Hit 'Em Up
Encyclopedia
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss song
by rap artist 2Pac
(Tupac Shakur), featuring his group the Outlawz
. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It
", released on June 4, 1996, from the album All Eyez on Me
. The song’s lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers
, chiefly among them, Shakur's former friend and rival, The Notorious B.I.G.
, also known as Biggie Smalls. The song was produced
by long-time collaborator Johnny "J"
and samples the bassline from "Don't Look Any Further
" by Dennis Edwards
. The video, itself described as infamous, includes impersonations of Biggie, Puffy
and Lil' Kim
.
"Hit 'Em Up" is said to have played a part in exacerbating the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. Following its release, the East Coast rappers insulted in the song responded through tracks of their own. The controversy surrounding the song is due in part to Shakur’s murder only a few months after its release.
in May 1996. Shakur recruited three members from the former group Dramacydal whom he had worked with previously, and was eager to work with again. Together with the three New Jersey
rappers and other associates, they formed the original lineup of the Outlawz. The first and third verses are performed by Shakur, who during the takes was accompanied in the recording booth by a woman named Tiffany, who grew close to him during that time. The ferocity of Shakur's raging vocals, as said by long time collaborator and producer of "Hit 'Em Up" Johnny "J", was entirely authentic. He stated that he had never seen Shakur so angry and that the words he rapped were in no way an act. He explained that Shakur was initially fueled by his anger against Biggie and used this adrenaline, which he described as "superhuman", to attack the other East Coast rappers. The second verse is performed by Hussein Fatal
, the fourth by Yaki Kadafi
and the fifth by E.D.I. Mean
.
Shakur's anger stemmed from the belief that Biggie, as well as other members of Bad Boy Records
, had a role in the November 30, 1994 shooting. He claims that Biggie and his crew knew of his shooting and wanted him dead. He also felt that Biggie carelessly released the song "Who Shot Ya?
" only months after the shooting incident, and although it did not mention Shakur's name, he felt it was mockingly directed towards him. Shakur admittedly released "Hit 'Em Up" as a response to "Who Shot Ya?", almost two months after the shooting incident. Lyrically, "Hit 'Em Up" was aimed primarily at The Notorious B.I.G.
and Sean "Puffy" Combs
. Shakur viciously insults Biggie throughout, the first line by Shakur is "that's why I fucked your bitch you fat motherfucker", and threatens retaliation in "Hit 'Em Up", saying "Now you're about to feel the wrath of a menace." He also used the song as a platform to express his belief that Biggie was guilty of stealing his style of rapping, and was merely imitating his lifestyle. This notion is addressed in the verse in "Now it's all about Versace, you copied my style." He also touches topically on their early friendship with the line "Biggie, remember when I used to let you sleep on the couch?" and their subsequent fallout.
Faith Evans, who at the time was Biggie's estranged wife, was reportedly seen with Shakur after a public breakup with Biggie. According to Shakur she had given him gifts of clothing, which he offered as proof of a relationship in an interview. Using this against Biggie in "Hit 'Em Up", Shakur continued to fuel the rumors of a sexual relationship with Evans in the line "You claim to be a player, but I fucked your wife." Claims of an affair with Evans appear three times in the song. By extension, Shakur also attacked many other people associated with Bad Boy Records and with Biggie, such as Lil' Kim, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and most notably Lil' Cease. He exclaimed that their lifestyle and what they rapped about were fraudulent, and that they were not from the streets. He believed that they were only perpetuating the drama and did not understand the situation they had gotten themselves into. Chino XL was also insulted, as well as Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy, who was mocked for suffering sickle-cell disease
with the line "Don't one of you niggas got sickle-cell or something?" In "Hit 'Em Up", the word "fuck" and "motherfucker" were used explicitly over thirty-five times.
Johnny "J"
stated that the recording of "Hit 'Em Up" was the most "hard-core he had ever done." Although he was very happy with the work he had put into it and the resulting song, he went on to say that he had no desire to work on anything of that magnitude again.
