The story of how Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. went from being close friends to being mortal enemies is about a lot more than just East Coast vs. West Coast beef.
Here’s what happened between the two biggest names in Hip-Hop… A movie about Biggie’s life called “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell” came out on Netflix in March 2021. The show shows rare behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the rapper’s closest friends and family.
Some people say they met on the set of the movie “Poetic Justice.” Biggie’s song “Party & Bulls**t” was being played over and over by Tupac, which was a big deal for him at the time. Even though it was his first single, Pac was already a very famous musician.
Biggie would stay at Pac’s house in Los Angeles when he came to town from New York. Pac is said to have sent Biggie bottles of Hennessey and given the young rapper advice. When they were on stage together, they took turns freestyling. They did this at places like Madison Square Garden.
Pac was a platinum-selling musician and movie star at this point, while Biggie was still trying to get his career to move as quickly as Pac’s. Biggie asked Pac to become his manager instead of Puff. Shakur told Biggie, “No, stay with Puff.” “He will help you become famous.”
Tupac started hanging out with Jaques “Haitian Jack” Agnant and Jimmy Henchman while he was in New York making the 1994 movie “Above the Rim.” Biggie told Pac not to be friends with these tough guys, but Pac didn’t listen.
Pac was shot, beat up, and had his jewelry stolen after Lil’ Cease, a rapper with ties to Biggie, called him to the studio. Pac later saw Biggie and Puff inside the building, which made him think that Biggie was responsible for the shooting. That night, they stopped being friends.
Pac couldn’t pay the $3 million bail, so he spent most of his time in prison with the highest level of security. There, Tupac and Suge Knight, the head of Death Row Records, vowed to destroy Bad Boy Records, the rival label of Puff and Biggie.
Biggie and Puff would both say that the song wasn’t about Tupac. Biggie said the song was written before the shooting of the Pac outside of Quad. He said of Pac, “I still think this ni**a is my man.” “This has got to be a lie,” I kept telling myself. I can’t believe he’d think I’d poop on him in that way.”
Pac did all he could to make fun of the Bay Boy rapper. Not only did he say that Biggie was behind the shooting, but he also said that Biggie copied his style. Pac also said that he slept with Biggie’s wife Faith Evans and that he was the best Hip-Hop artist.
Before Tupac died, they never put an end to their well-known fight. Even though there’s no proof that Biggie or Puffy knew ahead of time that Tupac would be shot, the murder has been shrouded in mystery, rumors, and controversy since that terrible day.
“Big called me up and was crying. I know he was in Jersey for sure. He was so shocked that he called me crying. “Given what was going on at the time and how much attention was paid to this so-called beef that he didn’t really have against anyone, I think it’s safe to say he was probably scared,” she said.
Like Pac’s death, Biggie’s death has been shrouded in mystery, and many people thought at the time that this was the end of Hip-Hop. Pac and Big met because of hip-hop, but it also drove them apart. Their rivalry between the East Coast and the West Coast is as much a part of their legacy as it is of their music.