This beef started when Tha Dogg Pound released New York, New York... on their Album "Dogg Food". Mobb Deep took offense to that cause they thought it was a dis to the East Coast, and with Tragedy and Capone N Noreaga (two other NYC artists) they released LA, LA. It was released on Capone-N-Noreagaīs album, "The War Report". There were 2 versions and one version used that same beat and in both versions the chorus was the same as from NY, NY except for a little change at the end. Now Tupac took offense to that and that's why he dissed Mobb Deep.
Also, there is something that relates to this topic, and may have played a part in the Tupac/Mobb Deep beef:
``On December 16, 1995, it became apparent that the trouble was spilling into the streets. In Red Hook, Brooklyn, shots were fired at the trailer where Death Row artists Tha Dogg Pound were making a video for "New York, New York"-which features Godzilla-size West Coasters stomping on the Big Apple. No one was hurt, but the message was clear. Then came "L.A., L.A.," an answer record from New York MCs Tragedy, Capone, Noreaga, and Mobb Deep. That video featured stand-ins for Tha Dogg Poundīs Daz and Kurupt being kidnapped, tortured, and tossed off the 59th Street Bridge." - Vibe Magazine
In an article in the RapSheet Mobb Deep was discussing the East/West Coast beef with artists from both sides and they said that the way Tupac turned on New York was wrong and that they would buy a Snoop album but they would never buy another Tupac album. This happened before "Hit Em Up" came out.
Also, in the "Thug Immortal" interview, Tupac described why he didn't like Mobb Deep. He said that before he went to prison, he was cool with them. Then when his West Coast crew came to NY to Mobb Deep's concert, Mobb Deep ignored them. He said his crew tried to meet up with them after the show yelling "Thug Life", but they dissed them. What made Tupac even madder was that one of the guards he knew in prison also knew Mobb Deep, so after Tupac told the guy to tell Mobb Deep that his boys were coming, he took it as an insult when they dissed them. Then Tupac came out with Hit 'Em Up...called Prodigy out about his sickle cell anemia and that's when Mobb Deep responded with "Drop A Gem On 'Em" (lyrics at bottom of this page) which appeared on ``Hell On Earth" Album.
In the In His Own Words Album, Pac had this to say:
Cause they been talking a lot of this shit. I got songs for them. I got this song called, When We Ride On Our Enemies, and I be like:"nigga you barely livin', don't you got sickle-cell, see me havin' seigure on stage, you ain't livin' well, hell... How many niggas want to be involved, see I was only talkin' to Biggie, but I'll kill all of yall, then ball..."And that's the truest shit I could ever had written. Cause these niggas in Mobb Deep is little kids. When I was in jail, when they came out with that song, when they was like, "Thug Life, we still livin' it"... you know in that song that they have. I took it as a dis'. So from jail, I'm calling my lil' homies in Atlanta and was like, "yo, they got a show out there, get with them bustas". So my homeboys roll and was like, "what's up?", them niggas cowards. In the car looking forward like they didn't see my homboys going, "Thug Life muthafucka, what's poppin?". You know what I mean? So I hate niggas like that. And these is some young bustas who gettin' scouped up by they block to come up against a muthafucka they don't even know. Mobb Deep, you know like I know I'll swallow them. Now if this was somebody I could fuck with, would I tell you? but Mobb Deep, I'll swallow them niggas. I would have a train on them niggas. You know what I mean? One of them niggas got sickle-cell, he barely breathing. He don't even want to see me. He would have a fuckin' seigure. They both weigh like 100 pounds, my lil homies is attackin' them. That's why I'm not even addressing the Mobb Deep issue. They're not even on my level. I find it disrespectful that they would even think they can attack me or the West Coast. So I don't even address those busta ass babies, and PLEASE print that.
Because it is on and poppin'. And when I say it's on and poppin', I mean when I see them niggas in the spot, it is on and poppin'. I'm not one of them fake disc record writing muthafuckas. Only time I won't rush a muthafucka, is because he straight up told me, he got respect for me, he don't want no drama. Because I ain't no bully. I'm not just gonna be no muthafucka up because the crowd want to see it. If you don't see me rushin' them, that's because they Bowed Down.
Now them Mobb Deep fools they don't want it.. Chino XL, Mobb Deep , Bad Boy, Biggie , Lil Ceasar, Junior Mafia all of them is on our hitlist and I'm getting with them with my new click called The OUTLAWZ. It's some Jersey dudes who are keeping that east coast flava poppin'. It's some west coast dudes, southern dudes. It's the epitome of what I represent. you know what I mean?
