De La Soul are shedding new gentle on a long-discussed second with the late 2Pac Shakur.
During a current interview with Ambrosia For HeadsPosdnuos broke down how the group’s misunderstanding with Shakur sparked an sudden feud. According to Pos, the rigidity started after the launch of De La Soul’s “Ego Trippin’” video. Pac believed the visible was mocking his visuals for “I Get Around,” a misconception that, per Pos, disappointed him more than it angered him.
“2Pac we had an issue with because when we did the ‘Ego Trippin’’ video, he unfortunately thought we were mimicking and trying to make fun of the ‘I Get Around’ video,” Posdnuos explained. “He was very disappointed… He reached out to his manager and the people at Tommy Boy at the time and was like, ‘Yo, man, I love those dudes. I didn’t know they had an issue.’”
Pos said he tried to call Pac to clear the air immediately, but timing worked against De La Soul. Pac was, Pos remembers, dealing with a police incident in Atlanta at the time (possibly thisthough he doesn’t specify), and the two sides kept missing each other.
By the mid-’90s, De La Soul shifted their sound and message with Stakes Is Higha project that openly critiqued certain trends in mainstream and gangsta rap. Some listeners, 2Pac included, felt the criticisms were directed at artists like him. Posdnuos said by that point, Pac had already written his responses.
Those responses surfaced in his music. On “Against All Odds” from The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory2Pac tossed a quick jab: “Look at De La Soul tryna player-hate on my shit, n***a, eat a fat dick!”
On the unreleased track “Watch Ya Mouth,” he took it additional, accusing the group of trying down on “hard” rap acts and mocking De La’s early success.
The battle by no means escalated into a serious public battle, nevertheless it turned a notable chapter in ‘90s hip-hop as a result of it mirrored deeper tensions inside the tradition.
Over the years, De La Soul have maintained that the beef grew out of miscommunication relatively than malice. 2Pac, who spoke extremely of many East Coast friends regardless of different feuds, by no means publicly revisited the difficulty earlier than his loss of life.