Havoc says that 2Pac dissed Mobb Deep on “Hit ‘Em Up” over a perceived slight in one of the group’s lyrics.
On an episode of Drink Champs, Havoc expressed what he believed the origins of 2pac’s beef against the legendary group were.
“I believe it was a combo of things,” Havoc explained (around the 52:30 mark). "On ‘Survival of the Fittest,’ we [rapped], 'Thug life, we still livin’ it.' At the time, [2pac] had an article in Vibe magazine when he was like, ‘I don't want to do this thug shit anymore.' So he probably thought we were like, ‘Thug life, we still living it, fuck what he’s doin'.' It piled up on 'L.A., L.A.' and it was like, fuck these n****as.
The “L.A., L.A.” that Havoc’s referring to is Capone and Noreaga's classic response track to Tha Dogg Pound and Snoop's “New York, New York." "L.A., L.A.," which featured Mobb Deep, brought its fair share of static to rappers from the West Coast, ultimately becoming one of the reasons that 2Pac brought the smoke for them on "Hit 'Em Up."
"Oh yeah, Mobb Deep, huh, you wanna fuck with us?/You lil' young-ass motherfuckers/Don't one of you n***as got sickle-cell or somethin?" said 2Pac on the legendary diss track. Though Mobb Deep would address 2Pac back on the song "Drop a Gem On ‘Em," Havoc explained that the track was pulled after the rapper's death around the time of its release.
In November of this year, Havoc and Raekwon will head out on tour together for the trek that marks the 30th anniversaries of two classic albums, Rae's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Mobb Deep's The Infamous. The 19-city national tour kicks off in Portland, OR, before wrapping up a month later in Miami.
In a statement, Raekwon shared his excitement for the tour.
“Me and Havoc from Mobb will be pure hip-hop at its finest. This is gonna take rap shows to the next level — guaranteed,” said Havoc.
Havoc also gave his thoughts on the upcoming tour.
“The fans can expect nothing less than pure, raw, unfiltered energy on stage,” he said. “I’m excited to celebrate these two legendary albums — the world doesn’t exist to me without that purple tape in it. This will be a tour the fans will never forget.”
