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"Hit 'Em Up"
1996 bootleg release
Song by 2Pac featuring Outlaw Immortalz
A-side"How Do U Want It"
ReleasedJune 4, 1996 (1996-06-04)
Recorded
  • October 31, 1995
  • April 29, 1996
StudioCan-Am Studios (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
Genre
Length5:13
Label
Songwriters
ProducerJohnny "J"
Music video
"Hit 'Em Up" on YouTube
Audio sample

"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by American rapper 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly Shakur's former friend turned rival, the Notorious B.I.G. (also referred to colloquially as Biggie Smalls). The song was recorded at Can Am Studios on April 19, 1996. A previous version of the song was recorded on October 31, 1995.

Reporter Chuck Philips, who interviewed Shakur at Can Am, described the song as "a caustic anti–East Coast jihad in which the rapper threatens to eliminate Biggie, Puffy, and a slew of Bad Boy artists and other New York acts".[1] The song was produced by long-time collaborator Johnny "J". The video, itself described as infamous, includes impersonations of Biggie, Puffy and Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Kim.

"Hit 'Em Up" had a large role 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 in a drive-by-shooting only three months after its release. The song is widely regarded as among the greatest diss tracks ever recorded.[2][3]

Origins

[edit]

"Hit 'Em Up" was written and recorded at Can-Am studios in 1996.[4][5] For the song, Tupac Shakur recruited the members of the former group Dramacydal whom he had worked with previously, and was eager to work with again. Together, the rappers (along with other associates) formed the original lineup of the Outlawz.[6] The first and third verses are performed by Shakur, while the second verse is performed by Hussein Fatal, the fourth by Yaki Kadafi and the fifth by E.D.I. Mean.[7][8] The bassline of the soundtrack is a sample from a song called 'Don't Look Any Further', by ex-Temptation Dennis Edwards that was previously used in Eric B. & Rakim's Paid in Full, released in 1987.

The ferocity of Shakur's raging vocals,[9] as said by long-time collaborator and producer of "Hit 'Em Up" Johnny J, was entirely authentic.[4] He explained that Shakur was initially fueled by his anger against Biggie and Bad Boy Records for the belief that they had a role in the November 30, 1994, ambush and attack on Shakur. He claimed that Biggie and his crew knew of his shooting and wanted him dead.[10] Shakur used this fury, which Johnny "J" described as "superhuman",[4] to attack Biggie and other East Coast rappers.[4] Johnny "J" also stated that he had never seen Shakur so angry and that the words he rapped were in no way an act,[11] describing the recording process as the most "hard-core he had ever done."[4] Although he was very happy with the work he had put into it and the resulting song, Johnny "J" went on to say that he had no desire to work on anything of that magnitude again.[4]

Shakur was also enraged by Biggie's release of "Who Shot Ya?" provocatively only months after the shooting incident, and although it did not directly involve Shakur's name, he believed it was directed towards him. Shakur admitted to releasing "Hit 'Em Up" as a response to "Who Shot Ya?"[12] In a Vibe interview, the rapper called out Sean "Puffy" Combs and Biggie Smalls and accused both of them of setting him up, or of having knowledge of the attack and not warning him. He also singled out businessmen James Rosemond ("Jimmy Henchman"), and Jacques Agnant ("Haitian Jack") of orchestrating the assault. Shakur announced the names of his ostensible conspirators to Kevin Powell, a journalist for Vibe; however, to mask their true identities, Vibe referred to Henchman as "Booker," and Jack as "Nigel" in the published interview. Persons familiar with the interview say they used different names after the magazine received threats from Henchman. A former Vibe editor denied receiving threats, but neglected to explain why the magazine substituted aliases for Henchman and Haitian Jack.[1]

Composition

[edit]

The lyrics in "Hit 'Em Up" were aimed primarily at Biggie and Puffy.[10][13] Shakur viciously insults Biggie throughout⁠ ⁠– the first line by Shakur is "That's why I fucked your bitch, you fat motherfucker" referencing Biggie's estranged wife Faith Evans, who was coincidentally photographed posing without her wedding ring for a work shoot with Tupac at the time in the media.[14]⁠ He then threatens further retaliation for the lines in "Who Shot Ya?", which he perceived were mocking his violent shooting at Quad Studios in the songs hook, by saying "Who shot me?/But you punks didn't finish/Now you're about to feel the wrath of a menace."[15] 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.[16] This notion is addressed in the verse in "Now it's all about Versace, you copied my style."[17] 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. Towards the end of the song Tupac disses Mobb Deep, saying "Don't one of you niggas got sickle cell or something? You fucking with me, nigga you fuck around and get a seizure or a heart attack", referring to Prodigy, a member of Mobb Deep who suffered from sickle cell disease (and who died in 2017 after being hospitalized for complications related to the disease). Mobb Deep responded by releasing "Drop a Gem on 'em", which was released shortly before Tupac's death (but pulled from airplay rotation after).[17][18] "Hit 'Em Up" features much profanity, using the words "fuck" or "motherfucker" 46 times in the song, and was issued a Parental Advisory label.[19]

The chorus of "Hit 'Em Up" is a play on the chorus of Junior M.A.F.I.A's "Player's Anthem."[12] 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", the remix of which (called "Gettin' Money") is also the beat used in "Hit 'Em Up".[20] Faith Evans, who at the time was Biggie's estranged wife,[21] was reportedly seen with Shakur after a public breakup with Biggie.[22][23] Journalist Chuck Philips spotted Faith Evans at Can Am when he interviewed Shakur a year earlier in 1995. People at the studio told the reporter that Faith Evans also contributed – that the R&B chanteuse recorded one or more "Take Money" background vocals that would appear on "Hit Em Up."[1] Regarding his October 1995 interview of the rapper, Philips remembered in 2012:

"I was so unaware of the bi-coastal rap war that I suspected nothing when Faith Evans appeared with Shakur at Can Am. The estranged wife of Biggie was recording background vocals for "Wonda Why They Call U Bitch", a song which was at the time yet to be released."[1]

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 song's line "You claim to be a player, but I fucked your wife."[5] Claims of an affair with Evans appear three times in the song.[6]

Shakur also attacked many other people associated with Bad Boy Records and with Biggie,[15] such as Lil' Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A.[24] 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 were getting into.[6] Bronx rapper Chino XL was also insulted for vulgar comments he made about Shakur on his song "Riiiot!".[25] In the original recording, Shakur also insulted Jay-Z at the ending segment, but removed it after being convinced by Outlawz members that Jay-Z had nothing to do with the conflict between Death Row and Bad Boy.[26]

Many places in the United States are mentioned in the song, including Brooklyn, California, the East Coast, New Jersey, New York and the West Coast, as well as the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Music video

[edit]
Tupac Shakur standing between actors portraying Biggie Smalls and Lil' Kim.
Shot from the music video, with stand-in Biggie on the left, Shakur in the middle, and Lil' Kim on the right.

