What if Tupac Shakur had never Died: Mobb Deep

Throughout the entire East Coast vs. West Coast hip hop feud, the only rappers from the East Coast to diss Tupac Shakur directly were Mobb Deep. Like the rest of the East Coast, they backed off after it was revealed that he had died. But, had Shakur not died on September 7, 1996, Mobb Deep would have continued to diss Tupac Shakur. Because they continued to diss Tupac, he saved something special for them on ever diss record.

Despite Mobb Deep being popular East Coast rappers and being among the only ones to challenge Tupac, they were not liked by many other East Coast rappers. It is not known by many hip hop fans, but The Notorious B.I.G. did not care for Mobb Deep and their feud with Jay-Z dates back to before 1996. But, with Tupac going at the entire East Coast as hard as he was, Biggie and Jay-Z could not focus their attention on Mobb Deep. Instead, they continued to take subtle shots at Tupac and Mobb Deep.

But, had Tupac Shakur survived those shots, he probably would have turned against Suge Knight. The main instigator of the Tupac/Biggie feud was Knight. It is often said that had all of the bodyguards and fans been removed that Tupac and Biggie could have sat down and had a civil conversation. Despite all of the mean things that he said about Biggie, deep down Tupac wanted to end the feud. One of the closest allies to Bad Boy during this time was Jay-Z. Because Biggie took a cheap shot at Pac on Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z became a target of Tupac's. But, had Tupac lived, he probably would have ended those feuds that he had with Bad Boy, Biggie, and Jay-Z.

After all, they never mentioned Tupac by name and they had a common dislike for Mobb Deep. It is possible that they would have united and a major feud would have broken out. However, the lines would have been crossed with Tupac, Biggie, and Jay-Z teaming up to take on Nas and Mobb Deep. Even while Tupac was alive, there were talks that went on between Nas and Suge Knight. Had things played out the way that they were going, Nas would have signed with Death Row. With Mobb Deep being his closest ally, Nas would have made sure that they were on the label, too and the truce between Nas and Tupac would have been called off. Meanwhile, Tupac would have joined Biggie on Bad Boy Records and an alliance with the newly-formed Roc-A-Fella Records would have led to the most-epic feud in hip hop history.

Since the death of Tupac Shakur, Mobb Deep has become the most respected duo in hip hop. By many, they are considered legendary. But, Tupac would have had them battling with him back and forth if he were still living. Most of their energy would have been focused on taking on Tupac, so the classic songs that they created may have not been created. Because Tupac Shakur, alone, was better than both Havoc and Prodigy, their careers as solo artists would have never happened because the alliance with Jay-Z and Biggie would have been too much for Mobb Deep to take. The group would not have lasted much longer than 1997, so the legacy that is Mobb Deep would have never happened.