Reception
"Hit 'Em Up" has been called "controversial", "infamous", "disturbing", and "brutal". Shakur's insults against virtually the entire East Coast scene of rappers were said to be ferocious, and it has been viewed as one of Shakur's songs that resonated with and was spoken of the most by young people, the other being "Dear Mama". XXL magazine has slated it as the greatest diss song of all time. Some felt that "Hit 'Em Up" showcased Shakur ranting and raving like a fool, and J.R. Reynolds of Billboard called it horrendous, noting that Shakur revealed his true colors upon recording the song. He also went on to say that although sympathetic to the shooting, "Hit 'Em Up" had "fan(ned) the flames of hatred.. ..and affects an entire black culture's psyche"; he called the song "repugnant and unacceptable." Among associates of Shakur, it had been called a "bad-luck song." Los Angeles radio director Bruce St. James called the song "the be-all, end-all, curse-word, dirty-lyric, violent song of all time." The Game's manager has called it the best diss record. Documentary filmmaker Carl Weston believed that "most people in Biggie's shoes would have wanted to at least hurt Tupac" in a Spin magazine interview.
Among musicians, the song drew criticism from singer Dionne Warwick, and disapproval from Kool Moe Dee and Chuck D, who felt that although Shakur was one of the most substantive rappers of that period, he had gone too far with "Hit 'Em Up". It also may have caused some of Shakur's fans to turn on him.
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