The music video for "Hit 'Em Up" was filmed in a warehouse off Slauson Avenue near the Fox Hills Mall in Los Angeles on June 3, 1996.[27][28][29] It was filmed by the production company Look Hear Productions.[28] 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."[30] This included Biggie, whose stand-in looks 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, the Biggie impersonator 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.[30]

The music video for "Hit 'Em Up" can be found on Tupac: Live at the House of Blues DVD.[31]

Release and reception

[edit]

Finishing the recording of the song, Shakur felt very positively about the track, saying;

"[The] song is going to be playing in every club, every country. Deejays are calling from everywhere, wanting to get a piece of this."[32]

"Hit 'Em Up" appeared first as a B-side,[15] on the single "How Do U Want It",[33] by Shakur featuring the Outlawz.[34] On June 4, 1996, under the label Death Row Records,[14] "Hit 'Em Up" was released on compact disc, 12-inch,[33] and a 45 RPM. The original cover for the single had Puffy's head on a snake's body, and Biggie's head on a pig's.[27] It also appeared posthumously on several compilations, including the 2005 release of Shakur's last recorded live performance, Live at the House of Blues.[35] "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.[10] However, some radio stations, such as the Los Angeles-based KPWR, refused to play it.[36] The follow-up to "Hit 'Em Up" was the song "Bomb First (My Second Reply)".[37]

"Hit 'Em Up" has been called "controversial,"[36] "infamous,"[15] "disturbing,"[38] and "brutal."[12] Shakur's insults against virtually the entire East Coast scene of rappers were said to be ferocious.[4] The song, along with "Dear Mama," has been viewed as one of Shakur's songs that resonated with and was spoken of the most by young people.[39][10] Among associates of Shakur, it was called a "bad-luck song."[32] Los Angeles radio director Bruce St. James called the song "the be-all, end-all, curse-word, dirty-lyric, violent song of all time."[36] 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.[40]

Among musicians, the song drew criticism from singer Dionne Warwick,[41] and disapproval from fellow rappers Kool Moe Dee and Chuck D, as written in their book There's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs. They felt that although Shakur was one of the most substantive rappers of that period, he had gone too far with "Hit 'Em Up,"[42] causing some of Shakur's fans to turn on him, according to the two rappers.[43] Ice-T wrote in his autobiography that, when Shakur played Hit 'Em Up to him before its release, he tried to persuade Shakur to contact Biggie and try to resolve their problems, rather than releasing the record. Ice-T added that Shakur was angered with this reaction and had hoped that he would have sided with the West Coast in the feud.[44]

Aftermath

[edit]

The song has been viewed as the turning point in the feud between Shakur and Biggie, where things were said and rapped which could never be taken back during the remainder of Shakur's life.[45] This has led to its being dubbed as the centerpiece in what became the most venomous battle in the history of hip hop.[46]

"Hit 'Em Up" has been studied by and with academics,[47] and it has been used as a part of a series of lessons for building the means to communicate with younger people.[48] Its main role in these lessons is to define anger in rap music.[49] Biggie was shot and killed six months after Shakur's death.[50]

Response

[edit]

From Biggie

[edit]

After hearing "Hit 'Em Up", Biggie continued proclaiming 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.[12] 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 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.[5] Biggie responded to this matter in a similar fashion to "Hit 'Em Up", rapping in a joint release by himself and Jay-Z in the song "Brooklyn's Finest",[51] where he says "If Faye have twins, she'd probably have two Pacs. Get it? Tupac's?"[52] Shortly after the release of "Hit 'Em Up", Evans went on the radio and admitted that she had been with Shakur, but continued to deny their relationship was sexual.[52]

From other artists

[edit]

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",[53] and that they "would have never done nothing to hurt him."[53] In an interview with Vibe Magazine concerning Shakur's allegations of Biggie and Puffy having prior knowledge of the ambush, Puffy stated:

He ain't mad at the niggas that shot him; he knows where they're at. He knows who shot him. If you ask him, he knows, and everybody in the street knows, and he's not stepping to them, because he knows that he's not gonna get away with that shit. To me, that's some real sucker shit. Be mad at everybody, man; don't be using niggas as scapegoats. We know that he's a nice guy from New York. All shit aside, Tupac is a nice, good-hearted guy.[54]

Lil' Kim responded on the original version of her song "Big Momma Thang", which was aimed at Biggie's wife, Faith Evans, and Shakur.[55] Junior M.A.F.I.A. recorded a music video for the song "Get Money", which has been regarded as a diss to Shakur. Biggie denies these claims, stating: "It's just a video; ain't nobody got no time to make no diss on nobody."[56] Lil' Cease said after the release that Biggie still had love for Shakur, and even respected him.[40] The attack on Mobb Deep came as a response for their involvement on the song "L.A L.A" by Capone-N-Noreaga, which was a retaliation to Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound's song "New York, New York" music video in which members of Tha Dogg Pound and Death Row are seen knocking down buildings in New York City. Mobb Deep responded to Shakur with the track "Drop a Gem on 'em".[57] 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 cost of the assets Shakur had taken from him during the shooting incident.[58] Bronx rapper King Sun also responded to Shakur with "New York Love (All Eyez On Sun)".

Appearances

[edit]

"Hit 'Em Up" was originally featured as a B-side on Shakur's single "How Do U Want It".[59] In 1998, it was released on Shakur's first compilation album, Greatest Hits.[60] A remix of the song was featured on Nu-Mixx Klazzics (2003), with the intro lyrics from the originally explicit version and the main lyrics from the edited radio version.[61] A live version of the song was included on the 2005 release of Tupac: Live at the House of Blues.[62] "Hit 'Em Up" was later released on Death Row Greatest Hits,[63] and was again released as a live recording on the 2004 album 2Pac Live.[64]

In the second half of Eminem's song "Quitter", the rapper attempts to remake "Hit 'Em Up" and in itself is a diss track aimed towards Everlast. Eminem has support from D12 on his version like the Outlawz supported Shakur on the original.[65][66] "What I Think About You" by Bow Wow uses a reinterpolation of "Hit 'Em Up" and is a diss song to fellow rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'em.[67]

The song appears in the Tupac biopic All Eyez On Me (2017), in which Tupac performs the song during his 1996 House Of Blues Concert in the film as a message to Biggie, talking about having relations with Faith Evans, Biggie's wife.

