Listen To Nas Relive Tupac Incident On “Death Row East”, Plus Lyrics
As many anticipated Nas’ thirteenth studio album with features such as Eminem, EMPD and Lauryn Hill, the hip hop icon surprised everyone when he detailed his infamous face-to-face meeting with Tupac Shakur on the song “Death Row East.”
Back in 1996, the infamous face off between two iconic figures in Hip Hop occurred at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards after party in New York at Bryant Park. Tupac along with Suge Knight, walked the area with hundreds holding them down marching around with Death Row East signs and some repping the movement with white tees. Others were on standby ready for the worst. As previously told by the late Outlawz member Hussein Fatal, Jersey was deep in Bryant Park ready to rep for Tupac.
This is also when Tupac Shakur gave his iconic interview with Much TV. The two minute and a half interview had Tupac introducing Death Row East. “Do you believe in God? Believe in Death Row East. We plan to take the same strategy we use with Death Row West, which is mind over matter, taking all our weaknesses and turning it into our strength,” Tupac stated. “All these weak rappers, Nas and all these suckas battling off of East and West like if its a game.”
Various artists such as Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun, Melle Mel, and Health Skeltah to name a few, were rumored to join the new label. One of hip hop’s legendary producer and DJ, Eric B., was to lead the way for Death Row East as President. The Queens native was also in attendance at Bryant Park when Tupac and Nas had the face-to-face meeting. Although Tupac was reppin’ the West Coast, he still had plenty of love coming from his hometown of New York. “Brothers I grew up with threw up they sets / Some even had them Death Row chains hang off their necks,” Nas rapped on ‘Death Row East’. “Damn, I even saw their tees on some of my Gs.”
Seconds after the interview, Tupac and Nas would face off. Napoleon also a former member of the Outlawz, documented the incident in his autobiography Life Is Raw. The breakdown of what occurred that evening can also be heard in the audio version of the autobiography. “I think Pac was doing an interview when all of a sudden he just took off. I was like, ‘Where he going?’. Then I look over in the direction and Nas was making his way towards us. I was like, ‘Nah, Nas don’t want none of this’,” Napoleon recalls in the audio clip heard here.
At the end the two artists would come to an understanding and agreed to link up days later in Las Vegas. “I flew to Vegas to shoot the Street Dreams video and link with 2Pac / Tried to squash the East Coast/West Coast beef,” Nas recalled on ‘Death Row East’. Nas is referring to his hit single “Street Dreams” which was off 1996 studio album “It Was Written.” The very same album which had “The Message”, a song in which Tupac felt the Queens rapper dissed him. “Fake thug, no love, you get the slug.”
Also view: Rare Verse Of Nas Dissing Tupac Resurfaces 25 Years Later
According to Nas as he explained during his face-to-face meeting with Tupac, that bar was never aimed at him. During his media run for his 2020 release “King’s Disease“, Nas interviewed on Ebro In The Morning again stated he was not dissing Tupac, “Last person I was even thinking about when I wrote that record.”
After squashing their beef, Tupac would tell Nas he was removing his diss towards the Queens rapper in an upcoming song titled “Against All Odd.” On the song Tupac rapped, “This little ni–a named Nas thinks he live like me / Talking bout how he left the hospital took five like me.”
Shakur’s promise was confirmed by Suge Knight during an interview. “Pac wouldn’t attack anyone that was real. Like I said, Pac was a man with a lot of respect,” Suge Knight said during a 1996 interview with BET. “On our way back home Pac said, ‘When we get to the studio, all the negative stuff I said about Nas, ima take him out and put somebody else who deserves that.” Unfortunately, Tupac would pass away a week later after his meeting with Nas and was unable to remove the diss, as the song was featured on the classic Makaveli album.
The song “Death Row East” closes out with ED Lover making the accouncement of Tupac’s passing in the middle of a Nas live performance.
Death Row East Lyrics
[Intro]
Yeah, yeah, hold up
KD2 s–t (Hit-Boy)
Ayy hold up, come on, whoa
Right back at this
Right back
Right back, hold up, whoa
[Chorus]
High on life, drunk off dark liquor
S–t gettin’ eerie like I threw on Thriller
B—h, I’m a hard hitter, Rolex clocks and killers
Holdin’ the order, I’m prayin’ God delivers
I had run-ins with Suge, ni–as would’ve been shook
At the height of the beef, they started Death Row East
Damn, I even saw their tees on some of my Gs
Notorious label the story was made in the streets
[Interlude]
Now it’s real life movies
Rest in peace Ill Will
[Verse 1]
Let’s talk about it
We the smartest, not thе loudest, came up out the projеct houses
Where they resort to violence
Hennessy bottles on the curb, lil’ ni–as tryna serve
Let’s talk about it
Back when Jungle told Pac, “It’s on” soon as we walk up out this
Picket signs, Outlawz outside the music hall
Bunch of ghetto superstars really down to lose it all
Both sides was thuggin’
But when you in my city, you know how we comin’
Animals in the field and most of ‘em clutchin’
When you livin’ this rugged, that come with repercussions, look
[Chorus]
High on life, drunk off dark liquor
S–t gettin’ eerie like I threw on Thriller
B—h, I’m a hard hitter, Rolex clocks and killers
Holdin’ the order, I’m prayin’ God delivers
I had run-ins with Suge, ni–as would’ve been shook
At the height of the beef, they started Death Row East
Damn, I even saw their tees on some of my Gs
Notorious label the story was made in the streets
[Interlude]
History lessons
Keep it on record
[Verse 2]
Let’s talk about it
‘Cause when you got a story real as mine, you can’t leave nothin’ out it
Let’s take you back to ‘9-6, diamonds and MAC 10’s
Lookin’ through a fresh lens
Everything I know now, wish I knew back then
Like it was only so much time left
Before Makaveli the Don left
Booked a flight, flying out West
We was tryna squash the whole s–t in Vegas
No media to eat it up and leak it in the papers
Eric B, Big D and ‘Preme was affiliated
Peace to E.D.I., Napoleon, and all the innovators
We had respect before we was ever some entertainers
See Suge, he was a dangerous threat
M.O.B. almost turned half of New York red
Brothers I grew up with threw up they sets
Some even had them Death Row chains hang off their necks
There’s a rumor that spread I’d like to address
Pac was never set up by Stretch (Let it rest)
I stepped to him at Bryant Park so we could speak direct
He didn’t disrespect, we planned to reconnect
[Interlude]
I flew to Vegas to shoot the Street Dreams video and link with 2Pac
Tried to squash the East Coast/West Coast beef
We didn’t talk, but he was still alive in the hospital
And it rained that day in Vegas
Rest In Power
[Outro: Ed Lover]
Chill out, chill out, yo
This is my ni–a Nas and we both got one thing in common
We both represent Queens to the fullest, aight?
This brother was good enough to stop his show
And I want everybody in here
Everybody stand up on their feet
First and foremost please
At 7:03 PM New York time; 4:03 PM Vegas time
2Pac Shakur passed away, y’all
Give me a moment of silence