Napoleon former member of the Outlawz explains why Tupac dissed Jay-Z during the height of the Biggie beef.
After his release from prison and signing with Death Row records, Tupac Shakur was on a mission to take down Biggie Smalls on wax and anyone associated with the Bad Boy records artist.
One of those targeted rappers became Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z. “A lot of east coast rappers are very subliminal, especially back then they was very subliminal with their attacks on Pac. They wasn’t straight forward,” Napoleon said.
Napoleon Explains Why Tupac Shakur Dissed Jay-Z
“Biggie was on a Jay-Z’s album where Biggie was like if Faith [Evans] had twins she would have two Pacs, get it, remember that, like Tu Pacs. So he was taking shots at Pac on Jay-Z’s album. So, Pac looking at it like I don’t give a heck man, if you letting this dude on your album take shots at me, your my enemy now,” Napoleon explained.
Napoleon is referring to the song “Brooklyn’s Finest” featuring Biggie Smalls which appeared on Jay-Z’s debut album ‘Reasonable Doubt’. The Dame Dash and Clark Kent produced track, has Biggie Smalls taking aim at Tupac with, “Me and Gutta had two spots / The 2-for-5 dollar hits, the blue tops / Gotta go, Coolio mean it’s gettin’ Too Hot / If Fay’ had twins, she’d probably have two Pacs / Get it? Tu… Pac’s?”
“So Jay-Z was showing his alliance back then to Biggie, even in that video where he was like there’s a lot of money on the west coast we gonna go out there and get that. This was in the mist of the east coast west coast thing.”
Tupac would answer back with a track titled ‘All Out’ featuring the Outlawz. Immediately in the beginning of the song Tupac can be heard calling out Jay-Z.
“You got a lot of nerve to play me, another gay rapper / Bustin’ caps at Jay Z and still avoid capture / While y’all caught up in the rapture, still after me
I’m in Jamaica sippin’ daquiris, no doubt,” Tupac continues his diss towards Jay-Z.
The song was never released in 1996 when recorded, but rather in 2001 on Tupac’s posthumous album ‘Until The End Of The Time’. Tupac’s verse remained intact, while the Outlawz redid their verses. Including Napoleon, who’s new verse took aim at Jay-Z.
“Cause rappers like Jay-Z be pumpin’ Kool-Aid through they veins / Is it true what I’m sayin’? Slap your soft ass to the floor / And watch my fo’-fo’ put peek holes through your door,” Napoleon on the released version of ‘All Out’.
Years later, Napoleon would run into Jay-Z at a private event held for Run DMC. “I remember one day I was in L.A., this was years after Pac died. We [Outlawz] was even doing songs dissing Jay-Z at this particular time,” Napoleon said. “So, I went up there. Snoop was there. Jay-Z was there, and I wasn’t going to talk to him [Jay-Z].”
Instead, Jay-Z approached Napoleon with open arms. “He was very respectful. So, that was the first time that I seen maturity of someone that we beefing with or someone we had words with. Cause the only way you gon survive in any industry, is that you have to change. You have to mature.”
In 2009, Jay-Z would donate $25,000 to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. Afeni Shakur received the donation along with Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace who also received $25,000 for the Christopher Wallace Foundation.
The donation was presented at a sold out MSG in New York during a Jay-Z concert.
TASF 50 For 50 Fundraising Campaign – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TUPAC!