"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss song by rap artist 2Pac (Tupac Shakur), featuring his group the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996, from the album All Eyez on Me. The song’s lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, among them, Shakur's former friend and rival, The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls. The song was produced by long-time collaborator Johnny "J" and samples the bassline from "Don't Look Any Further" by Dennis Edwards. The video, itself described as infamous, includes impersonations of Biggie, Puffy and Lil' Kim.
"Hit 'Em Up" is said to have played a part in exacerbating the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. Following its release, the East Coast rappers insulted in the song responded through tracks of their own. The controversy surrounding the song is due in part to Shakur’s murder only three months after its release.
Read more about Hit 'Em Up: Background and Lyrics, Music Video, Reception, Appearances
Famous quotes containing the word hit:
“Every one of my friends had a bad day somewhere in her history she wished she could forget but couldn’t. A very bad mother day changes you forever. Those were the hardest stories to tell. . . . “I could still see the red imprint of his little bum when I changed his diaper that night. I stared at my hand, as if they were alien parts of myself . . . as if they had betrayed me. From that day on, I never hit him again.””
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)