Cover version

[edit]

Producers Cain McKnight and Jonathan Hay reimagined ″Hit 'Em Up″ in the genres of house music and jazz with Fat Beats Records.[68]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2022) Peak
Position
Hungary (Single Top 40)[69] 38

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[70] Platinum 90,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[71] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[72] 4× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Hit 'Em Up

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by American rapper Tupac Shakur, performing as 2Pac and featuring his short-lived group the Outlawz, released on June 4, 1996, as the B-side to his single "How Do U Want It" from the album All Eyez on Me. Produced by Johnny "J" Jackson, the song embodies gangsta rap's confrontational style through its explicit lyrics threatening violence against East Coast rivals, including The Notorious B.I.G., Sean Combs (Puff Daddy), Junior M.A.F.I.A., and Mobb Deep, while claiming sexual relations with Biggie's then-wife Faith Evans. The track marked the formal debut of the Outlawz, a collective of young rappers assembled by Shakur during his time at Death Row Records, and intensified the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry that had been simmering since Shakur's 1994 shooting, which he attributed to Biggie and Combs. Widely regarded as one of hip-hop's most vicious and influential diss records for its unfiltered aggression and personal attacks, "Hit 'Em Up" amplified cultural divisions within the genre, contributing to a period of heightened animosity that preceded Shakur's murder later that year, though direct causation remains unproven amid ongoing debates over the feud's real-world consequences. Despite criticism for its inflammatory content, including calls to "fuck" specific individuals and boasts of dominance, the song's raw energy has cemented its legacy as a pinnacle of battle rap bravado.

Historical Context

East-West Coast Hip-Hop Rivalry

The East-West Coast hip-hop rivalry arose in the early 1990s from regional stylistic differences and intensifying commercial competition between New York-based artists emphasizing intricate lyricism and sample-heavy beats, and Los Angeles acts pioneering G-funk-infused gangsta rap. West Coast momentum built with N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton in 1988, but escalated commercially via Dr. Dre's The Chronic on December 15, 1992, which sold over 5.7 million copies and spotlighted Death Row Records, founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight and Dre. In contrast, Sean "Puffy" Combs launched Bad Boy Records in 1993, promoting The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut Ready to Die on September 13, 1994, which achieved multi-platinum status and reinforced East Coast dominance in sales and media attention. Tensions publicly erupted at the Source Awards on August 3, 1995, in , where , while presenting an award, mocked Combs for appropriating hip-hop aesthetics without street credibility, stating that attendees unhappy with smoking or drinking at events should "step" to Bad Boy shows instead, and implying Combs was "forced" into a suit unlike his voluntary style. The remarks, delivered amid boos for West Coast performers like , highlighted label animosities and fan divisions, with Knight's comments interpreted as a direct challenge to Bad Boy's East Coast establishment. This event amplified perceptions of a coastal , fueled by executives seeking amid hip-hop's rising profitability, though participants later described much of the hype as media exaggeration for publicity. A pivotal personal dimension intensified the feud through Tupac Shakur's experiences. On November 30, 1994, Shakur was robbed of $40,000 in jewelry and shot five times in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan after a session, an incident he survived but which deepened his distrust of former associates. Shakur, who had socialized with Combs and Biggie earlier that evening in the building, later expressed in a February 1995 Vibe magazine interview from prison that he believed they knew of the ambush, citing their lack of intervention and Biggie's hospital visit where he allegedly rapped lyrics mirroring the shooting details. No evidence directly implicated Biggie or Combs, and a 2012 admission by music executive James Rosemond confirmed he orchestrated the robbery due to unrelated beefs with Shakur, hiring assailants for $2,500. Nonetheless, Shakur's suspicions, aired publicly, aligned him with Death Row after Knight posted his $1.4 million bail on October 12, 1995, following a sexual assault conviction, shifting Shakur westward and personalizing the rivalry. The feud's dynamics reflected not only artistic and business rivalries but causal factors like interpersonal betrayals and executive posturing, with labels leveraging disses for album sales—Death Row's by Shakur topped charts in February 1996, countering Bad Boy's momentum—yet contributing to real dangers, as evidenced by subsequent including Shakur's on September 7, 1996, and Biggie's on March 9, 1997. While some accounts attribute origins to earlier disses like Tim Dog's 1991 "," the 1994-1995 incidents crystallized the narrative, though insiders noted the "coastal" framing oversimplified localized gang affiliations and individual grudges.

Key Incidents Precipitating the Track

On November 30, 1994, Tupac Shakur was robbed at gunpoint and shot five times in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan's Times Square while en route to a session with rapper Little Shawn. The assailants, later identified in court testimonies as including Walter "King Tut" Johnson, stole jewelry worth approximately $35,000 from Shakur and his entourage before fleeing. Shakur survived the attack after surgery but later claimed in a Vibe magazine interview that The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls) and Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, who were recording upstairs in the same building that night, had prior knowledge of the ambush or orchestrated it as retaliation amid growing tensions between their respective circles. Shakur's suspicions intensified when Biggie Smalls released the track "Who Shot Ya?" on February 13, 1995, as part of the album reissue, which Shakur interpreted as Biggie taunting him by implying involvement in or indifference to . Biggie maintained the song predated the Quad incident and was unrelated, written about a different shooting, but Shakur, recovering from his wounds and facing legal troubles including a conviction, viewed it as provocative amid their fractured friendship. These events fueled Shakur's public accusations against affiliates in his April 1995 Vibe cover story, where he detailed feeling betrayed by former allies and escalated rhetoric against East Coast figures. Shakur's imprisonment from February 28, 1995, to October 12, 1995, for the case allowed the to simmer, with CEO Marion "Suge" publicly criticizing Combs at the for perceived opportunism in hip-hop. Upon release on $1.4 million bail posted by , Shakur aligned with Death Row, signing a lucrative deal on October 15, 1995, which positioned him directly against Bad Boy in the intensifying East Coast-West Coast divide. This alliance, combined with prior grievances, directly precipitated the aggressive recording of "Hit 'Em Up" in April 1996 at Studios, as Shakur sought to assert dominance and retaliate.

