New insights into the relationship between Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. continue to emerge two decades after the deaths of both hip-hop greats. In a new book entitled "Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap," author Ben Westhoff alleges that Tupac, who was already a big name when Biggie started out, mentored the Brooklyn rapper during the beginning stages of his career. According to Westhoff, Big even asked Pac to be his manager at one point. Pac apparently declined and told Big that he'd be wiser to remain under the counsel of Sean "Puffy" Combs.
Westhoff speaks on the revelation in a new interview with the Murder Master Music Show. "Tupac kind of took Biggie under his wing and tried to teach him everything he knew, kind of took him to school," says Westhoff of Pac's early mentorship of Big. "Biggie’s career wasn’t taking off as fast as he hoped it would. And so he actually asked Tupac if he would be his manager, and Tupac said, ‘No I think you should stick with Puffy and he’ll get you where you need to be.’”
Also in the short interview, which is available below, Westhoff reaffirms the widely accepted belief that after Pac was shot multiple times at a Manhattan recording studio, the Death Row rapper felt that Biggie had known about the incident ahead of time. “After he got shot, Tupac believed that Biggie knew about it in advance, knew it was going to happen,” says Westhoff. “That made him doubly mad because he mentored Biggie so much and helped him, and he really believed that he double-crossed him.”
You can purchase "Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap" on Amazon.
