fuck you” at the end of each rhymes it would have been the same! FOH
The original ride on my enemies is better imo but damn, when that joint came out?? It was over
” Punchlines are overrated. ” Punchlines and creativity are which distinguish a diss track from a rant. It’s like saying dope beats are overrated.
I don’t like any songs from Snoop since like 2006, ngl
Snoop ain’t lyk GOOBA cuh n dat be real hip-hop. It ain’t even no diss trakk.
At this point, I cant take anything Snoop says, serious. A lot of his “stories” have been proven lies, by people who were actually there at the time.
As far as Hit ‘Em Up, it was never meant to be a lyrical masterpiece, it was meant to deliver a message, and it did what it was supposed to. Pac fucked his wife, and bragged about it on wax – it was game over before the track even began! Then he told em “you aint even on my level, Imma let my lil homies get you” and let the outlawz go in on them instead.
You want a good lyrical diss, there’s plenty out there, but aint nobody ever asked for “that Canibus diss-joint” lol.
2pac mention his own death in his songs then he die and makaveli come out as the martyr for rap. This cat had a death wish just like every other rapper that pictured their death and rapped about it. Why would him escalating or initiating a beef be a shock to anyone. Whether he could rap was not important. His influence still got niggas talking 25 years later so he etched his name in stone on purpose more than many can say who aint go shit to say at all.
Snoop, super phony hater
I agree bout hit em up not being the ultimate battle song . However only PACs verses did it for me but the rest sounded like some kids trying to become rappers hanging at the neighborhood playground