Production

Origins and Recording

"Hit 'Em Up" emerged from Tupac Shakur's deepening animosity toward The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) and Sean Combs of Bad Boy Records, rooted in events surrounding Shakur's November 1994 shooting in New York City. Shakur, who had previously collaborated with Wallace, accused him and Combs of withholding information about the perpetrators despite their presence nearby, viewing it as betrayal; this perception intensified with Wallace's February 1995 release of "Who Shot Ya?", which Shakur interpreted as a taunt directed at him while incarcerated on sexual assault charges. After posting bail on October 12, 1995, arranged by Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight, and signing with the label, Shakur channeled his rage into explicit disses against East Coast figures to align with Death Row's West Coast supremacy narrative. The track's recording took place at Can-Am Studios in Los Angeles, with production handled by Shakur's longtime collaborator Johnny "J" Jackson, who crafted the beat sampling Dennis Edwards' "Don't Look Any Further" and incorporating a reggae-style intro parodying Junior M.A.F.I.A. An initial version was reportedly laid down as early as late October 1995, shortly after Shakur's prison release, but the released iteration featured revisions, including added vocal contributions from affiliated rappers. Shakur recruited three members of his protégés' group Dramacydal—rechristened the Outlawz for this project—to deliver supporting verses, solidifying their role in his circle and amplifying the track's confrontational tone with lines targeting Bad Boy affiliates. Sessions were marked by intense creativity rather than overt tension, as witnesses including producer described Shakur freestyling threats like vows to target rivals' families, with the joining to hype the delivery; Johnny "J" confirmed the core track predated later embellishments like the elements. This process reflected Shakur's post-incarceration urgency to dominate the beef, positioning "Hit 'Em Up" as a premeditated escalation beyond prior subtler jabs on his February 1996 album .

Musical Composition

"Hit 'Em Up" is structured as a track in , with a of 95 beats per minute and a duration of approximately 5 minutes and 12 seconds. Produced by , the composition draws from West Coast G-funk influences, featuring a menacing, bass-heavy beat designed to underscore the song's confrontational lyrics. The rhythm section relies on programmed drums with crisp, enhanced hi-hats derived from 808 samples, layered over synthesized keyboard elements for a gritty, aggressive texture. Central to the track's sound are sampled elements, including the bassline from Dennis Edwards feat. Siedah Garrett's 1984 single "Don't Look Any Further," which provides a funky, mid-tempo groove adapted for hip-hop intensity. Additional interpolation comes from Junior M.A.F.I.A. feat. The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gettin' Money (The Get Money Remix)," contributing to the diss-oriented edge. Johnny J's approach involved sampling hardware like the E-mu SP-1200 sampler alongside live instrumentation from musicians, emphasizing organic feel within electronic production constraints typical of 1990s rap beats. This combination yields a propulsive, loop-based arrangement that supports rapid-fire vocal delivery, with verses alternating between 2Pac and Outlawz members over a sparse yet pounding instrumental core.

Involvement of Outlawz

The , a hip hop group assembled by in late 1995 following his release from prison and affiliation with , contributed rap verses to "Hit 'Em Up," enhancing its aggressive diss elements directed at East Coast rivals. Specific members , Yaki Kadafi, and participated, with their lines explicitly targeting figures like Sean "Puffy" Combs and the Junior M.A.F.I.A. These affiliates were present at the recording session held at Studios in Tarzana, , during the early morning hours of an unspecified date in , where Shakur improvised the track's lyrics on site. Their verses followed Shakur's opening, building on themes of retaliation and dominance, with reportedly encouraging Shakur to intensify the content during the process. This collaboration reflected Shakur's strategy of leveraging his protégés—originally from but aligned with West Coast interests via —to amplify the song's combative posture amid escalating coastal tensions. The Outlawz's input extended to the music video, released as a non-album single alongside the track on June 4, 1996, where their presence reinforced the visual narrative of confrontation. Notably, Kadafi was killed by gunfire in November 1996, less than six months after the release, while died in a car accident in 2015, marking further losses among the group's early contributors.

Lyrical Content

Targets and Disses

"Hit 'Em Up" serves as a direct diss track targeting key figures associated with Bad Boy Records and the broader East Coast rap establishment, with Tupac Shakur leading the assault alongside the Outlawz. The lyrics explicitly name The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) as the central antagonist, accusing him of orchestrating or enabling Shakur's 1994 shooting at New York City's Quad Recording Studios, an incident that left Shakur wounded with five bullet holes. Shakur raps, "Give money to the kids when they ride past us / This ain't shit to me, fuck your luck / You fat motherfuckin' bitch," underscoring perceived betrayal from a former associate. Shakur escalates the personal nature of the feud by claiming sexual infidelity involving Wallace's wife, , whom he alleges he encountered at a party: "I fucked your wife, you fat motherfucker / Take money, cry to your bitch / But now your crew is lookin' at me, I'ma fuck you and them all." This claim, tied to a purported 1994 incident, amplifies the track's vitriol beyond professional rivalry. (Puff Daddy) is derided as "Puffy" with lines mocking his persona, such as "Puffy, get your silly singing ass off of me," positioning him as complicit in the East Coast camp's actions against Shakur. Affiliates of Junior M.A.F.I.A., including , draw targeted threats blending rivalry with explicit aggression: "Lil Kim, don't fuck around with real G's / Quick to snatch Lil' Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A. off the streets." These disses reference ongoing beefs, portraying the group as inferior challengers. Mobb Deep's Prodigy and Havoc are dismissed amid their own feud, sparked by Mobb Deep's "Drop a Gem on 'Em" track perceived as shading Shakur; he retorts, "Fuck , fuck Biggie / Fuck Bad Boy and the clique," and belittles them as "young motherfuckers." faces criticism for stylistic imitation, with Shakur warning, "Chino XL, fuck you too," in a broader East Coast sweep.

Threats and Violent Rhetoric

In "Hit 'Em Up," 2Pac employs explicit threats of physical harm and murder directed at rivals associated with Bad Boy Records, including Sean Combs (Puffy) and Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.). The track opens with aggressive calls to action, such as "Grab your Glocks when you see 2Pac," framing encounters with the artist as potentially lethal confrontations. This rhetoric escalates in verses contributed by Outlawz members, where Hussein Fatal declares "Biggie Smalls just got dropped" and urges "Pass the MAC and let me hit 'em in his back," referencing a MAC-10 submachine gun in a simulated assassination of Wallace. The lyrics extend to Wallace's aliases and associates, with lines like "Frank White needs to get spanked right for settin' traps," using "Frank White" as Wallace's self-styled moniker and implying punitive violence for perceived betrayals in the rap industry. Junior M.A.F.I.A., Wallace's protégés, face dehumanizing threats such as "I'm smokin' Junior M.A.F.I.A. in front of you, nigga" and "Get your little Junior Whopper clique smoked up / With 15-shot cocked to your knot," evoking execution-style shootings and firearm discharge to the head. Kadafi and further amplify this by warning of pop stars being "popped, get mopped and dropped," combining for killing with of bodies being cleaned and discarded. The outro intensifies the collective menace, with 2Pac proclaiming "We gon' kill all you motherfuckers" and "My .44 make sure all y'all kids don't grow," invoking a .44 Magnum revolver to threaten not only targets but their potential descendants, underscoring a generational vendetta. Such language, repeated across the track, positions the Outlawz as an outlaw collective ready to "bomb on you motherfuckers," blending bombing metaphors with real-world gang violence tactics amid the East-West Coast feud. This rhetoric, while rooted in hip-hop diss traditions, drew scrutiny for its unfiltered calls to dominance through lethal force, reflecting 2Pac's post-incarceration militancy after his 1995 shooting, which he attributed to East Coast figures.

