When he was a teenager, Nas’ brother Jungle attempted to snatch a chain from Tupac and the Outlawz.
After landing number three on the Billboard charts, King’s Disease II became Nas’s highest-charting album in almost a decade. Today (August 27) he took over “Rap Life Radio” on Apple Music 1 joining Ebro and his brother Jungle for the first-ever joint interview between the two. The veteran rapper discussed King’s Disease II, feeling rejuvenated, and being open to more features. The interview’s most climaxed moment begins however when Nas and Jungle tell the story of Jungle getting into an altercation with 2Pac and Death Row at the MTV Music Awards.
During the early 90s, the beef between East Coast Rappers and West Coast Rappers was heavy. From diss records to shootings and gang involvement, to Snoop Dogg getting booed by a rowdy New York crowd at the 1995 Source Awards, no one was safe.
“I’m in the seats at the spot. And somebody came and said, ‘Yeah, your brother and them is getting it on in the lobby or whatever,’” said Nas. The “them” Nas is referring to is Pac and his crew the Outlawz. By the time Nas got to the lobby, the situation had been squashed. According to Jungle, Nas was preoccupied presenting an award. Unable to accompany his brother backstage, the young teenager went to get a drink. In an attempt to press a young lady who was with the Death Row camp, Jungle threatened to snatch her friend’s chain.
“I was still a teenager and sh*t. I forgot how old I was, but I definitely wasn’t 20 yet. I was trying to make [the girl] laugh to come get a drink with me. But I was on some Queensbridge Mobb Deep sh*t. It’s like, yeah, Mobb Deep in the house. I’m going to take a chain,” Jungle said. “She was laughing. And then they came around for real. And she said, ‘Here they come.’”
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Feeling challenged by the girl and wanting to keep his word, Jungle said he yelled, “Yo, Mobb Deep in the house. I will take a Death Row chain.” A commotion occurred next, and the Outlawz went and grabbed Tupac, who was also as Jungle put it, “doing the award sh*t too.” Pac came looking for the person who threatened his crew, and though he admitted to being a little nervous, Jungle didn’t back down from the west coast based rapper. “I was like, Oh God…I was with this guy, Moose, and Moose was like, ‘man, yo, I got you’. And he’s like this karate expert from Queensbridge. This was before security guards and sh*t. So when he said that…I said it again, “Mobb Deep, what’s up Pac? what’s up? I’ll take your chain right now,” Jungle said.
Thankfully, the situation didn’t escalate further.
Nas’ “Death Row East” track also retells a previously untold story about the rapper’s complex relationship with Tupac. Listen to “Death Row East” below and read more about its production here.