Drake recently came through with a second diss track on Kendrick Lamarcalled “Taylor Made Freestyle.” Overall, this new track features AI vocals from Tupac and Snoop Dogg. Although Snoop seemed to approve, Tupac never had an opportunity to do so. This has led to a debate one whether or not such a thing should have been authorized. After all, Tupac was a legend whom Kendrick admired greatly. Furthermore, Tupac is a legend of hip-hop and fans felt like Drake was way out of line.
Now, according to Billboard, Drake has been hit with a cease & desist from Tupac’s estate. A litigator for the estate, Howard King, sent the letter to Drake, noting that he must take the song down in 24 hours. If he does not, they will “pursue all of its legal remedies” against him. This is extremely serious, and it is clear that Tupac’s family is livid with Drake for his song.
ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 20: Drake performs onstage at Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash Block Show at Phillips Arena on June 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” King wrote in the letter. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.” King also went on to say: “The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac’s voice against Kendrick Lamar, a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult.”
Let us know what you think about all of this, in the comments section down below. Do you believe Drake will take the song down? Moreover, will taking down this song create a good precedent against AI art? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the music world. We will always keep you informed on all of your favorite artists.
During a recent performance on his Behind The Desk Experience Tour, Dirty South Hip Hop legend Scarface paid tribute to the late Tupac Shakur by recalling a time when the pop culture icon played a prank on him and blew his high when he first arrived in Los Angeles.
“First time I got to California, I’m in L.A., smoking LA weed. We ain’t ever had no shit like this before,” Scarface said. “I’m living in Burbank and recording the Untouchable album. It’s my first time getting high with some L.A. chronic.”
Scarface pays tribute to 2Pac and tells a story about when 2Pac pranked him in LA, and blew his high while he was smoking LA weed for the first time. pic.twitter.com/PdwafcnnVk
Scarface continues, “The homeboy[Tupac] pull up on me, he got a black Hummer with a fucking siren and loudspeaker on it. I’m in my apartment in Burbank high as fuck for the first time ever, and they come up and they go, ‘Brad Jordan, we know you’re in there, come out with your hands up.’ I’m on the couch like this and my motherfucking high says [does a walking away action]. He just blew my fucking high, man, and he wanted to go to the studio and record, right? He wanted me to ride in this Hummer with him. I’m not going anywhere with him because he does not have a driver’s license. And he can’t drive at all.”
Face then performed his classic track “Smile” which he shared with Tupac, becoming one of the Houston native’s biggest hits that dropped just months after Tupac’s untimely demise.
On this date in 2021, Gregory Jacobs aka Shock G of the legendary Digital Underground, passed away in his home in Tampa, Florida. He was 57 years old.
Shock helped co-found DU in 1987, which spawned the career of one of Hip Hop’s most prolific icons to date; Tupac Shakur. Also, Jacobs’ self-created alter ego Humpty Hump made up the classic “Humpty Dance” that helped popularize the group in 1989.
Shock G was found dead in a hotel room and it has been revealed that the hotel manager was the last one to see Shock alive outside of the building the day before he died. When Shock missed his check-out time the next day, the manager became concerned and went to the rapper’s room. The manager found Shock unresponsive and called 911.
According to the report from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner, Shock G, died in April from a lethal mixture of of fentanyl, ethanol (alcohol) and methamphetamine.
Shock G was laid to rest in Tampa, Florida following a May 1 funeral service.
In his exclusive interview with The Art Of Dialogue, Naughty By Nature front man Treach spoke about the brawl that he and 2Pac were involved in at a comedy club in Los Angeles, which ultimately led to the Crips putting the “green light” on him and ‘Pac following the melee.
Back in the mid-90s, Treach says that an brawl between the Rollin 60s Crips and the Bloods broke out at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles the week before they were in attendance, but suggested that the Crips came back the following week to exact revenge; the same night that he and ‘Pac were in attendance.
“They came in and just started picking up chairs and bottles. We heard the commotion in the back. Before we got a chance to look back, bow! I got hit in the head with a chair,” he remembered.
“That’s when I walked around with the big chain, so I took that shit off immediately. ‘Pac and everybody that was with us picked up bottles and chairs, and there was just an all-out brawl. So we ended up fighting our way outta there.”
Treach says that despite escaping with their lives, there were still repercussions for their actions at the Comedy Store. “It was so real we actually had gotten green lit by the 60s. A green light is like on sight, n-ggas is gonna roll on you and handle business — it’s a hit,” he said. “So I had to get up with my family that was out there … We sat down in Compton and basically let it be known we ain’t disrespected the gang, we was just doing what we had to do to get up outta there. So they took the green light off and the rest is history.”