Sexual Bravado and Misogyny

In the lyrics of "Hit 'Em Up," released on June 4, 1996, Tupac Shakur incorporates sexual bravado as a core element of his diss against East Coast rivals, framing sexual conquests over their female associates as a direct humiliation of male adversaries. He explicitly claims to have had intercourse with Faith Evans, the then-wife of The Notorious B.I.G., rapping, "You claim to be a player but I fucked your wife / We bust on Bad Boys niggas fuck for life," and further detailing the encounter with graphic assertions of ejaculation on her body. This tactic positions women as interchangeable trophies whose violation symbolically castrates the targeted men, reinforcing Shakur's dominance in the feud through hypermasculine posturing rooted in gangsta rap conventions. Shakur extends this bravado to derogatory references toward , a Junior M.A.F.I.A. affiliate, commanding her to "suck my dick" while labeling her a "nasty bitch," reducing her to a sexual object for ridicule rather than addressing her as a peer artist. The repeated chorus—"That's why I fucked your bitch, you fat motherfucker"—amplifies this pattern, using the term "bitch" interchangeably for Evans and other women to underscore betrayal and emasculation. Such language exemplifies by dehumanizing women, treating their bodies as battlegrounds for male ego contests without agency or individuality, a dynamic critiqued in analyses of hip-hop for perpetuating patriarchal control amid interpersonal rivalries. This approach aligns with broader hip-hop diss traditions where sexual claims serve as , but Shakur's personalization—naming specific women tied to —intensifies the , prioritizing vengeance over consent or relational nuance. While the track's raw aggression propelled its notoriety, the misogynistic undertones have drawn retrospective scrutiny for normalizing verbal degradation of women to assert street credibility.

Release

Single and Album Context

"Hit 'Em Up" was released on June 4, 1996, as the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", which was drawn from 2Pac's double album All Eyez on Me. The track, featuring contributions from the Outlawz, was not included on the original All Eyez on Me album but served as a promotional extension of its commercial rollout under Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The single's A-side, "How Do U Want It", alongside the B-side, propelled the release to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in July 1996, marking Death Row's first and only number-one hit on that chart. All Eyez on Me, released on February 13, 1996, represented 2Pac's prolific return to music following his October 1995 release from , where he had been incarcerated on charges. Recorded in just two weeks, the 27-track debuted at number one on the , selling 566,000 copies in its first week and eventually achieving diamond certification with over 10 million units sold in the . Featuring collaborations with artists like , , and George Clinton, the album shifted toward a celebratory West Coast sound, contrasting 2Pac's earlier introspective work on . The timing of "Hit 'Em Up"'s single release, four months after the album's launch, aligned with intensifying East Coast-West Coast rivalries, positioning the track as a defiant extension of All Eyez on Me's assertive themes of dominance and loyalty to the Death Row camp. While the album emphasized 2Pac's commercial resurgence and party anthems, the B-side single introduced unfiltered aggression that amplified its cultural impact amid ongoing industry tensions.

Music Video

The music video for "Hit 'Em Up" was directed by J. Kevin Swain and filmed in June 1996, coinciding with the single's release. It features and the performing in stark, industrial settings such as a , a purple-caged enclosure, and a black room punctured with bullet holes, emphasizing the track's aggressive themes. The production captured Shakur's intense demeanor, with reports of on-set arguments reflecting the heated context of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry. Central to the video's content are visual disses targeting rivals, including actors impersonating Notorious B.I.G. as an overweight figure wearing a crown, Sean Combs, and Lil' Kim in exaggerated caricature. One prominent scene shows Shakur positioned between the actors portraying B.I.G. and Lil' Kim, underscoring the song's personal attacks. Additional imagery includes Shakur and the Outlawz surrounded by women and firearms, amplifying the lyrics' bravado and threats. Though produced professionally, the video was not officially released by , likely due to its inflammatory depictions amid escalating tensions in the rap feud; it circulated through bootlegs and later platforms, gaining notoriety without formal promotion. Director Swain later described Shakur as a perfectionist driven by during filming, highlighting the raw energy infused into the visuals.

Reception and Controversies

Contemporary Critical Response

Upon its release as the B-side to "How Do U Want It" on June 4, 1996, "Hit 'Em Up" drew immediate media scrutiny for its unbridled aggression and direct calls for retaliation against East Coast rappers, particularly The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean Combs. Hip-hop publications like Vibe magazine framed the track within the escalating coastal rivalry, quoting Tupac's lines such as "That's why I fucked your bitch / You fat motherfucker" as evidence of a personal vendetta that surpassed prior diss records in explicitness and venom. The song's sampling of The Temptations' "Ungrateful" was noted for underscoring its confrontational tone, but coverage emphasized its role in amplifying real-world tensions following Tupac's 1994 shooting, which he attributed to Bad Boy affiliates. Critics and journalists at the time expressed alarm over the track's potential to incite violence, viewing its graphic threats— including vows to "hit 'em up" and —as symptomatic of gangsta rap's shift toward literal endorsements of conflict amid rising incidents of shootings in hip-hop circles. In Vibe's September 1996 cover story on Biggie and Combs, the response highlighted Tupac's rage as crossing into menacing territory, with Combs denying involvement in prior attacks while acknowledging the song's provocative impact on public perception of the . Mainstream outlets indirectly critiqued its cultural implications through broader reporting on the East-West divide, portraying "Hit 'Em Up" as a catalyst that hardened factional lines without substantive analysis of its lyrical craft or production merits. While underground and fan reactions celebrated its raw authenticity and Tupac's commanding delivery, formal critical reception remained sparse, prioritizing the track's notoriety over aesthetic evaluation; hip-hop insiders recognized it as a benchmark for diss efficacy, akin to Ice Cube's "No Vaseline," yet warned of its dangerous precedent in personalizing beefs to extremes. The absence of traditional reviews in outlets like Rolling Stone or The Source reflected the song's non-commercial intent as a battle record, though its rapid dissemination via radio and mixtapes solidified its status as a polarizing force in 1996 hip-hop discourse.

