De La Soul Opens Up About 2Pac Misunderstanding Ahead of His Death
De La Soul recently opened up about the tension between them and 2Pac before his tragic death in September 1996. In a conversation with Ambrosia For Heads, Posdnuos explained that the issue stemmed from the release of their “Ego Trippin’” video. 2Pac reportedly believed the video was mocking his own “I Get Around” visuals, though this was not the case.
“2Pac we had an issue with because when we did the ‘Ego Trippin’’ video, he unfortunately thought we were mimicking and trying to make fun of the ‘I Get Around’ video,” Posdnuos said. “He was very disappointed… He reached out to his manager and the people at Tommy Boy at the time and was like, ‘Yo, man, I love those dudes. I didn’t know they had an issue.’”
Posdnuos noted that he tried to contact 2Pac to clear up the misunderstanding, but the rapper was busy dealing with legal matters in Atlanta at the time. The two never managed to connect before 2Pac’s passing.
Tensions were compounded later in 1996 when De La Soul released their album Stakes Is High. Some of the album’s critiques of the hip-hop industry were taken personally by 2Pac. He responded in songs such as “Against All Odds” from The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, rapping: “Look at De La Soul tryna player-hate on my sht, n**a, eat a fat dick!” He also addressed the group in his unreleased track “Watch Ya Mouth,” suggesting they had an issue with “hard sh*t.”
De La Soul’s reflections come as the group celebrates their ninth studio album, Cabin In The Sky. The project features collaborations with Killer Mike, Black Thought, Common, Slick Rick, and more. On the track “Run It Back!!,” Nas gives shoutouts to Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, SZA, and other contemporary artists, showing De La Soul’s continued influence in hip-hop.
Despite past misunderstandings, De La Soul’s legacy endures, bridging their classic impact with modern collaborations while honoring the history of the genre.
