During the 1990s, DJs such as Funkmaster Flex, Kid Capri and DJ Clue were tastemakers in New York who, as well as hosting radio shows, curated cassette tapes with all the latest and best hip-hop from the city. However, on one occasion, Clue (real name Ernesto Shaw) landed himself in trouble with Biggie Smalls after making a big mistake.
During an appearance on Roc Nation’s The Mixtape: A Roundtable Discussion alongside Harlem rapper Jim Jones, Ron C and DJ Holiday, Shaw recalled how he got into a beef with Biggie Smalls (real name Christopher Wallace) before the release of ‘One More Chance’.
While working at HOT 97.0, Shaw explained how he got his hands on an unofficial copy of the ‘One More Chance (remix)’. However, he never realised it was a demo and, as such, put the song on one of his mixtapes. Unfortunately, Biggie wasn’t happy about its release, and DJ Clue explained that Biggie appeared on live radio to threaten him for accidentally leaking the iconic track.
Recalling the beef, Clue unveiled, “I got my hands on a Biggie record; it was a demo. I didn’t really know everyone at Bad Boy yet. I put it on a mixtape. Biggie got mad. He went on HOT 97.0 and said, ‘Yo Clue, when I find you, I’m gonna kill you’ or whatever he said — on live radio.”
Clue continued, “You wanna know what happened? I got on the phone and said, ‘Yo, we gotta do a diss record, come on!’ I was young, we was rolling around on a different type of time. I didn’t know who they were, and they didn’t know who I was.”
Shaw admitted that he got away with it because, at that time, people at Bad Boy Entertainment didn’t know what he looked like, divulging, “I remember one time when that beef was kinda on, we were in Virginia Beach. I went to the store and walked in by myself, and all I see is the whole Bad Boy street team. They got the picket signs, but they don’t know what I look like.”
Although he got a rush from the beef, Shaw knew it wasn’t sustainable and eventually squashed the beef. Clue recalled ending the feud with the help of Diddy, who claimed the leak actually helped Biggie’s career. “We met up, we talked it out. I think Puff realised having the vehicle and seeing the impact of what the song did on my mixtape. I feel like he felt like the relationship was more important than taking it to the wrong place.”