. The phrase "take money" is repeated throughout the song, which is a play on Junior M.A.F.I.A's recent release "Get Money", which is also the beat used in "Hit 'Em Up". The chorus of "Hit 'Em Up" is a play on the chorus of Junior M.A.F.I.A's "Player's Anthem", which is itself an interpolation of the melody from Yellowman's "Zunguzung".
, as well as 45 RPM
. The original cover for the single had Puffy's head on a snake body, and Biggie's head on a pig's.
It also appeared posthumously on several compilations, including the 2004 release of Shakur's last recorded live performance, Live at the House of Blues
. "Hit 'Em Up" was also remixed on Nu-Mixx Klazzics
. Upon its release, "Hit 'Em Up" received frequent radio airplay, which was attributed to the public interest in the ongoing feud and radio stations' desire to garner high ratings. However, some radio stations, such as the Los Angeles-based KPWR
, refused to play it. The follow-up to "Hit 'Em Up" was the song "Bomb First (My Second Reply)".
near Fox Hills Mall in Los Angeles in May 1996. It was filmed by the production company Look Hear Productions. Shakur raps in a white room with The Outlawz, as well as in purple-caged room and a black room with bullet holes in the background. TV monitors in the background show clips of Shakur, Puffy, and Biggie Smalls, and even clips from the video "Made Niggaz." The video featured actors who were recalled from their prior roles in the music video for "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
" to impersonate some of those who were attacked in "Hit 'Em Up." This included Biggie, whose stand-in stares dully into the camera and sports a Kangol
and jacket, similar to one Biggie would wear. During the moments where Shakur raps about his claimed affair with Evans, Biggie crouches near the camera while Shakur yells in his face. Puffy is also impersonated, appearing with a high-top fade and leaning towards the camera, lowering and raising his sunglasses.
During the shooting of the video, Shakur was engaged in an argument with someone, who was heard telling him "You'll get shot." His armed bodyguard ensured that he had nothing to worry about. Shakur had also broken up a fight his friend Muta had gotten into during the filming, and fired a production assistant on set. The assistant was answering Shakur's pager and returning his personal calls without his consent. Some of those calls were to women who became either confused or angry that a female assistant was answering Shakur's calls. The assistant had even mistakenly lost the pager, but by the time she found it Shakur had grown wary of her, so he fired her.
Like the song, the video for "Hit 'Em Up" has also been called "infamous". It surpassed the song and video for "New York, New York
" in popularity, which was a pro-West Coast track by Tha Dogg Pound
whose video featured the members crushing buildings in Manhattan.
Regarding the lyrics aimed at his wife Faith, Biggie expressed an inability to find merit in what Shakur had claimed. He believed that Shakur intended to attack him through Faith, although he remained unsure of whether or not an encounter between them had occurred. Ultimately, he thought that if something had occurred it was none of his business, and that Shakur should not have publicly disclosed this information in a song. Biggie did respond to this matter in a similar fashion, rapping in a joint release by himself and Jay-Z in the song "Brooklyn's Finest", where he says "If Faye have twins, she'd probably have two Pacs. Get it? Tupac's?" Shortly after the release of "Hit 'Em Up", Evans went on the radio, denying that she had been with Shakur.
Lil' Kim responded on her song "Big Momma Thang", which was aimed at Biggie's wife Faith Evans and Tupac Shakur. Lil' Cease had said after the release that Biggie still had love for him, and even respected Shakur. The attack on Prodigy came as a surprise to him, and together with the rest of Mobb Deep they responded to 2Pac and Death Row
with the track "Drop a Gem on 'em
". It was first released as a promotional single, and later appeared on their album Hell on Earth. Lyrically, it did not specifically name Shakur, but it did allude to the shooting incident. It has also been noted for erroneously stating the amount of money the jewelry was worth that Shakur had taken from him during the shooting incident.
magazine has slated it as the greatest diss song of all time. Some felt that "Hit 'Em Up" showcased Shakur ranting and raving like a fool, and J.R. Reynolds of Billboard
called it horrendous, noting that Shakur revealed his true colors upon recording the song. He also went on to say that although sympathetic to the shooting, "Hit 'Em Up" had "fan(ned) the flames of hatred.. ..and affects an entire black culture's psyche"; he called the song "repugnant and unacceptable." Among associates of Shakur, it had been called a "bad-luck song." Los Angeles radio director Bruce St. James called the song "the be-all, end-all, curse-word, dirty-lyric, violent song of all time." The Game's manager has called it the best diss record. Documentary filmmaker Carl Weston believed that "most people in Biggie's shoes would have wanted to at least hurt Tupac" in a Spin
magazine interview.
