Mariah Carey recently revisited a fleeting, magical moment with the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The pop diva described being struck by “more than butterflies” when they encountered each other backstage at the American Music Awards years ago.
Carey, the Grammy-winning singer, recounted that moment with vivid spark. “He said it like, ‘Hi, Mariah,’” she said. “And I was like [screams].” She was hosting the awards show that night and said she found it hard to focus. “I had to keep going back and forth,” she recalled. “But I wanted to keep going back and forth because that happened.”
A Moment Frozen in Time
Carey revealed that the fleeting exchange stayed with her. She shared that she would have welcomed a collaboration with Tupac, despite any skepticism. “I love Hip Hop,” she said. “And I love the moments that we’re talking about, especially ‘Hi, Mariah.’ So yeah, it was a pretty major moment for me to say the least.”
When a host jokingly called them “the power couple of all power couples,” Carey laughed and replied plainly, “I wish.”
She also reflected on how Tupac’s influence echoes in her music. Her 1999 track “How Much” samples his song “Me and My Girlfriend,” a nod to her admiration for his artistry.
Carey first recounted the surreal encounter in her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020), describing how Tupac’s arrival in a white Rolls-Royce felt almost dreamlike.