Imagine being in a cozy pub in Liverpool, sipping a drink, when suddenly the music shifts, and you hear Tupac Shakur’s voice blasting through the speakers. That’s the kind of unexpected thrill fans might have felt if Tupac had ever performed a surprise gig like Paul McCartney did at the Philharmonic Dining Rooms. While Tupac never made it to that pub stage, let’s dive into a story about one of his boldest moves—a fiery diss aimed at his own label mate, Dr. Dre, that shook the music world.
Tupac was signed to Death Row Records, a label co-founded by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight, from 1995 to 1996. During that time, he dropped his massive album *All Eyez on Me*, featuring hits like “California Love” and “Can’t C Me,” both tied to Dre’s production genius. But behind the scenes, things weren’t so friendly. Tupac’s 1996 song “Toss It Up” from *The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory* took a direct shot at Dre. With singers Danny Boy, K-Ci, JoJo, and Aaron Hall backing him up, Tupac rapped lines like, “No longer Dre Day, arrivederci/ Blown and forgotten, rotten for plottin’ child’s play/ Check your sexuality, as fruity as this Alizé.” Those words were sharp, accusing Dre of disloyalty and even questioning his personal life.
Why the beef? Suge Knight once said Tupac and Dre “hated each other.” They never worked closely, not even on “California Love.” Tupac was also upset because Dre didn’t show up to support Snoop Dogg during a serious court case, and he felt Dre took credit for songs he didn’t fully create. To make things spicier, “Toss It Up” was a remix of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” a song Dre was featured on after leaving Death Row. Danny Boy later spilled the tea, saying they used the same beat to diss Dre on purpose, but Blackstreet sent a legal notice to stop it, so the final version got a new beat.
“California Love” was a huge deal for both artists. Another rapper, Kurupt, said Dre saw the beat as his “heart,” something he’d worked on for ages. When Suge Knight pushed Dre to give it to Tupac, it was like giving away his prized creation. That beat became one of Tupac’s biggest songs, but it didn’t fix the tension between them.
Sadly, Tupac passed away in September 1996, just weeks before “Toss It Up” came out, so Dre never responded. The song still stands as a bold moment in Tupac’s career, showing he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, even against someone as big as Dr. Dre. If Tupac had ever surprised fans in a Liverpool pub, you can bet he’d have had the crowd buzzing with energy, maybe even dropping a line or two from “Toss It Up” to keep everyone talking!