Among musicians, the song drew criticism from singer Dionne Warwick
, and disapproval from Kool Moe Dee
and Chuck D
, who felt that although Shakur was one of the most substantive rappers of that period, he had gone too far with "Hit 'Em Up". It also may have caused some of Shakur's fans to turn on him.
"Hit 'Em Up" has been studied by academics, and it has been used as a part of a series of lessons for building the means to communicate with younger people. Its main role in these lessons is to define anger in rap music.
Diss track
A diss track or diss song is a song primarily intended to disparage or insult another person or group. While musical parodies and attacks have always existed, the trend became increasingly common in the hip hop genre as part of the hip hop rivalry phenomenon...
by rap artist 2Pac
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
(Tupac Shakur), featuring his group the Outlawz
Outlawz
Outlawz, formally known as Outlaw Immortalz, is an American hip hop group founded by Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they are probably best known for appearing in the video "Hit 'Em Up", in a diss track aimed at Biggie Smalls and other New York...
. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It
How Do U Want It
"How Do U Want It" is a hip-hop song performed by Tupac Shakur. It features K-Ci and JoJo and was the third single from his album All Eyez on Me. It was a Double A-side single to "California Love", and the song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. In the UK, the song peaked at #17.It...
", released on June 4, 1996, from the album All Eyez on Me
All Eyez on Me
All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released February 13, 1996 on Death Row Records and Interscope Records....
. The song’s lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers
East Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...
, chiefly among them, Shakur's former friend and rival, The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
, also known as Biggie Smalls. The song was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by long-time collaborator Johnny "J"
Johnny "J"
Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...
and samples the bassline from "Don't Look Any Further
Don't Look Any Further
"Don't Look Any Further" is a 1984 single by former Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards, featuring Siedah Garrett. The single was written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert and Duane Hitchings. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Black Singles chart and peaked at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Track...
" by Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards is a soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers replacing David Ruffin. He is the father of Issa Pointer, whose mother is Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters.-Career:...
. The video, itself described as infamous, includes impersonations of Biggie, Puffy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
and Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
.
"Hit 'Em Up" is said to have played a part in exacerbating the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. Following its release, the East Coast rappers insulted in the song responded through tracks of their own. The controversy surrounding the song is due in part to Shakur’s murder only a few months after its release.
Background and lyrics
"Hit 'Em Up" was written, as well as recorded in Can Am Studios in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in May 1996. Shakur recruited three members from the former group Dramacydal whom he had worked with previously, and was eager to work with again. Together with the three New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
rappers and other associates, they formed the original lineup of the Outlawz. The first and third verses are performed by Shakur, who during the takes was accompanied in the recording booth by a woman named Tiffany, who grew close to him during that time. The ferocity of Shakur's raging vocals, as said by long time collaborator and producer of "Hit 'Em Up" Johnny "J", was entirely authentic. He stated that he had never seen Shakur so angry and that the words he rapped were in no way an act. He explained that Shakur was initially fueled by his anger against Biggie and used this adrenaline, which he described as "superhuman", to attack the other East Coast rappers. The second verse is performed by Hussein Fatal
Hussein Fatal
Bruce Washington , better known by his stage name, Hussein Fatal, is an American rapper and a member of Outlawz.-Murder of Tupac Shakur:...
, the fourth by Yaki Kadafi
Kadafi (Outlawz)
Yafeu Akiyele Fula , better known by his stage name, Yaki Kadafi, was an American rapper, one of the founding members of Tha Outlawz, and godbrother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.- Early life :...
and the fifth by E.D.I. Mean
E.D.I. Mean
Malcolm Greenridge , better known as E.D.I. Mean, is an American rap artist and a member of the Outlawz. While in the third grade, Malcolm became friends with Katari "Kastro" Cox who later introduced his cousin, Tupac Shakur, to E.D.I. Mean.-Dramacydal:In 1992, Kastro, Greenridge, and Tupac's...