50 Cent’s original series, BMF, is all about the rise and fall of the Black Mafia Family. The public remembers the real-life enterprise as ‘Blowin’ Money Fast,’ thanks to its many references in rap music. But its latest episode shows that writers are the ones speedy through materials. Users online have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to call out the show for what they believe to be a historical inaccuracy and a questionable casting decision.
In its latest episode, “Sanctuary” (Season 3, Episode 3), the series’ main character, Meech (played by Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr., yes, that’s his actual father) so, happens to run into the late Tupac (played by Mason Douglas). The episode’s description explains that the encounter, seemingly inspired by true events, would’ve taken place at the Jack the Rapper Weekend in 1993.
However, users online couldn’t help but clown the series for the ‘off-brand’ portrayal of the rap legend. Others called about the series from time jumping, making the encounter highly unlikely.
Check out a few of the responses below.
“‘BMF’ can’t be serious with this TEMU version of Tupac,” wrote one user.
Some users attempted to defend the scene by verifying the event details. “For everyone confused, Meech is attending the 1993 Jack the Rapper convention; that’s why Tupac is bald. They briefly show us the Wu-Tang Clan and Kid n Play, too,” explained one user.
For everyone confused, Meech is attending the 1993 Jack the Rapper convention, that’s why Tupac is bald. They briefly show us the Wu Tang Clan and Kid n Play too #BMFStarzpic.twitter.com/4D2U8Ma9El
But others were going for the breakdown. “It’s supposed to be 1990/91 in the show, though, not 93. Season 1 was 89. Timelines aren’t matching up, and that’s where the confusion is stemming from,” replied a user.
it’s supposed to be 1990/91 in the show though, not 93. season 1 was 89. timelines aren’t matching up n that’s where the confusion is stemming from.
Here’s actually photos of what Tupac actually wore to the Jack the Rapper events in Atlanta in 1992. I find it lazy to just put a bandana on a bald guy & say “this is pac,” they were better off doing similar fits like this #BMFpic.twitter.com/m09TXSGgjH
On this day in Hip-Hop History, the late Tupac Shakur released his third studio LP, Me Against the World. This album came at one of the most pivotal times in ‘Pac’s life and career. Recorded shortly after his near-fatal assassination attempt in New York and released while he was in prison, this album marked a change in 2Pac as an artist and a man.
This album was nothing like the music that gave him his “thug life” gangster image and street credentials. This project’s subject matter and tone were a lot more serious and introspective than anything he had previously released. Much less high energy than the tracks from his previous album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…, this album showed genuine reflection on his life and career path as an artist, along with shining light on some of his struggles with paranoia and self-loathing.
The realism of this album brought a ridiculous amount of commercial success. Debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album has been certified double platinum selling over 3.5 million copies in the United States alone. Along with being #1 in the US, the album also ranked #23 in Germany and #20 in Sweden. The year after its release, the album received the Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Album. The project was Tupac’s most positively reviewed album and has been called the magnum opus of his career.
The singles from the project “Dear Mama,” “So Many Tears,” and “Temptations” all made appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Dear Mama” peaked at #9, “So Many Tears” hit #44, and “Temptations” claimed the#68 spot.
These days, Tupac Shakur earns widespread recognition as a legend for his profoundly artistic and socially conscious body of work, all created before his untimely death at the age of 25. Although primarily celebrated for his solo catalog, featuring hit albums like All Eyez On Me and Me Against the World, Tupac contributed to numerous group endeavors, releasing several popular records alongside his collaborators. One of his groups, Thug Life, released only one self-titled album before disbanding, which highlights some of Pac’s greatest lyrical performances.
Though short-lived, Thug Life represents an important era in Tupac Shakur’s life timeline, and the single album produced by the group remains a worthwhile listen to this day. Here’s a look at what the other four members of Thug Life have been up to since the group disbanded following Tupac’s untimely death in 1996.
Big Syke was a frequent collaborator of Tupac, even joining the legendary rapper on several breakout tracks from the album All Eyez On Me. Syke was a member of both Thug Life and Tupac’s other rap group, the Outlawz, while also maintaining a solo career spanning four studio albums. In 2016, authorities found Big Syke dead in his California home at the age of 48. Despite his young age, they reported no foul play at the scene, stating that Syke perished of natural causes. The Inglewood-born rapper had suffered from health concerns regarding his heart in the years precipitating his passing.
