“HIT EM UP LYRICS – Hip Hop, a music genre recognized a few decades ago, has been highly influential and successful.”However, hip-hop and even its subgenres have spread all around the world. Hip-hop has a diehard audience to listens to the music and supports the genre in all aspects. But hip-hop has a dark side too. Battle rap and diss culture have been very relevant in hip hop from the start of its time. Hence, Hip-hop is an art, and diss culture is a part of it, but it should not get out of hand and escalate to violence. Rap battles are when rappers and the audience gather in a crowd to do a competition between 2 opponents who target each other. Whereas, in Diss tracks the artists target the opponent for any personal or professional reason through their records.
INTRODUCTION: Hit Em Up Lyrics
‘Hit Em Up’ was one such diss track by Tupac, an iconic rapper of his time. Adding further, with this diss track he targeted another prominent rapper named The Notorious B.I.G who also went by the name ‘Biggie’. Tupac and Biggie used to be very close friends once but the twists in their story made their relationship turn sour. They became mortal enemies of each other and things, well they escalated too much. We will cover everything about and behind this track by Tupac. Other than that, Hence, we will also cover the controversy, Hit Em Up lyrics, and the recent reopening of the murder cases of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., so stick with us.
SONG STATISTICS OF ‘HIT EM UP’ BY TUPAC
Song name- Hit Em Up
Genre of the track- Hip Hop
Duration of the track- 5 minutes and 22 seconds
Artist- 2pac (Tupac Shakur)
Production by Johnny Lee Jackson
Released on- June 4, 1996
Featuring artist- Outlawz (not an individual, but a hip-hop group consisting of ten members)
Album- “How Do U Want It B-Side”
YouTube Views- 654 million Plus Views
Spotify Streams- 500 million plus views (most streamed track of 2022)
Hit Em Up Lyrics: WHO WAS TUPAC SHAKUR?
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born with the name ‘Lesane Parish Crooks’ on June 16th, 1971. He was born in New York City, USA. Tupac Shakur was also recognized by his stage names ‘Makaveli’ and ‘2pac.’ He was an American-based rapper, who is to this day considered and valued as one of the greatest and successful rappers of all time. Tupac throughout his music journey managed to sell over 75 million of his records all over the world. Hence, Tupac is among the list of best-selling music artists. His music touched the souls of many as he covered topics related to social issues, struggling neighborhoods, discrimination, police brutality, and similar topics.
However, his tracks like Hit Em Up show his brutal side of rap in which he sounds vicious and very pissed at his opponent Biggie. Both of Tupac’s parents were known political activists and members of the Black Panther Party. Therefore, he was raised by his mother Afeni Shakur and his father’s name was Billy Garland. Tupac and his mother relocated to Baltimore in 1984 and had to relocate again to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. The entire rap scene recognized Tupac for his music, acknowledging his significant influence. In 1991, when he released his debut album ‘2Pacalypse Now’ he became a very iconic and central figure in the west coast rap scene of USA. The recognition and respect were mainly because of his conscious rap lyrics and his unique cadence.
SONG OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE OF HIT EM UP LYRICS
“Hit Em Up” is a classic diss track by Tupac, and the hip-hop audience considers it one of the most influential diss tracks. It is from his album “How Do U Want It Side B”. It was released on June 4, 1996. The Hit Em Up lyrics take a lot of digs and disrespectful comments on Tupac’s close friend turned enemy rival, the Notorious B.I.G. (also known by the name of Biggie Smalls). In 1996, NL-Records recorded the song. Furthermore, few are aware that Tupac recorded a prior version of the song in October 1995.
NOTORIETY OF THIS TRACK: Hit Em Up Lyrics
A renowned journalist named Chuck Philips who once interviewed Tupac Shakur stated that “this track is an anti-east Coast anthem in which Tupac and featuring artists viciously disrespect and try to eliminate Biggie, Puff and many artists who were signed to the Bad Boy Records”. This famous diss track’s music was produced by Johnny “J” who has been known to collaborate with Tupac many times. Furthermore, the music video of Hit Em Up is as notorious as its lyrics. Moreover, the music video included Fake impersonations of Biggie, Puff, and one Mafia member named Lil’ Kim in a derogatory intent. At last, to feature on this controversial track Tupac recalled artists with whom he had worked before from the former group ‘Dramacydal’. Also, these members along with other associates and Tupac under the name of ‘Makaveli’ formed the group Outlawz.