.
Shakur's anger stemmed from the belief that Biggie, as well as other members of Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records is a record label founded in 1993 by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records.-Beginnings:...
, had a role in the November 30, 1994 shooting. He claims that Biggie and his crew knew of his shooting and wanted him dead. He also felt that Biggie carelessly released the song "Who Shot Ya?
Who Shot Ya?
"Who Shot Ya?" is a controversial hip-hop song by The Notorious B.I.G., a B-side to his 1995 hit single, "Big Poppa". The track was later released on the posthumous Born Again, the remastered edition of Ready to Die, and The Greatest Hits....
" only months after the shooting incident, and although it did not mention Shakur's name, he felt it was mockingly directed towards him. Shakur admittedly released "Hit 'Em Up" as a response to "Who Shot Ya?", almost two months after the shooting incident. Lyrically, "Hit 'Em Up" was aimed primarily at The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
and Sean "Puffy" Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
. Shakur viciously insults Biggie throughout, the first line by Shakur is "that's why I fucked your bitch you fat motherfucker", and threatens retaliation in "Hit 'Em Up", saying "Now you're about to feel the wrath of a menace." He also used the song as a platform to express his belief that Biggie was guilty of stealing his style of rapping, and was merely imitating his lifestyle. This notion is addressed in the verse in "Now it's all about Versace, you copied my style." He also touches topically on their early friendship with the line "Biggie, remember when I used to let you sleep on the couch?" and their subsequent fallout.
Faith Evans, who at the time was Biggie's estranged wife, was reportedly seen with Shakur after a public breakup with Biggie. According to Shakur she had given him gifts of clothing, which he offered as proof of a relationship in an interview. Using this against Biggie in "Hit 'Em Up", Shakur continued to fuel the rumors of a sexual relationship with Evans in the line "You claim to be a player, but I fucked your wife." Claims of an affair with Evans appear three times in the song. By extension, Shakur also attacked many other people associated with Bad Boy Records and with Biggie, such as Lil' Kim, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and most notably Lil' Cease. He exclaimed that their lifestyle and what they rapped about were fraudulent, and that they were not from the streets. He believed that they were only perpetuating the drama and did not understand the situation they had gotten themselves into. Chino XL was also insulted, as well as Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy, who was mocked for suffering sickle-cell disease
Sickle-cell disease
Sickle-cell disease , or sickle-cell anaemia or drepanocytosis, is an autosomal recessive genetic blood disorder with overdominance, characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various...
with the line "Don't one of you niggas got sickle-cell or something?" In "Hit 'Em Up", the word "fuck" and "motherfucker" were used explicitly over thirty-five times.
Johnny "J"
Johnny "J"
Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...
stated that the recording of "Hit 'Em Up" was the most "hard-core he had ever done." Although he was very happy with the work he had put into it and the resulting song, he went on to say that he had no desire to work on anything of that magnitude again.
Music
Several musical components of "Hit 'Em Up" featured samples from other songs, even an interpolation some songs from the Bad Boy's catalog. The bassline in "Hit 'Em Up" is sampled from the 1984 song "Don't Look Any Further" by Dennis EdwardsDennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards is a soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers replacing David Ruffin. He is the father of Issa Pointer, whose mother is Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters.-Career:...
. The phrase "take money" is repeated throughout the song, which is a play on Junior M.A.F.I.A's recent release "Get Money", which is also the beat used in "Hit 'Em Up". The chorus of "Hit 'Em Up" is a play on the chorus of Junior M.A.F.I.A's "Player's Anthem", which is itself an interpolation of the melody from Yellowman's "Zunguzung".
Releases
Upon finishing the recording, Shakur felt very positively about the track, saying "...this song is going to be playing in every club. Deejays are calling from everywhere, wanting to get a piece of this." "Hit 'Em Up" appeared first as a B-side, on the single "How Do U Want It", by Tupac featuring The Outlawz. On June 4, 1996 under the label Death Row Records, "Hit 'Em Up" was released on compact disc and as a 12-inch12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
, as well as 45 RPM
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. The original cover for the single had Puffy's head on a snake body, and Biggie's head on a pig's.