You can listen to clips from the In His Own Words Interview about Mobb Deep below:
Clip 1 Clip 2 Clip 3
Below is a clip of Tupac's song called, "When We Ride On Our Ememies":
This is the Mobb Deep song which they talked about Tupac... song called "Drop a Gem On Em"... the Album is "Hell on Earth".
Chours
Livin the life that of diamonds and guns
and now gems pulls gats
like a basehead pulls on stems
the Mobb got the bomb run out and tell a friend
Drop A Gem On Em.. (In the background of the whole song repeating: ``hey young thug")
Verse One: Havoc
Take a tire, all these fake crooks need to retire
they gotcha gassed, takin back and snatch fire outcha
maggot ass, Havoc represent for the Q-B-C
smoke that ass like a lucie..tho I need to quit
fuck it, I love it like a cloud
over the projects your game Im above it
its combat, gats bangers and all that
you'se a small cat, whatever you on get off that
I mention, nuthin but the real shit presentin
the hollow tip crew 41st side convention
try for? you half-steppin
like a fresh tec out of the box
yo niggas I'm testin
(There's no question)
bitch ass have you confessin
like a D-T left in state of depression
you under pressure, intact no doubt catcher
the snitch-snatcher tookin wit asthma
you casper, you yell my name
thats only givin me props
plus the fans that you got, wonderin whats got you hot
its too not, knocked out the box and got rocked
got raped on the Island, you officially got
kick that thug shit, Vibe magazine on some love shit
(keep it real kid, you don't know who you fuckin wit)
Chorus: Repeat 2X
It's the Infamous back in the house once again
Livin the life that of diamonds and guns
and now gems pull gats like a basehead pull on stems
the Mobb got the bomb run out and tell a friend
Drop A Gem On Em
Verse Two: Prodigy
Yeah likewise, Im tired of rap guys whose faggots,
Pure shuteye, and swole up your whole outside
I baptize, niggas get wet, put up your backside
your claptized and set straight, put on your head straight
watch out for,
these upstate cats be leary of you
yeddy niggas wit gats plus the walls on they backs
Rikers Island flashback of the house you got scuffed it in
you would think you gettin your head shot was enough but then
Now you wanna go at my team,
you must of been drunk when you wrote that shit
too bad you had to did it to your own self
my rebellion, I retaliate, I had the whole New York state
aimin' at your face
at the gate, bottom line of top soon as you came through
shot through, don't even know the half of my crew
I got a hundred strong arm niggas ready to rock the shit
clocks tick, your days are numbered in low digits
you look suspicious, suspect niggas is bitches
get chopped up, Grade A meat, somethin delicious
and laced back up, 2 G's, one for stitches
then reconstruct your face and learn how to speak again
my Mobb's like a bunch of wild Puerto Ricans
wit bangers the size of African spears
it's warfare in the arena, you turn arenas into house of horrors
its terrodome, when you see my click you need to run behind shit
you gotta gat you betta find it
and use that shit think fast and get reminded of robberies in Manhattan you knew what happened
60 g's and one for gun clappin'
Who Shot Ya? You'd probably scream louder than an opera
New York gotcha, now you wanna use my mob as a crutch
what makes you think you can't get bucked again
Once again, back in the house once again
live the life that of diamonds and guns
and now gems pull gats like a basehead pull on stems
the Mobb got the bomb run out and tell a friend
Its the Infamous..
Since Tupac's death, Mobb Deep had this to say about 2pac:
Havoc (Mobb Deep)
``I loved him before the confrontation; I loved him, and I loved his music. We was planning to see him be we didnīt even get the chance. Itīs sad, man. I think the streets killed him. It wasnīt no East Coast/West Coast thing, it was the streets. I think it was his mouth that killed him."
Prodigy (Mobb Deep)
``Between my crew and people over there on the West Coast, itīs sad to see where itīs going. I donīt know how this started, but we need to get together. Once everybody can calm down, relax and put our troubles behind us, we can strive for a better tomorrow."
From the B-side of the Mobb Deeps "Crime Pays" single... Now doesn't this sound like it's about 2pac:
"you tried to test my pacience\ but i got somethin for ya\ I creeped on ya weakness\ then came to california\ my crew loadin nines\ screamin now it's past ya time\ on the border where we stood\ anxiously awaiting your ritious crooks\ H slammed the door on the caddy\ blaze the blunt & load the daddy\ drove past ya fuckin sign\ what was yours suddenly became mine\ shattered the window with the nine\ killin' bitches is a must, not a crime"