The one regret Snoop Dogg has about Tupac Shakur
When Tupac Shakur joined Death Row Records in the mid-1990s, a label Snoop Dogg was already a foundational artist of, the two hip-hop artists forged a close friendship and collaborative spirit at a time both their careers were escalating into the utmost echelons of creative and commercial success.
They collaborated on tracks like ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted’; they openly admired each other’s different but complementary vibes; and as part of the Death Row label and wider West Coast rap scene, they spent a lot of time touring and recording together, ultimately coming to be the faces that represented both in the later years of the decade.
Sure, they were markedly different. Tupac came to the game with an emphasis on political and social awareness, spitting his bars with marked intensity: Snoop, of course, is celebrated for his charisma, lyrical wit, and Californian pace.
Yet as the East Coast and West Coast rap rivalry intensified throughout the ’90s, their friendship became strained, too. Tupac believed Snoop’s public expressions of respect for artists on the East Coast was a betrayal. Tragically, Tupac was murdered in 1996, in the midst of a friendship experiencing this uncomfortable tension.
Speaking to Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM Radio, Snoop openly discussed his regrets in not resolving his beef with his close friend. “You know on the album, you talk about one of your biggest regrets was not squashing out things with Pac,” the radio show host said. “That still sits with you to this day?”
“It do. It do, because he was really my friend,” Snoop replied. “And you know, you guys, sometimes motherfuckers be talking like they don’t really know, but that was my friend, and he was…” In the video, Snoop took a moment to collect his words. “He was dear to me. And anytime you got a relationship with somebody and it’s like, it’s working, it’s going good, and then y’all get an argument, and then a n*gga die.”
“Like, come on man,” Snoop continued. I didn’t even get a chance whether I was wrong or right, just to be able to get that follow up. Because that’s how we was. We would always follow up, or either have some sort of, you know, connection. And I didn’t get that. And then it was a lot of turmoil, and then the Death Row n*ggars was hating on me, and this and that.”
“So it kind of like, pushed the spirit in a different way. But the beautiful part was his mother was still here. And I got a chance to hug her, and talk to her, and get – you know what I’m saying? The approval from her, which was his spirit, because he was always connected to her. So that gave me half clarity on where I was with him, because his mother always had love.”
Snoop has publicly paid tribute to his friend throughout his career, following Tupac’s death. He has released music that functions as a tribute to Tupac, such as “Life’s Hard” from his 2009 album Death Row: The Lost Sessions Vol.1. On Instagram, he has upon occasion posted footage and photos of the late rapper. For example, in 2020, he posted a vintage photo of Tupac captioned “Miss you. Cuz”.
Perhaps most touching is even in Snoop’s moments celebrating his brilliant career, he still makes it known he is thinking of Tupac. When Snoop was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, he referenced the “California Love” rapper, calling him “the greatest rapper of all time”, and paid tribute to his humanity and legacy.