TUPAC & BIGGIE
STORY BEHIND HIT EM UP: COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP OF TUPAC & BIGGIE
There is a controversial backstory to the track Hit Em up which includes the extensive beef between the 2 rappers Biggie and Tupac. Therefore, Let’s start from the beginning, Hence, it has been known that Tupac and Biggie met for the first time on the set of ‘Poetic Justice’ in 1993. Hence, they were known to become very close friends as they used to hang out together share gifts and advise each other. They also performed together at Madison Square Garden, where they were freestyling back-to-back.
Their relationship started to become complicated after Tupac did not acknowledge Biggie telling him not to hang out with Jaques ‘Haitian Jack’ Agnant and Jimmy Henchman at the set of the 1994 film ‘Above the Rim’. Lil Cease, who was a rapper and associate of Biggie called Tupac to come to the studio. On this day 30th November 1994, Tupac was shot at and beaten by unknown assailants who also stole his jewelry. Hence, this happened outside Quad Recording Studios in Times Square. Adding further, the friendship between Tupac and Biggie ended that night. The reason is that Tupac found out Biggie and Puff were inside the building. Hence, Tupac believed Biggie was responsible for the shooting incident targeting him. (Hit Em Up Lyrics)
ESCALATED RIVALRY OF TUPAC AND BIGGIE: Hit Em Up Lyrics
After the incident in which Tupac was shot and robbed outside the studio, Therefore, Tupac firmly held the belief in his heart that Biggie was behind it. However, the situation worsened significantly when Tupac was imprisoned. Therefore, Tupac was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for sexual abuse charges against him. Hence, at this point, alongside the head of Death Row Records Suge Knight, Tupac promised to destroy the entire label Bad Boy Records of his rivals Biggie and Puff.
On February 21, 1995, Biggie released a subliminal diss track against Tupac called ‘Who Shot Ya’. At the time of the song’s release, Tupac remained imprisoned in a high-security facility. Despite Biggie’s assertion of having penned the song before Tupac was shot, both Tupac and the majority of the audience remained unconvinced. Therefore, Tupac did not do anything to de-escalate the situation but did the opposite.
Tupac did not want to sit quietly and let this pass by. He did anything he could do to trash Biggie and his reputation. Tupac also publicly claimed that he slept with Tupac’s wife Faith Evans. Hence, Tupac claimed his superiority in hip hop and that artists like Biggie were not relevant enough for him. Then came the diss track from Tupac on June 4, 1996. Therefore, the Hit Em Up lyrics viciously targeted Biggie’s reputation.This song was so influential and chaotic that it led to things escalating even more and violence followed. (Hit Em Up Lyrics)
TUPAC AND BIGGIE SHOT DEAD: Hit Em Up Lyrics
Following this diss track, on September 7th, 1996 Tupac got shot at again. Hence, This time it was a drive-by shoot and unfortunately, Tupac did not survive his fatal wounds. Hence, Tupac and Biggie did not get to settle their beef before Tupac’s untimely demise. As there was no evidence of Biggie or Puff having any prior information or direct involvement in Tupac’s shooting, the crime is still a mystery. Therefore, Biggie Smalls met the same fate on March 9, 1997, when assailants shot him dead in a similar drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Adding further, both of their murders are full of conspiracies but remain a mystery to this day. Hence, their rivalry and beef lead to such events and violence coming in between an art form.
MURDER CASES OF TUPAC AND BIGGIE GETS REOPENED IN 2023
After authorities arrested Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a long-time suspect in the fatal murder of Tupac Shakur, they reopened the cases of both Tupac and Notorious BIG with the aim of solving their murder cases. Hence, authorities are reopening these three-decade-old cases due to an endless number of conspiracies surrounding the responsibility for these violent acts and their connection to such big personalities in the entertainment industry.
20 OTHER SIMILAR SONGS TO HIT THEM UP
- No Vaseline by Ice Cube
- Ether by Nas
- Rap Devil by Machine Gun Kelly
- The warning by Eminem
- Killshot by Eminem
- Kick in the Door by The Notorious B.I.G.