Macadoshis And Morpheme Have Been Mostly Under The Radar
Macadoshis and Mopreme Shakur, Tupac’s stepbrother, founded Thug Life but now appear to no longer seek the spotlight. Like Big Syke, Mopreme was also a member of the Outlawz, and continued to make music for several years after Pac’s death. Preme’s most recent musical output seems to be a 2007 mixtape titled Black & Brown Pride which he released in collaboration with Los Angeles DJ Assassin. Mopreme maintains an official Instagram account which he previously used to sell NFT images and videos, though he has not posted on the social media app in nearly a year.
Likewise, Macadoshis seems to have quietly retreated from the spotlight, occasionally resurfacing to deliver interviews with rap-centric media outlets. In May 2023, Mac appeared on the YouTube series The Art Of Dialogue, to explain the history of Thug Life, including some never-before-shared behind-the-scenes details.
The final member of the Thug Life brand, The Rated R, has gone down a very different road than his peers in the years following the group’s split. The former Death Row signee has been serving a sentence in San Quentin State Penitentiary in California since 2004. While details regarding the case that led to R’s imprisonment are quite scant, sources across the web claim he is serving a life sentence for committing a double homicide.
Some supporters of The Rated R have expressed the belief that the rapper was acting in self-defense, though these claims cannot be verified. Since his arrival in San Quentin, R is said to have fully converted to Islam and renounced all forms of violence. Rated R was previously considered for bail in 2021, but ultimately denied, leaving his future uncertain at the time of this writing.
On this date in 1993, Tupac Shakur released his second full-length studio album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... on Jive Records and T.N.T. Recordings. With the ‘N-word always having a negative connotation, ‘Pac flipped it to an acronym, meaning Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished, with the “Z” in the title making it plural.
This album continued on the same wavelength as his debut, with his sociopolitical viewpoint as the basis of the album’s overall subject matter. The most recognizable singles from the album are “I Get Around,” “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” and the inspirational “Keep Ya Head Up,” which helped to propel the album to platinum status.
On this date twenty-eight ago, the Hip Hop legend Tupac Shakur officially released his fourth album, All Eyez On Me, on the Death Row/Interscope imprint.
The album featured five singles with two topping number one on the Billboard Hot 100; “How Do U Want It” and “California Love.” It made Hip Hop history the first double-full-length solo Hip-Hop studio album released. It was the second album from Tupac Shakur to hit number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 566,000 copies in the first week. Shortly after his untimely death, the album then won the 1997 Soul Train R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year Award. Shakur also won the Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at the 24th Annual American Music Awards. The album was certified diamond by the RIAA on July 23, 2014.
All Eyez On Me, the biopic about Pac’s life with the same name, was released on June 16, 2017.
Wendy Williams has built her reputation as a long-time talk show host and entertainment news provocateur, making her world renown for her career in these roles. However, in the dynamic world of entertainment journalism, Wendy Williams has kept her finger on the pulse of many of pop culture’s greatest genres, including hip hop. The fearless entertainment journalist has long been a force to be reckoned with, known for her unabashed opinions and brash approach to discussing celebrity gossip on air. Among the many targets of her candid commentary, several rappers have found themselves in the crosshairs of Wendy Williams’ unfiltered ire.
The prolific talk show host’s rap beefs date back to the 1990s, with a long history of heated conflicts with notable music figures. From fiery on-air exchanges to social media spats, each episode serves as a riveting chapter in the ongoing saga of Wendy Williams’ intriguing relationship with the hip-hop community. Here are 7 instances of Williams’ greatest rap feuds.
Wendy Williams has sparked beef with a constant stream of media figures throughout her decades-long career. One recurring theme the host just can’t seem to let go of is her constant and seemingly random accusations that rappers are secretly homosexual. One such recipient of these claims is Sean Combs, AKA Diddy.
Back in 1998, while she was hosting a HOT 97 radio show, Williams launched a tirade about how the Bad Boy co-founder was secretly gay, and actively paying millions of dollars in hush money to media outlets to keep this secret under wraps. Obviously, what celebrities do with other consenting adults is of no business to anyone but themselves or their partners, but it bears reminding that there has never been any evidence to back up these bizarre claims, to begin with.
At the time, as one of the world’s biggest names in rap, Diddy wielded significant influence over the entertainment news media. He utilized his power to temporarily remove Wendy Williams from the air. While the move may have benefitted Diddy in the short term, it seemed to confirm to some conspiracy-minded individuals that Williams had struck a nerve, leading to these rumors persisting to this day.
6. Tupac Shakur
Wendy Williams wasn’t content to keep her ire on one side of the East Coast-West Coast divide, either, as she had already been embroiled in a feud with Tupac in 1995. Like the beef with Diddy, Williams’s back-and-forth with Shakur began over unsubstantiated claims of the rappers’ sexual activity. Williams took to the air to suggest that Tupac had been sexually assaulted by fellow prisoners while serving a sentence in Clinton Correctional Facility. This unsubstantiated rumor sparked a diplomatic response from Tupac’s media team, who released a statement referencing the host’s history of making unfounded controversial remarks.