Accusations of Incitement to Violence

Following the release of "Hit 'Em Up" on June 4, 1996, as a B-side to the single "," the track faced accusations from industry figures that its unbridled threats against rivals constituted to real-world , exacerbating the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud. The lyrics explicitly call for the deaths of (Christopher Wallace), , and their associates, with lines such as "Killin' all you motherfuckers" and instructions to "grab your glocks" upon encountering Shakur or his , framed as retaliation for an alleged 1994 of Shakur in New York. Filmmaker Allen Hughes, co-director of and a former associate of Shakur, reportedly heard an advance version and predicted the rapper would be "dead within six months," citing the song's raw aggression as a fatal escalation beyond artistic diss, given the ongoing gang affiliations and street tensions between ' Crips allies and Bad Boy Entertainment's purported links to . These concerns intensified after Shakur's death on September 7, 1996, in , when the track—still circulating widely via radio and bootlegs—was retroactively blamed by some observers for spiraling the into lethal territory. Media analyses post- described "Hit 'Em Up" as a "" that transformed rhetorical into a perceived blueprint for retaliation, contributing to the atmosphere of and armed confrontations between coasts, though no direct causal link to Shakur's killing was established. Following Wallace's on March 9, 1997, in , the song was further critiqued as a "chilling epitaph" for the feud, with commentators arguing its personal attacks— including claims of sexual conquests with Wallace's wife —and graphic rhetoric fueled retaliatory motives amid unsolved investigations implicating gang elements tied to the labels. Broader accusations came from anti-gangsta rap activists, who viewed "Hit 'Em Up" as emblematic of lyrics promoting homicide and misogyny under the guise of authenticity. Civil rights advocate C. Delores Tucker, chair of the National Political Congress of Black Women, had long campaigned against rap's violence-glorifying content, testifying before Congress in 1995 and pressuring retailers to pull explicit albums; while her lawsuits targeted Shakur's "How Do U Want It" for alleged defamation, the track's overlap with "Hit 'Em Up" on the same single amplified her claims that such music incited urban decay and youth aggression, influencing parental advisory standards and debates on free speech versus public safety. Despite these charges, defenders including Shakur's estate argued the content reflected street realities rather than directives, with no successful legal findings of incitement, as U.S. courts have historically protected provocative artistic expression absent imminent lawless action.

Broader Cultural Backlash

The release of "Hit 'Em Up" in June 1996 amplified existing cultural critiques of gangsta rap for its depictions of interpersonal violence, gang affiliation, and sexual degradation, which some activists and media figures argued normalized destructive behaviors within Black communities. Civil rights leader C. Delores Tucker, chair of the National Political Congress of Black Women, had testified before Congress in 1995 against rap lyrics that she claimed fostered misogyny and homicide glorification, specifically targeting Tupac Shakur's earlier works and extending her objections to the explicit content on All Eyez on Me, the album featuring the track as a B-side. Tucker protested at Interscope Records shareholder meetings in May 1996, demanding removal of violent and profane material, viewing songs like "Hit 'Em Up"—with its threats of murder and boasts of sexual conquest—as emblematic of an industry prioritizing shock over social uplift. Mainstream media coverage framed the East Coast-West Coast rivalry, escalated by the song's direct assaults on Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and affiliates, as a symptom of rap's shift toward real-world antagonism, with outlets like The Washington Post documenting how verbal feuds intertwined with shootings, such as the 1994 Quad Studios incident and drive-by attacks on Tupac's entourage. This portrayal contributed to a moral panic over hip-hop's influence on youth, prompting calls for parental advisories, radio bans, and self-censorship amid fears that diss tracks blurred artistic expression with incitement; for instance, academic analyses noted how the feud's rhetoric, peaking with "Hit 'Em Up," reinforced stereotypes of rap as a vector for urban decay rather than cathartic storytelling. Post-Tupac's September 1996 shooting death, which many linked anecdotally to the beef's intensity, commentators in outlets like CBC reflected on the track's role in a "toxic culture of violence," though causal evidence tying lyrics to murders remained speculative and contested by artists who emphasized underlying socioeconomic factors over musical content. Despite the uproar, the song's commercial success underscored hip-hop's resilience against backlash, highlighting tensions between commercial viability and ethical accountability in the genre's evolution.

Counter-Responses

Notorious B.I.G.'s Position

chose not to record or release a direct musical rebuttal to "Hit 'Em Up," despite the track's explicit threats and accusations against him and affiliates. He actively discouraged responses from his associates, including Junior M.A.F.I.A. members, stating that anyone who dissed back would be cut off from him entirely. Lil' Cease, a close collaborator, recounted that Biggie viewed the as potentially resolvable and prioritized over retaliation, believing a response would close off any chance of reconciliation with . This stance aligned with Biggie's broader public denials of involvement in Shakur's 1994 shooting and his expressed preference for focusing on music production amid rising tensions. Accounts from insiders indicate Biggie was emotionally devastated by the track's personal attacks, reportedly crying upon first hearing it due to a sense of betrayal from his former friend. Lance "Un" Rivera, a Bad Boy executive present at the time, described Biggie's hurt reaction as stemming from the unfounded accusations, though he still refrained from escalating via a counter-diss. While some later speculated that the track "Long Kiss Goodnight" from Biggie's 1997 album Life After Death served as an indirect response, Biggie himself never confirmed this intent before his death on March 9, 1997.

Reactions from Bad Boy and Affiliates

Sean Combs, founder of , advised against a musical retaliation following the June 1996 release of "Hit 'Em Up," emphasizing the track's inflammatory nature and the risk of real-world escalation. In reflections shared in interviews, Combs recounted calling Biggie Smalls immediately after hearing the song, stating, "We not going to respond... somebody's gonna get bad," a decision rooted in amid the intensifying East Coast-West Coast rivalry. Affiliates including Junior M.A.F.I.A. members prepared diss verses targeting Shakur but were overruled by Smalls, who prioritized restraint over confrontation. Lil' Cease, a key member of the group, later explained that while the crew had crafted responses to the track's attacks on Bad Boy and personal insults toward figures like Lil' Kim, Smalls vetoed their release to avoid fueling further animosity. Lil' Kim recorded retaliatory lyrics addressing Shakur's claims of infidelity involving her and Faith Evans, included in an unreleased variant of her track "Big Momma Thang" featuring Jay-Z and Lil' Cease, but Bad Boy ultimately shelved it in line with the label's non-response strategy. Producer Stevie J, a Bad Boy collaborator, described the internal atmosphere as tense yet unified in restraint, with the camp viewing "Hit 'Em Up" as provocative but opting not to amplify the feud through music.