- Takeover by Jay-Z
- Back To Back by Drake
- Back Down by 50 Cent
- The Story of Adidon by Pusha T
- Dollaz + Sense by DJ Quik
- Fuck Wit Dre Day by Dr. Dre Feat. Snoop Dogg
- Real Muthaphuckkin G’s by Eazy-E
- Hail Mary by 50 Cent Feat. Eminem And Busta Rhymes
- Pest Control by The Game
- Truth by Gucci Mane
- Against All Odds by 2Pac
- The Bridge Is Over by BDP
- Hussle in the house by Nipsey Hussle
- Checkmate by Jadakiss
TUPAC- HIT EM UP LYRICS
I ain’t got no motherfuckin’ friends (sucka-ass)
That’s why I fucked yo’ bitch, you fat motherfucker
West side, Bad Boy killers (take money, take money)
You know who the realest is, niggas, we bring it to you (take money)
That’s aight
(Take money)
First off, fuck your bitch and the clique you claim
Westside when we ride, come equipped with game
You claim to be a player but I fucked your wife
We bust on Bad Boy niggas fucked for life
Plus, Puffy tryin’ to see me weak hearts I rip
Biggie Smalls and Junior M.A.F.I.A. some mark-ass bitches
We keep on comin’ while we runnin’ for yo’ jewels
Steady gunnin’, keep on bustin’ at them fools, you know the rules
Lil’ Ceaser, go ask ya homie how I leave ya
Cut your young ass up, leave you in pieces, now be deceased
Lil’ Kim, don’t fuck around with real G’s
Quick to snatch yo’ ugly ass off the streets, so fuck peace
I let them niggas know it’s on for life
Don’t let the Westside ride tonight (haha)
Bad Boy murdered on wax and killed
Fuck wit’ me and get yo’ caps peeled, you know, see
Grab ya Glocks when you see Tupac
Call the cops when you see Tupac, uh
Who shot me? But ya punks didn’t finish
Now ya ’bout to feel the wrath of a menace
Nigga, I hit em’ up
Check this out, you motherfuckers know what time it is (take money)
I don’t even know why I’m on this track (take money)
Y’all niggas ain’t even on my level
I’ma let my little homies ride on you (take money)
Bitch made-ass Bad Boy bitches, feel it (hey, yo, yo, hold the fuck up, yo)
Get out the way, yo, get out the way, yo
Biggie Smalls just got dropped
Little Mu’, pass the MAC and let me hit him in his back
Frank White need to get spanked right for settin’ traps
Little accident murderers and I ain’t never heard of ya
Poisonous gats attack when I’m servin’ ya
Spank ya, shank ya whole style when I gank
Guard your rank ’cause I’ma slam your ass in the paint
Puffy weaker than the fuckin’ block I’m runnin’ through, nigga
And I’m smokin’ Junior M.A.F.I.A. in front of you, nigga
With the ready power tuckin’ my Guess under my Eddie Bauer
Ya clout petty sour, I push packages every hour, hit ’em up
Grab ya Glocks when you see Tupac
Call the cops when you see Tupac, uh
Who shot me? But ya punks didn’t finish
Now ya ’bout to feel the wrath of a menace
Nigga, we hit em’ up
Peep how we do it, keep it real as penitentiary steel
This ain’t no freestyle battle
All you niggas gettin’ killed with ya mouths open
Tryna come up offa me, you in the clouds hopin’
Smokin’ dope, it’s like a sherm high, niggas think they learned to fly
But they burn, motherfucker, you deserve to die
Talkin’ ’bout you gettin’ money but it’s funny to me
All you niggas livin’ bummy why you fuckin’ with me?
I’m a self-made millionaire
Thug livin’ outta prison, pistols in the air
Biggie, remember when I used to let you sleep on the couch
And beg a bitch to let you sleep in the house?
