Allen Hughes Seems To Suggest JAY-Z’s “Rise” Was Due To 2Pac And Biggie’s Deaths
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Allen Hughes seemingly believes that JAY-Z may not have ever “rose to the top” of Hip-Hop if not for the untimely deaths of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
During a conversation with actor Michael Rapaport, the director spoke of artists of lesser talent from the ’90s benefiting from the departure of rap’s two biggest stars at that time. “When you shoot the two A+ students in the class,” Hughes began, referring to Biggie and Pac. “The C- student starts to rise to the top.”
While he didn’t name any artists specifically, Hughes’ hesitance to offend “iconic, legendary gazillionaire” rappers led many to attribute his statement to being in reference of JAY-Z, whom many consider among the greatest rap artists of all-time.
The Menace II Society director did note that the unnamed artist, who he revealed hails from Brooklyn, has a tremendous work ethic that helped him reach the heights they ultimately did. “And the C- student is a working motherf**ker and really got great, by the way,” Hughes added. “Got really great. Brooklyn in the house! That Brooklyn work ethic is a motherf**ker.”
He also recalled a verbal exchange with Interscope Records founder Jimmy Iovine after hearing 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” diss track for the first time, which led him to predict that either The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac or Suge Knight would end up dead within months of the song’s release.
“‘Him and 2Pac and/or Suge [Knight] would be dead in less than six months.’” Hughes remembers telling Iovine, pointing to the incendiary nature of the track and the vitriol spewed by Pac. “And it wasn’t the words; it was the energy. It’s the power of how he did it — particularly the outro.”
Watch Allen Hughes’ interview with Michael Rapaport below.
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