Terror Squad founder and ‘Lean Back’ rapper Fat Joe has recently responded to West Coast emcee Daz Dillinger, who claimed that he, alongside his Death Row counterparts, “made 2Pac”.
Daz Dillinger (real name Delmar Arnaud) made his comment after Suge Knight suggested that every act on the Death Row roster was jealous of 2Pac and highlighted Tha Dogg Pound, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre.
Taking to Instagram Live on February 4th, Fat Joe weighed in on the exchange between Daz Dillinger and Suge Knight, refuting Arnaud’s claims that Death Row was responsible for making 2Pac a legend.
Passionately talking to his followers, Fat Joe stated, “You know, when Death Row grabbed 2Pac, he was already the most popular guy! He was a super, duper, duper star. And one night — the night I was there — when you hear the record [where] Biggie and 2Pac [raps the song], I’m standing right next to them. I’m on stage with them. We was at Big Daddy Kane’s show at Madison Square Garden.”
He continued, “The point I’m tryna make prior to that is when 2Pac walks into the arena, the crowd is going crazy. This is right after Juice. There’s no way 2Pac wasn’t lit before he went to Death Row. He was super, the most talked about guy in the world.”
Indeed, it is true that 2Pac was signed to Interscope before he moved to Death Row. In 1991, while living in Oakland, the late emcee joined forces with the label to release his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, which is now considered a classic.
Although Fat Joe (real name Jose Cartagena) insisted Death Row didn’t make 2Pac, he admitted that Dillinger was correct when he refuted Knight’s claims that he was jealous of 2Pac.
Explaining why, Cartagena elaborated, “Now I do understand when he says, ‘How could I be jealous of him if I gave him hits?’ Very important! I’ve given artists hits and people tell me, ‘Yo, how you give them hits?’ and I’m like, ‘It’s my brother. I love them. I love the artist.’ So it’s very unselfish to work with an artist and give them hits!”
He concluded, “I do not believe Daz was jealous of Tupac Shakur or Snoop Dogg or none of them. Let’s be happy they have so much history together, and it’s so amazing.” You can hear Fat Joe talk about Daz Dillinger below.