It also appeared posthumously on several compilations, including the 2004 release of Shakur's last recorded live performance, Live at the House of Blues
Tupac: Live at the House of Blues
Tupac: Live at the House of Blues was 2Pac's last recorded performance. The album was recorded on July 4, 1996 and then released in 2005, 9 years after his death in 1996. It includes hit singles to date such as "Hit 'Em Up", "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and "So Many Tears". Since its release it has...
. "Hit 'Em Up" was also remixed on Nu-Mixx Klazzics
Nu-Mixx Klazzics
Nu-Mixx Klazzics is a remix album by 2Pac, released in 2003 by Death Row Records. The album includes several songs from All Eyez on Me, with new backing tracks and new guest vocals from artists such as Aaron Hall, K-Ci and JoJo, and Tha Outlawz. Nu Mixx Klazzics was generally panned by critics...
. Upon its release, "Hit 'Em Up" received frequent radio airplay, which was attributed to the public interest in the ongoing feud and radio stations' desire to garner high ratings. However, some radio stations, such as the Los Angeles-based KPWR
KPWR
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
, refused to play it. The follow-up to "Hit 'Em Up" was the song "Bomb First (My Second Reply)".
Music video
The music video for "Hit 'Em Up" was filmed in a warehouse off Slauson AvenueSlauson Avenue
Slauson Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare for southern Los Angeles County, California, named for the land developer and Los Angeles Board of Education member J. S. Slauson. It passes through Culver City, Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills, Baldwin Hills, Inglewood, South Los Angeles,...
near Fox Hills Mall in Los Angeles in May 1996. It was filmed by the production company Look Hear Productions. Shakur raps in a white room with The Outlawz, as well as in purple-caged room and a black room with bullet holes in the background. TV monitors in the background show clips of Shakur, Puffy, and Biggie Smalls, and even clips from the video "Made Niggaz." The video featured actors who were recalled from their prior roles in the music video for "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted is a hip hop song written by 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger for 2Pac's 1996 double album All Eyez on Me. The song is a duet performed by 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" was released as promotional recording and was the album's second single, after...
" to impersonate some of those who were attacked in "Hit 'Em Up." This included Biggie, whose stand-in stares dully into the camera and sports a Kangol
Kangol
Kangol is a British clothing company famous for its headwear.Founded in Cleator, Cumbria, England in 1938 by Jaques Spreiregen, Kangol produced hats for workers, golfers, and especially soldiers...
and jacket, similar to one Biggie would wear. During the moments where Shakur raps about his claimed affair with Evans, Biggie crouches near the camera while Shakur yells in his face. Puffy is also impersonated, appearing with a high-top fade and leaning towards the camera, lowering and raising his sunglasses.
During the shooting of the video, Shakur was engaged in an argument with someone, who was heard telling him "You'll get shot." His armed bodyguard ensured that he had nothing to worry about. Shakur had also broken up a fight his friend Muta had gotten into during the filming, and fired a production assistant on set. The assistant was answering Shakur's pager and returning his personal calls without his consent. Some of those calls were to women who became either confused or angry that a female assistant was answering Shakur's calls. The assistant had even mistakenly lost the pager, but by the time she found it Shakur had grown wary of her, so he fired her.
Like the song, the video for "Hit 'Em Up" has also been called "infamous". It surpassed the song and video for "New York, New York
New York, New York (Tha Dogg Pound song)
"New York, New York" is a single from West Coast hip hop duo Tha Dogg Pound's first album, Dogg Food. It features Kurupt rapping the verses, with Daz Dillinger with a few quick verses in the video and Snoop Dogg in the chorus...
" in popularity, which was a pro-West Coast track by Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound is a rap group made up of Daz Dillinger and Kurupt. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success. The group made their 1992 rap debut on Dr. Dre's The Chronic, on various songs. They also appeared on Snoop Dogg's debut album...
whose video featured the members crushing buildings in Manhattan.
