People will always remember how flagrant and disrespectful Tupac was on “Hit ‘Em Up”. To trash Prodigy for his sickle cell anemia is profoundly cruel, and that’s before you even dig into the litany of disses on Biggie. Years later, we remember the record as arguably the best and most brutal diss song of all time.
But it definitely wasn’t the only one in his career. Tupac’s mindset was simple: if it’s beef, it’s going to be an all-out war. He made countless diss records during the infamous East Coast-West Coast feud, some of them still unreleased to this day. But we’ve picked out three of the most vicious ones for those who want to hear Pac at his angriest.
Three Other Ruthless Diss Songs From Tupac Shakur
“Against All Odds”
In an interview about the making of Makaveli – The 7 Day Theory, producer Hurt-M-Badd recalled Pac asking for a “war song. I wanna go to war.” “While ‘Pac was doing his vocals he wasn’t just recording his vocals, he was also kicking over the music stand, hitting the microphone. There was a vibe in the room. We all knew what was goin’ on,” the producer said.
The final result was “Against All Odds”, another sizzling diss to the entire East Coast. Tupac scoffed at Nas, saying he’s just an imitation of Rakim parroting street stories he read about or saw on TV. He called out Diddy for getting robbed. Even rappers like Q-Tip and De La Soul got strays in his first verse.
“Bomb First”
Tupac firmly believed that you have to “bomb first” on your enemies. Never give them an inch, or they will take a mile. So after “Hit ‘Em Up” shook up all of hip-hop, he made a second reply, doubling down on his seething hatred. “I’m a Bad Boy killer, Jay-Z die too/Lookin’ out for Mobb Deep, n***a, when I find you/Weak motherf****rs don’t deserve to breathe,” he snarls.
“Watch Ya Mouth”
Some of the most vicious Tupac disses never formally came out. Take “Watch Ya Mouth”, where he dissed Dr. Dre after leaving Death Row and taunted Nas to get in the ring with him. However, De La Soul arguably got it the worst. “What’s that? De La got a problem with this hard s**t?/Ever since ‘Me Myself and I’, y’all been garbage/I’ma keep it real, show you how it feels to ride/Y’all went 3 Feet and stopped Rising,” Tupac raps.
Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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