By the time Biggie Smalls meets Tupac Shakur, Tupac is already a big star. He hasn’t yet signed with Death Row, but he’s already sold millions of records and starred in two feature films. Biggie, on the other hand, is still waiting for his first album to drop.  Biggie and Tupac become fast friends, but their relationship doesn’t last long. The two rap stars are pulled in different directions. One struggles to escape violence, while the other will be consumed by it—pushing tensions between Death Row and Bad Boy to a very public breaking point. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The battle between Death Row and Bad Boy Records wasn't long, but it was intense. Rather than staying on wax, the beef came off the records and into the streets, resulting in a deadly macho dust-up between hip hop's biggest — and youngest — stars. The rivalry also touched the life of R&B up-and-comer Faith Evans, who was married to Biggie at the time and found herself in the middle of the war between East and West.  To explore this, we spoke with Naima Cochrane, a music and culture journalist and former industry executive who’s worked behind the scenes shaping the careers of Beyonce, John Legend, Juicy J and other major acts.  We break down the gangsta rap era and discuss what happened after Tupac and Biggie were tragically removed from the scene. Plus, we're getting more context on Faith Evans’ role in the battle and how the trials of the women in the 90s blazed a trail for the hip hop queens of today. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.