Jay-Z is reflecting on the feud between The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur that changed hip-hop forever.
The Brooklyn rapper discussed the former friends during his new HBO docuseries, “JAŸ-Z in 8.” During the series, Jay-Z sits down with producer Rick Rubin to revisit defining moments throughout his career.That conversation eventually turns to Biggie, whom Jay-Z became close with during the early years of his career.
Jay-Z said their friendship took off while recording “Brooklyn’s Finest,” featured on his 1996 debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.”
“This night is when we clicked,” Jay-Z recalled.
“We talked every day until he passed,” he added. “Every Friday or Saturday we would go eat together and it was a fast relationship.”
Biggie, born Christopher Wallace, was killed in Los Angeles in March 1997. He was 24. His death came approximately six months after Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas. Shakur was 25.
Jay-Z remembers tensions growing beyond Biggie and Tupac
Jay-Z said the conflict became especially troubling once others began attaching themselves to it.
“These two guys were having their disagreement and then an entire coast jumped in. It was super dangerous,” he said.
The rapper also stressed that Biggie and Shakur had not always been rivals. The two were friends before their relationship deteriorated. Their falling out intensified following a November 1994 attack on Shakur at a New York recording studio.
Shakur was robbed and shot multiple times during the incident. He later publicly blamed Biggie and Sean “Diddy” Combs for having knowledge of the attack. Both denied involvement.
Jay-Z said his understanding was that Biggie previously warned Shakur about certain people surrounding him.
“This is my understanding of it. This predates me, their relationship,” Jay-Z explained.
He said Biggie cautioned Shakur to be careful about some of his associates. According to Jay-Z, the warning later became another source of tension after Shakur was attacked.
Jay-Z also rejected the idea that Biggie could control everything happening around New York.
“No one controls New York City,” he said. “It’s too many bad guys. Everybody’s tough.”
The disagreement eventually became connected to a broader East Coast-West Coast rivalry. Record labels, media coverage and other artists helped push the conflict far beyond the two rappers.
‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ put Jay-Z close to the feud
Jay-Z also revealed that his collaboration with Biggie created tension between himself and Shakur. However, he said he deliberately tried to avoid escalating the situation.
While recording “Brooklyn’s Finest,” Biggie reportedly included a line describing himself as “most hated in California.” Jay-Z immediately objected to the lyric.
“I was like, ‘Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. We’re taking that out. I don’t want to be a part of that,’” he recalled.
Still, the released song included references that listeners connected to Shakur. Jay-Z’s comments provide another perspective on one of hip-hop’s most documented and debated chapters.
The rapper also acknowledged how dangerous the environment felt following Biggie’s death. He said the lingering tensions made him uncomfortable traveling to the West Coast afterward.
Nearly three decades later, both killings remain central to conversations about hip-hop history. Shakur’s killing has also received renewed legal attention in recent years. Biggie’s murder remains unsolved.