Responses from Other Artists

Mobb Deep, targeted in "Hit 'Em Up" for their perceived East Coast allegiance and earlier track "Shook Ones (Pt. II)" interpreted by Shakur as a Death Row diss, issued a direct rebuttal with the song "Drop a Gem on 'Em" on their November 19, 1996, album Hell on Earth. The track, led by Prodigy, referenced rumors surrounding Shakur's 1994 Quad Studios shooting, with lines like "Case of Tupac being shot like a case of beer / The shit is suspect, like you ain't got the fear," alluding to skepticism over Shakur's survival and betrayal narratives. Havoc later recounted in interviews that the group initially released the track as a response but quickly retracted it from heavy promotion to avoid further escalation in the coastal feud, though it remained on the album. Prodigy, specifically mocked in "Hit 'Em Up" as part of Mobb Deep's duo ("That's why I fucked your bitch, you fat motherfucker"), delivered aggressive bars emphasizing lyrical superiority over personal threats, stating in the song's hook: "Drop a gem on 'em / Just like a jeweler, bright / Light up your life." This response contrasted Shakur's explicit violence by focusing on street credibility and indirect jabs at Shakur's authenticity, without matching the vulgarity or calls for harm. Despite the track's inclusion, Mobb Deep avoided a full-scale war, with Havoc noting in 2025 reflections that the beef stemmed from Shakur's misinterpretation of their work amid broader East-West tensions, but they prioritized career momentum over prolonged conflict. No other major artists unaffiliated with released direct diss tracks in immediate response to "Hit 'Em Up," though the song's provocative content drew broader commentary on hip-hop's escalating violence; for instance, some New York rappers like expressed private concerns about the feud's intensity without public tracks targeting Shakur specifically at the time. The rebuttal stands as the most notable counter from peripheral figures, highlighting how "Hit 'Em Up" extended the beyond Bad Boy to challenge wider East Coast representations.

Commercial Performance

Chart Achievements

"Hit 'Em Up" did not chart independently on the Billboard Hot 100, as it served as the B-side to the lead single "How Do U Want It" from the album All Eyez on Me. The maxi-single release, which included "Hit 'Em Up" alongside "How Do U Want It" and other tracks, propelled the A-side to number one on the Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks, from July 27 to August 3, 1996. This marked 2Pac's sole number-one hit on the Hot 100 during his lifetime. Despite limited mainstream radio play due to its explicit diss content, the track garnered strong support in urban markets and is widely reported to have topped the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart, reflecting its dominance in rap airplay and sales at the time.

Certifications and Modern Streaming Data

"Hit 'Em Up" has not received a standalone from the (RIAA) for single or equivalent units, despite estimates placing its total consumption at over 1.5 million units worldwide as of 2022. Independent sales trackers attribute this figure to a combination of physical single from its 1996 release as the B-side to "" and subsequent digital downloads, though official thresholds of 500,000 units for or 1,000,000 for remain unawarded. In the , the song achieved from the (BPI) in 2023, reflecting 400,000 units sold or streamed domestically. In the streaming era, "Hit 'Em Up" has demonstrated enduring popularity, particularly on digital platforms. As of late October 2025, the track has surpassed 883 million streams on , positioning it among 2Pac's most consumed songs and briefly as the platform's most-streamed diss track until overtaken by Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" in 2024. YouTube uploads of the song, including a widely viewed version exceeding 817 million views, further underscore its viral longevity, with audio and video variants collectively amassing hundreds of millions of plays. These metrics highlight the track's sustained cultural resonance, driven by its role in hip-hop beef narratives and periodic resurgences in media discussions.

Legacy

Influence on Hip-Hop Diss Culture

"Hit 'Em Up," released on June 4, 1996, marked a turning point in hip-hop diss culture by intensifying the personal stakes and explicit aggression in rap confrontations, shifting beefs from veiled critiques to overt declarations of dominance involving threats of violence and infidelity claims. Eminem, in a 2018 interview, attributed the song's lasting impact to its pioneering use of "below-the-belt" jabs, such as Tupac's assertions of sexual encounters with Faith Evans, Biggie's wife, which normalized unfiltered, reputation-damaging attacks in subsequent diss tracks and escalated the emotional and cultural volatility of rap rivalries. The track's structure—featuring a with affiliates and relentless name-drops of East Coast figures like Junior M.A.F.I.A.—established a blueprint for group-involved disses that amplified collective animosity, influencing later feuds such as the 2001 versus exchange, where "" and "" mirrored "Hit 'Em Up" by targeting personal lives, family, and street credibility to inflict maximum psychological harm. Analysts have noted that this approach prioritized raw provocation and shock over technical lyricism, a tactic echoed in beefs like 50 Cent's disses against in 2002–2003, where G-Unit tracks adopted similar hyperbolic threats and personal exposures to dominate public perception. While praised for its unapologetic ferocity—often ranked among rap's most scathing records for lines like "That's why I fucked your bitch / You fat motherfucker"—the song drew mixed retrospective views on its artistic merit, with in calling it the "weakest" diss due to perceived reliance on bravado over substantive bars, highlighting debates over whether its influence promoted destructive escalation or authentic expression in hip-hop's competitive ethos. Despite such critiques, "Hit 'Em Up" endures as a cultural reference point, frequently invoked in modern beefs like Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" for its template of regional pride fused with visceral takedowns, underscoring its role in embedding personal vendettas as a core element of hip-hop's narrative tradition.

Connection to Real-World Tragedies

The release of "Hit 'Em Up" on June 4, 1996, as the B-side to Tupac Shakur's single "," represented a peak in the verbal escalation of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry, with lyrics explicitly threatening violence against (Christopher Wallace), , and affiliates, including claims of sexual conquests involving Wallace's wife . This confrontational content amplified existing tensions rooted in personal betrayals—such as Shakur's November 1994 shooting, which he attributed to Wallace and Combs—and label rivalries between and Bad Boy Entertainment, intertwined with Bloods-Crips gang dynamics. Three months after the track's release, on September 7, 1996, Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas following a Mike Tyson boxing match; he died six days later on September 13 at age 25. The song's raw threats, such as "That's why I fucked your bitch / You fat motherfucker," were later viewed by industry observers and biographers as emblematic of how diss tracks transitioned from artistic rivalry to potentially perilous incitement, given Shakur's affiliation with Bloods-associated figures at Death Row and Wallace's ties to New York street elements via Bad Boy. However, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's investigation, leading to the September 2023 indictment of Duane "Keffe D" Davis for orchestrating the hit as a Southside Crips gang leader, centered on retaliation for Shakur and associates assaulting Crips member Orlando Anderson in the MGM Grand lobby hours before the shooting, rather than lyrical content alone. Davis's confessions in his 2019 memoir and prior interviews detailed gang motives tied to the beating, with no direct evidentiary link to "Hit 'Em Up" established in court filings. Wallace's murder on March 9, 1997, in a drive-by—six months after Shakur's death—has fueled speculation of cross-coast reprisal, with the feud's intensification via "Hit 'Em Up" cited in postmortem analyses as fostering a violent atmosphere that blurred artistic beefs and street realities. LAPD and FBI probes into Wallace's killing examined theories of retaliation or LAPD involvement but yielded no convictions, attributing context to the same gang-label intersections without pinpointing the track as a causal factor. Despite persistent narratives in hip-hop discourse linking the song's bravado to these tragedies—exemplified by Quincy Jones III's 2002 documentary , which explored rivalry-fueled —empirical evidence from declassified files and witness testimonies underscores retribution over musical provocation as the primary drivers, highlighting how media amplification often conflates correlation with causation in .