Tupac Shakur personally responded with considerably less diplomacy, mentioning Wendy Williams on the track “Why U Turn On Me?” The lyrics, which reference Williams and her role in spreading the rumor, contain profanity and borderline threats. This underscores once again Tupac’s unparalleled prowess in the realm of verbal warfare.
5. Will Smith
In Fact When Eminem dissed on Real Slim Shady Will Smith not only did he respond but went at Larry Elder and Wendy Williams. pic.twitter.com/0tKRKcKzIK
Long before Will Smith was slapping his wife’s name out of Chris Rock’s mouth, the rapper-turned-actor found himself feuding with Wendy Williams on wax. Apparently, Williams had offered one too many deep dives into Will Smith’s personal life, including releasing photos and commentary about Smith’s daughter without his consent. This prompted the Fresh Prince to clap back on the song “Mr. Nice Guy.”
In the song, Smith raps “Wendy Williams, you don’t know me. I’m not your punchin’ bag, you gon’ blow me off, girl. Better leave me alone, before I buy your radio station and send you home.” While the 2005 track was decidedly less vulgar than the Tupac Shakur track which preceded it a decade earlier, it still got the message across that Will Smith wouldn’t take criticism of his family lying down.
Like many of the rappers on this list, Lil Kim’s beef with Wendy Williams was sparked when Williams took to the entertainment news desk to spread hot Hollywood gossip. In this instance, Williams prodded Lil Kim for getting a number of cosmetic surgeries done on her face and neck, spending whole segments of her show bullying the “Crush On You” rapper for her looks. Kim responded with a flurry of angry tweets, calling Wendy a “hating b***h” and accusing her of trying and failing to secure a romantic relationship with the late Notorious B.I.G. back in the ’90s.
Despite Wendy Williams’s penchant for publicizing people’s problems, some media figures were still gullible enough to confide in the entertainment news host as a friend. One such example is Master P, who privately discussed his estranged relationship with his family with Williams in 2014. Later that year, Williams publicized details of P’s private life, including personal details about his wife and children, even claiming that “the family could do better” than having Master P as a patriarch.
Master P responded with a sorrowful lament of his misguided relationship with Williams, stating, “First of all, I thought Wendy Williams was my friend. I understand that her job is to entertain gossip but how could she keep picking up TMZ gossip as if it was real news when she should have contacted me directly if she was really concerned about my family, or me like she claims. If anyone understands being in the media and having to deal with celebrity personal family gossip and betrayal, she should know because of her own situation. If she wants to know the truth, as my friend, she should call me directly to get the facts and the truth rather than joining the media circus and talking trash.”
In 2006 Wendy Williams sparked one of her most pathetic and invasive feuds ever, by revealing to the public on her WBLS radio show that Method Man’s wife, Tamika Smith had been diagnosed with cancer. While it’s unclear exactly where she heard this information, Method Man made it clear that he and his wife wanted that information to remain private as they navigated the difficult process of seeking treatment. In subsequent interviews, Method Man has spoken about how disrespected he and Tamika felt by Williams’s on-air discussion of the diagnosis, with the Wu-Tang rapper stating, “Her family members didn’t even know she was sick. You can attack me anyway you want to. I’m in the entertainment business, but don’t attack my family.”
Unfortunately, instead of seeing the error of her ways, Williams has continued this feud over the years, including claiming in 2021 that she had engaged in a one-night stand with Meth back in the day. Tamika finally broke her silence on the subject by lashing out at Williams in a public statement. This beef proves that, despite her assertion that she is a fixture within hip hop culture, Wendy Williams must have missed the memo that the Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to f*** with.
If anyone could rival Wendy Williams for the position of most petty provocateur in pop culture and entertainment, it’s 50 Cent. The pair have clashed numerous times over the years, giving rise to a series of hilarious social media posts and talk show segments as a result of their ongoing beef. Similar to many other rappers, Wendy Williams accused 50 Cent of being secretly gay and criticized him on air for his comments expressing joy at the prospect of no longer paying child support.
Likewise, 50 Cent took to social media to share doctored photos of Williams in the poster for Beauty and the Beast, making fun of her looks and body type, and calling her a crackhead through numerous online roasts. Though the beef has been cold for a few years now, both Wendy Williams and 50 Cent have a long history of bringing up old feuds decades later for a cheap laugh, meaning this beef could reignite at a moment’s notice.
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