From Biggie
After hearing "Hit 'Em Up" Biggie continued ensuring his innocence in the shooting incident. He also remarked that the song "Who Shot Ya?" was written before Shakur was shot and thus, was not about him.Regarding the lyrics aimed at his wife Faith, Biggie expressed an inability to find merit in what Shakur had claimed. He believed that Shakur intended to attack him through Faith, although he remained unsure of whether or not an encounter between them had occurred. Ultimately, he thought that if something had occurred it was none of his business, and that Shakur should not have publicly disclosed this information in a song. Biggie did respond to this matter in a similar fashion, rapping in a joint release by himself and Jay-Z in the song "Brooklyn's Finest", where he says "If Faye have twins, she'd probably have two Pacs. Get it? Tupac's?" Shortly after the release of "Hit 'Em Up", Evans went on the radio, denying that she had been with Shakur.
From other artists
Puffy had trouble understanding the sheer rage Shakur had expressed for Biggie in "Hit 'Em Up". He also responded by reinforcing his and Biggie's innocence regarding the shooting and went on to say that prior to the incident they "were friends", and that they "would have never done nothing to hurt him." In an interview with Vibe Magazine concerning Shakur's allegations of Biggie and Puffy having prior knowledge of the ambush, Puffy stated:Lil' Kim responded on her song "Big Momma Thang", which was aimed at Biggie's wife Faith Evans and Tupac Shakur. Lil' Cease had said after the release that Biggie still had love for him, and even respected Shakur. The attack on Prodigy came as a surprise to him, and together with the rest of Mobb Deep they responded to 2Pac and Death Row
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...
with the track "Drop a Gem on 'em
Drop a Gem on 'em
"Drop a Gem on 'em" was a promotional single for Mobb Deep's Hell on Earth album. The song contains a sample from "Can't Help but Love You" by The Whispers....
". It was first released as a promotional single, and later appeared on their album Hell on Earth. Lyrically, it did not specifically name Shakur, but it did allude to the shooting incident. It has also been noted for erroneously stating the amount of money the jewelry was worth that Shakur had taken from him during the shooting incident.
Reception
"Hit 'Em Up" has been called many things; "controversial", "infamous", as well as "disturbing", and "brutal". Shakur's insults against virtually the entire East Coast scene of rappers were said to be ferocious, and it has been viewed as one of Shakur's songs that resonated with and was spoken of the most by young people, the other being "Dear Mama". XXLXXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
magazine has slated it as the greatest diss song of all time. Some felt that "Hit 'Em Up" showcased Shakur ranting and raving like a fool, and J.R. Reynolds of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
called it horrendous, noting that Shakur revealed his true colors upon recording the song. He also went on to say that although sympathetic to the shooting, "Hit 'Em Up" had "fan(ned) the flames of hatred.. ..and affects an entire black culture's psyche"; he called the song "repugnant and unacceptable." Among associates of Shakur, it had been called a "bad-luck song." Los Angeles radio director Bruce St. James called the song "the be-all, end-all, curse-word, dirty-lyric, violent song of all time." The Game's manager has called it the best diss record. Documentary filmmaker Carl Weston believed that "most people in Biggie's shoes would have wanted to at least hurt Tupac" in a Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine interview.
Among musicians, the song drew criticism from singer Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, and disapproval from Kool Moe Dee
Kool Moe Dee
Mohandas Dewese , better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York...
and Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
, who felt that although Shakur was one of the most substantive rappers of that period, he had gone too far with "Hit 'Em Up". It also may have caused some of Shakur's fans to turn on him.
Aftermath
In retrospect of the events which ensued only a few months afterward, the song has been viewed as the turning point in the feud between Shakur and Biggie, where things were said and sung which could never be taken back during the remainder of Shakur's life. This has led to it being dubbed as the beginning of the war between the East Coast and the West Coast, and the centerpiece in what became the most venomous battle in rap history. Shakur and the Death Row crew attended a boxing match in Las Vegas, where he was murdered in 1996. Discussions began as to the cause, and as to whether "Hit 'Em Up" may have angered Biggie enough to the point of desiring to kill Shakur. The song has appeared in numerous compilations of Shakur's and has been sampled several times as well."Hit 'Em Up" has been studied by academics, and it has been used as a part of a series of lessons for building the means to communicate with younger people. Its main role in these lessons is to define anger in rap music.