Retrospective Critiques and Defenses

Retrospective critiques of "Hit 'Em Up" have highlighted its production as mismatched with the lyrical aggression, with Questlove describing the track's smooth, jazz-influenced beat—produced by Johnny "J"—as undermining its diss intent, likening it to "rhyming over smooth jazz dinner music" despite acknowledging the content's intensity. Critics have also condemned the song's explicit sexual boasts, such as Tupac's claims of relations with Faith Evans (Notorious B.I.G.'s wife) and others affiliated with Bad Boy Records, as exemplifying misogyny prevalent in 1990s gangsta rap, contributing to broader concerns over lyrics objectifying women in hip-hop beefs. Furthermore, some analyses fault the track for escalating real-world violence in the East Coast-West Coast rivalry, with its unfiltered threats—released on June 4, 1996—intensifying animosities just months before Tupac's shooting death on September 7, 1996, and Biggie's on March 9, 1997, though direct causation remains unproven. Defenses counter that the song's raw, personal vitriol—targeting Biggie, Puff Daddy, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and others with lines like "That's why I fucked your "—represents hip-hop's unvarnished battle tradition, prioritizing authenticity over restraint and setting a benchmark for diss tracks' emotional immediacy. has credited it with transforming rap feuds by introducing "below-the-belt" tactics, making subsequent disses more potent and culturally resonant upon its release amid Tupac's post-prison fury. Proponents argue its influence endures, as evidenced by rankings naming it among the greatest diss records for pioneering wide-ranging savagery and features that amplified West Coast solidarity, with modern retrospectives praising Tupac's delivery for embodying 1996's high-stakes hip-hop polarization. While acknowledging ethical lapses, defenders maintain its artistic merit lies in unflinching causal realism about street loyalties, unburdened by later sensitivities.

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  43. https://www.facebook.com/groups/809698062388699/posts/28620154067583058/
  44. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV9xtnAyZQ8
  45. https://www.vibe.com/biggie-puffy-break-their-silence-95-vibe-cover-story-pg2/
  46. https://www.tumblr.com/makaveli-immortalized/16489171810
  47. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tupac-shakur-1971-1996-91045/
  48. https://www.vibe.com/features/digital-covers/tupac-shakur-20-year-anniversary-digital-cover-452075/
  49. https://thesource.com/2021/06/04/today-in-hip-hop-history-2pacs-epic-diss-track-hit-em-up-turns-25-years-old/
  50. https://numero.com/en/culture-en/diss-tracks-and-shootouts-5-clashes-that-shaped-rap-history/
  51. https://hiphopdx.com/news/allen-hughes-predicted-2pac-dead-hit-em-up/
  52. https://apnews.com/article/tupac-shakur-keffe-rap-rival-notorious-big-2567b97c8d1542fe6c7a0804aaa2b386
  53. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39205676
  54. https://hitemup.com/c-delores-tucker-lawsuit/
  55. https://www.rcfp.org/journals/the-news-media-and-the-law-summer-2000/shakurs-lyrics-attacking-ga/
  56. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ML1BRfQJE
  57. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/03/10/east-vs-west-gangsta-raps-war-of-words/22dba1b4-71bb-478d-b9db-274e765b33c7/
  58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41069025
  59. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/canada-s-ban-on-gay-men-donating-blood-painting-with-david-bowie-tupac-s-legacy-summer-reads-and-more-1.6070411/unpacking-tupac-s-complicated-legacy-on-what-would-have-been-his-50th-birthday-1.6071677
  60. https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/249710-the-duality-of-tupacs-relationship-with-women-news
  61. https://www.revolt.tv/article/2020-12-03/64634/biggie-refused-to-respond-to-tupacs-hit-em-up-diss-track-for-this-reason
  62. https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/notorious-big-cried-2pac-hit-em-up-1234755167/
  63. https://www.facebook.com/90sHipHopEvolution/posts/when-2pac-hit-with-hit-em-up-i-called-biggie-told-him-that-we-wont-respond-becau/610077044944452/
  64. https://hiphopdx.com/news/lil-cease-explains-why-biggie-junior-m-a-f-i-a-never-responded-to-2pacs-brutal-diss-track/
  65. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kmgeJWC-UY
  66. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSolsCZwg7c
  67. https://www.thewrap.com/heres-the-story-behind-mobb-deeps-feud-with-2pac/
  68. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOQ9oMUFGRI/
  69. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjAnSM_3cbc
  70. https://www.facebook.com/drinkchamps/posts/we-dropped-drop-a-gem-on-em-then-pulled-it-right-back-havoc-shares-the-story-beh/1360784472372840/
  71. https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-reason-Tupac-dissed-Nas-on-Hit-Em-Up
  72. https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1996-07-27/
  73. https://www.billboard.com/artist/2pac/
  74. https://raptv.com/article/the-hip-hop-hit-songs-that-never-made-the-billboard-hot-100/
  75. https://chartmasters.org/2pac-albums-and-songs-sales/
  76. https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=2Pac&ti=Hit+Em+Up
  77. https://www.reddit.com/r/Tupac/comments/1ao3zlv/is_it_true_that_all_eyes_on_me_2x_diamond/
  78. https://kworb.net/spotify/songs.html
  79. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2491353/kendrick-lamars-not-like-us-surpasses-2pacs-hit-em-up-as-spotifys-most-streamed-diss-track
  80. https://www.complex.com/music/a/mike-destefano/eminem-discusses-how-2pac-biggie-diss-hit-em-up-changed-rap-beef-forever
  81. https://theboombox.com/2pacs-hit-em-up-greatest-diss-song-of-all-time/
  82. https://www.billboard.com/lists/diss-songs-rap/
  83. https://www.complex.com/music/a/al-shipley/most-disrespectful-disses-in-rap-beef-history
  84. https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/questlove-calls-2pac-hit-em-up-weakest-diss-1234878387/
  85. https://hiphopdx.com/news/questlove-2pac-hit-em-up-criticism
  86. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/snoop-dogg-dionne-warwick-confronted-him-over-misogynistic-lyrics-1235193028/
  87. https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_makaveli.html
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