You might never expect MF DOOM and Tupac to ever cross paths with each other. The former was associated with a specific sense of underground stardom in the late 90s and 2000s. Meanwhile, the latter rose from the ranks of Digital Underground into the face of Death Row before tragically passing away.
However, early in their careers, Pac and DOOM crossed paths before they ever became massive figures within hip-hop. In a 2004 interview with Exclaim Magazine, the Madvillainy rapper recalled doing small shows as a part of KMD. Those days saw him open for everyone from the likes of Big Daddy Kane to Queen Latifah to Digital Underground with a young Tupac.
MF DOOM, like Pac, would only briefly be onstage. “At that time, I was just doing my verse from ‘Gas Face’ for 3rd Bass, so I’m only onstage for 16 bars. One minute. Nervous as hell, though. Every time. But as soon as I get offstage, it goes away, and the crowd is spinning like, ‘Ohhhhh!’ So those times kinda set it off. In my mind, those were the best times,” he reflected.
Because Pac was still cutting his teeth within hip-hop, he and MF DOOM would hang out before, during, and after shows. “I used to talk to Pac a lot. We used to be like the two extra guys going onstage. So we’d be talking backstage and at the hotel about working on our [solo] sh*t. It was real bugged to look back, man. After everyone blew to see Pac on top of the world. Big. Just to see the progression of everybody, it’s amazing,” DOOM told the publication.
MF DOOM Recalled Hanging Out With Tupac Before He Blew Up
Even though Tupac presented himself as a world conqueror at the time, DOOM remembers him as a regular person who was invested in his art. “He was always talking about his music, too. I remember he was telling be about his 2Pacalypse Now joint. I was telling him what I was trying to do with the Sambo character [on the cover of 1991’s controversial Mr. Hood album] and the whole first KMD thing. He’d talk about that. I was like, “Yeah, that sounds alright,’” MF DOOM shared. “And he was the one that blew! [laughs] Caught me by surprise! ‘Cause he was just this cool, down-to-earth dude.”
Additionally, when Tupac got his big break with Juice, MF DOOM remembered that Pac remained his same ol’ self. “I ran into him after Juice at a Def Jam barbecue or something where celebrities just gathering around. I saw him and said, ‘Yo, what up, kid?’ Just regular. And dude’s just regular. The first thing he asked me was, ‘Yo, you got a Philly? Got a Philly?’” DOOM remembered.
“I happened to have a Philly. So we twistin’ up, blazing right there, joking around: ‘What you been up to?’ Next thing I know, there is a line forming of people waiting to take pictures with this guy. A line of 20 people, all different ages and races. It was like, ‘Get out the frame, kid.’ That was the last time I seen him, yo.”
The post MF DOOM Recalls What It Was Like To Meet Tupac Early in His Career: ‘We Used To Be Like the Two Extra Guys Going Onstage’ appeared first on VICE.
