Questlove Labels Tupac's 'Hit 'Em Up' Diss Record As 'The Weakest Musical Smack'

Tue, May 14, 2024 at 11:10 AM

Questlove, Tupac Shakur

Questlove Labels Tupac's 'Hit 'Em Up' Diss Record As 'The Weakest Musical Smack'

Can the beat make or break a diss record?

During a recent interview with the One Song podcast, Ahmir K. Thompson, famously known as Questlove, chatted about iconic diss records throughout hip hop history and what makes them stand out. Speaking on Tupac Shakur's 1996 song "Hit 'Em Up," Questlove said,

"I would respect 2Pac's 'Hit 'Em Up' if his music tracking was better. ... 'Hit 'Em Up,' to me, is disqualified, not because of the misogyny - forget all that. It's like, 'Dude, you're rhyming over smooth jazz dinner music.' Luther Vandross could sing over this!"

As you may recall, Tupac Shakur (aka 2Pac) dropped Hit 'Em Up in the '90s, firing shots at The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace) and his associates. Elaborating on how the beat pulls from the threatening message of the tune, Questlove continued,

"People who are born in the later part of the decade that I was born in - alright, I was born in the '70s - their relationship with 2Pac is different to my relationship [with 2Pac]. So thus, when this came out, everybody was like, 'This is hard as shit! Yo, he killin' it!' And I was like, 'Dog, he's smooth jazzed up Dennis Edwards."

Tupac Shakur

He added,

"It doesn't count. ...My thing is, if you're going to annihilate me on a diss record - if you're going to kill me I want you to take me out like Cleo at the end of 'Set It Off.' That song, to me, is the weakest musical smack. I can't get with 'Hit 'Em Up' because the music, to me, is just..."

Questlove says he would respect 2Pac's diss song "Hit 'Em Up" if the music tracking were better, and calls "Hit 'Em Up" the weakest musical smack.

(? One Song Podcast/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/0fIlxIqNaK

— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) May 14, 2024

This isn't the first time Questlove has shared his opinion on rap beef. Earlier this month he weighed in on the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar drama, sharing on his IG,

"Nobody won the war. This wasn't about skill. This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary - women & children (& actual facts) be d*mned."

He added,