Now it’s all about Versace, you copied my style
Five shots couldn’t drop me, I took it and smiled
Now I’m ’bout to set the record straight
With my AK, I’m still the thug that you love to hate
Motherfucker, I hit ’em up
I’m from N-E-W Jers’
Where plenty murders occurs
No points or commas, we bring drama to all you herbs
Now go check the scenario
Little Ceas’, I’ll bring you fake G’s to your knees
Coppin’ pleas in de Janeiro
Little Kim, is you coked up or doped up?
Get your little Junior Whopper clique smoked up
What the fuck, is you stupid?
I take money, crash and mash through Brooklyn
With my clique lootin’, shootin’ and pollutin’ your block
With a 15-shot cocked Glock to your knot
Outlaw MAFIA clique movin’ up another notch
And your pop stars popped and get mopped and dropped
And all your fake ass East Coast props
Brainstormed and locked
You’s a beat biter
A Pac style taker
I’ll tell you to your face you ain’t shit but a faker
Softer than Alizé with a chaser
About to get murdered for the paper
E.D.I Mean approach the scene of the caper
Like a loc, with Little Ceas’ in a choke
Gun totin’ smoke, we ain’t no motherfuckin’ joke
Thug Life, niggas better be known
We approachin’ in the wide open, gun smokin’
No need for hopin’, it’s a battle lost
I got ’em crossed as soon as the funk is boppin’ off
Nigga, I hit ’em up
Now you tell me who won
I see them, they run (hahaha)
They don’t wanna see us (take money)
Whole Junior M.A.F.I.A. clique
Dressing up trying to be us (take money)
How the fuck they gon’ be the mob when we always on our job? (Take money)
We millionaires
Killin’ ain’t fair but somebody gotta do it (take money)
Oh yeah, Mobb Deep (take money) you wanna fuck with us?
You little young-ass motherfuckers (take money)
Don’t one of you niggas got sickle cell or something? (Take money)
You fucking with me
Nigga, you fuck around and have a seizure or a heart attack (take money)
You better back the fuck up ‘fore you get smacked the fuck up
This is how we do it on our side
Any of you niggas from New York that wanna bring it, bring it
But we ain’t singin’, we bringin’ drama
Fuck you and your motherfuckin’ mama
We gon’ kill all you motherfuckers
Now when I came out, I told you it was just about Biggie
Then everybody had to open their mouth with a motherfuckin’ opinion
Well this is how we gon’ do this
Fuck Mobb Deep, fuck Biggie
Fuck Bad Boy as a staff, record label and as a motherfuckin’ crew
And if you want to be down with Bad Bo, then fuck you too
Chino XL, fuck you too
All you motherfuckers, fuck you too (take money, take money)
All of y’all motherfuckers, fuck you, die slow, motherfucker
My .44 make sure all y’all kids don’t grow
You motherfuckers can’t be us or see us
We motherfuckin’ Thug Life riders, Westside ’til we die
Out here in California, nigga, we warned ya
We’ll bomb on you motherfuckers, we do our job
You think you mob? Nigga, we the motherfuckin’ mob
Ain’t nothin’ but killers and the real niggas
All you motherfuckers feel us
Our shits go triple and 4-quadruple
(Take money)
You niggas laugh ’cause our staff got
Guns in they motherfuckers belts
You know how it is when we drop records, they felt
You niggas can’t feel it, we the realest
Fuck ’em, we Bad Boy killers (we killers)
…
Conclusion
Hit Em Up is no doubt one of the most influential and chaotic diss tracks. Moreover, the beef between Tupac and Biggie escalated way more than anyone thought it would. Therefore, in the end, people should respect art and maintain boundaries when it comes to anything related to that art. Hence, in this context, diss tracks are a part of the hip-hop culture but in Tupac and Biggie’s case, things got violent and even resulted in the deaths of such prominent personalities.
FAQs
Q- Who wrote this song?
Tupac primarily wrote down the lyrics for “Hit Em Up,” while other artists from the ‘Outlawz’ rap group assisted in co-writing it, contributing their verses.
Q- What is Tupac’s net worth?
Though Tupac left the world after his unfortunate demise, his total net worth including his estate and assets is approximately 40 million dollars.
Q- What was the age of Tupac when he died?
Unknown assailants shot Tupac dead when he was 25 years old.
Q- When did Tupac start doing music?
Tupac started his music career in the year 1991 after joining Digital Underground (Oakland-based rap group).