Yesterday (September 13), Hip Hop celebrated and mourned the anniversary of Tupac Shakur’s death. In 1996, Tupac was infamously shot during a drive-by in Las Vegas, only to succumb to his injuries days later. The Rap icon was at the peak of his career, but the controversies surrounding his affiliations with Suge Knight and Death Row Records haunted him. For decades, Hip Hop has lauded Pac’s talents and classics, and anniversaries such as these are noted by those who knew him, loved him, and continue to spin his records.
West Coast rapper Symba has a deep reverence for Tupac and put that on full display during his recent visit to Funkmaster Flex’s show on Hot 97. It was Symba’s turn to drop a freestyle, and it quickly became evident that he had a few bones to pick with the famed radio host.
The segment opened with Symba praising Flex and giving him his flowers, but as soon as the production of Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.” began and those bars started to flow, the rapper took aim. “I’ve been waiting to come up here for a long time,” said Symba.
“Flex, it’s an honor to meet you, but let’s be clear / I’ve done had a bone to pick with yo ass for four years / You’ve been a big part of this culture my whole life / So what I’m ’bout to say almost don’t feel right / You say some wild sh*t, most times you actually right / But all that disrespecting Tupac sh*t stops tonight.“
Flex seemed caught off-guard and interrupted the freestyle with laughs, adding he wouldn’t say anything about Pac anymore. Symba was referencing a video where a teary-eyed Flex screamed into a camera that Biggie wouldn’t have died if Tupac didn’t lie.
“As a West Coast n-gga, ‘Pac gave all of us pride / That’s why when you said what you said we was surprised / How you wait 20-something years after he died / To come on this motherf*cka and keep screaming, ‘He lied!’ / And he ain’t alive to tell his side / But I ain’t mad at you ’cause you was speaking your mind / To keep it real, you said what’s on half of these n*ggas’ minds / Just the next time you say it don’t sound like you ’bout to cry.”
Symba continued to blaze through the freestyle with ease. He and Flex had a great time vibing and despite the lyrical confrontation, there wasn’t any animosity.
Check it out below.