Truth
The truth of the allegations from Tupac will never be known. Popular belief is that Faith did have an affair with the rapper, and it was later stated by multiple accounts that she was seen sitting on Tupac's lap prior to the release of the "Hit 'Em Up" song.Appearances
- How Do U Want ItHow Do U Want It"How Do U Want It" is a hip-hop song performed by Tupac Shakur. It features K-Ci and JoJo and was the third single from his album All Eyez on Me. It was a Double A-side single to "California Love", and the song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. In the UK, the song peaked at #17.It...
- original single features this song on a b-side. - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (2Pac album)Greatest Hits is a double disc greatest hits album for late rapper 2Pac, released by Amaru/Death Row Records in 1998. The album's non-chronological sequence highlights 2Pac's career; the 21 popular hits, some slightly re-edited for legal reasons, are accompanied by four previously unreleased songs:...
- Nu-Mixx KlazzicsNu-Mixx KlazzicsNu-Mixx Klazzics is a remix album by 2Pac, released in 2003 by Death Row Records. The album includes several songs from All Eyez on Me, with new backing tracks and new guest vocals from artists such as Aaron Hall, K-Ci and JoJo, and Tha Outlawz. Nu Mixx Klazzics was generally panned by critics...
- features a remix of the song, with the intro lyrics from the originally explicit version and the main lyrics from the edited radio version. - Live at the House of BluesTupac: Live at the House of BluesTupac: Live at the House of Blues was 2Pac's last recorded performance. The album was recorded on July 4, 1996 and then released in 2005, 9 years after his death in 1996. It includes hit singles to date such as "Hit 'Em Up", "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and "So Many Tears". Since its release it has...
- Death Row Greatest HitsDeath Row Greatest HitsDeath Row Greatest Hits is a 33-track compilation released by Death Row Records, and contains singles by artists such as 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. The CD also includes previously unreleased remix tracks. The album was re-released in 2001 and digitally re-mastered.-Track listing:Disc One#...
- 2Pac Live2Pac Live2Pac Live is a live album by rapper Tupac Shakur. It was released on August 6, 2004 by Koch Records and is Shakur's first-ever live album.- Track listing :#"Live Medley"#"Intro"#"Ambitionz az a Ridah"#"So Many Tears"#"Troublesome"...
Remixes and samples
- "Quitter" by EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
- the second half of the song is a remix of "Hit 'Em Up" and in itself is a diss track aimed towards EverlastEverlast (musician)Erik Francis Schrody , better known by his stage name Everlast, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and songwriter, known for his solo hit "What It's Like" and as the front-man for rap group House of Pain. He is also part of the hip-hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, which consists of members of...
. Eminem has support from D12 on his version like the Outlawz supported Shakur on the original. - "Hit 'Em Up" by KhiaKhiaKhia Shamone Chambers , better known just as Khia, is an American rapper, songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early life:Khia was born on November 8, 1977 in Philadelphia and was raised in its Germantown neighborhood, and she moved to Tampa, Florida when she was 11. Khia attended Dowdell...
- the beat and part of the hook in her diss to female rappers TrinaTrinaKatrina Laverne Taylor , better known by her stage name Trina, is an American rapper, songwriter and model from Miami, Florida. Trina first gained notoriety in 1998 with her appearance on Trick Daddy's second studio album www.thug.com to the single "Nann Nigga"...
and Jacki-OJacki-OAngela Kohn , better known as Jacki-O, is a Haitian American rapper from Miami, Florida, who is currently signed to her own label Jack Movement Entertainment. She got her first break in 2003 with the bawdy sex rap "Nookie" which garnered the MC comparisons to fellow Southern rappers Mia X and Trina...
. - "What I Think About You" by Bow Wow - reinterpolation of "Hit 'Em Up" and diss song to fellow rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'emSoulja Boy Tell 'EmDeAndre Cortez Way , better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, entrepreneur, and internet personality....
- "Way of Life" by Lil WayneLil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
- the beat of "Hit 'Em Up" is used and the looped background chorus of "take money" is replaced with "Cash Money", a reference to Lil Wayne's record label.