NEWS
Questlove has clarified his previous stance on 2Pac‘s “Hit ‘Em Up,” with the Roots drummer making clear that his issues with the song have nothing at all do to with the legendary MC.
Taking to his Instagram on Tuesday (May 14), Quest tagged HipHopDX editorial director Elliott Wilson while clarifying his original position. Wilson was likely tagged because of an Instagram post he shared of Quest speaking about “Hit ‘Em Up,” which Wilson captioned: “Yo! Questlove we love you, but you gotta stop.”
“So we are clear: I never said I liked the INTERPOLATION (when musicians replay a sample) of ‘Don’t Look Any Further’ on ‘Hit ‘Em Up,'” Quest began. “I said nothing disparaging about Dennis Edwards or Pac. Y’all turning this into a weird game of telephone.”
He continued: “The INTERPOLATION is what I’m talking about. Don’t take my ish outta context.”
“Don’t Look Any Further” is the 1984 Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garrett song that forms the musical basis of “Hit ‘Em Up.” Check it out below, followed by Pac’s track.
Questlove then added an extensive caption that concluded with, “Welp since I got everyone’s attention can I really RHUIN this post by reminding you kind folk that #HipHopIsHistory will be available (stores and audiobook) June 11th 2024? Yall really about to have a field day with that one if this morning is any indication [laughing face emojis] @auwabooks.”
Check out the full post below.
During an appearance on the One Song podcast, the Roots drummer boldly argued that the 1996 track, which famously targeted Biggie, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Mobb Deep and other New York rappers, isn’t deserving of being mentioned as one of the greatest diss songs of all time due to its production.
“I would respect 2Pac’s ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ if his music tracking was better,” he said. “‘Hit ‘Em Up,’ to me, is disqualified, not because of the misogyny — forget all that. It’s like, ‘Dude, you’re rhyming over smooth jazz dinner music.’ Luther Vandross could sing over this!”
He added: “People who are born in the later part of the decade that I was born in — alright, I was born in the ’70s — their relationship with 2Pac is different to my relationship [with 2Pac]. So when this came out, everybody was like, ‘This is hard as shit! Yo, he killin’ it!’
“And I was like, ‘Dog, he’s smooth jazzed up Dennis Edwards. It doesn’t count’ […] That song, to me, is the weakest musical smack. I can’t get with ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ because the music, to me, is just…”
Questlove’s hot take ruffled feathers on social media, with one fan writing: “Questlove bugging out wit this one [facepalm emoji] I don’t know what this n-gga was doing around the time Hit ‘em Up came out. But damn near every urban community in America was a BadBoy Killer.”
Another chimed in: “This is the worst hip hop opinion I’ve ever heard from a hip hop legend (I think).”
Someone else referenced Drake’s recent jab at Metro Boomin and joked: “Questlove shut yo ass up and play some drums n-gga.”
A fourth user astutely reminded the Philadelphia native that the “Hit ‘Em Up” beat was intentionally based on Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Get Money” remix — itself a sample of Dennis Edwards’ “Don’t Look Any Further” — as a further taunt against the crew.
Haim have offered an early glimpse into their next album, telling NME that New York has been fueling their creativity and that they are “always writing”.
Also read: Este Haim discusses scoring Bella Ramsey film Sunny Dancer and Haim’s fifth album shaped by New York
The Los Angeles group, featuring siblings Danielle, Este and Alana Haim, put out their fourth studio album, ‘I Quit’, during the summer of 2025.
During a recent conversation with NME, Este spoke about creating the soundtrack for the new Bella Ramsey movie Sunny Dancer with Zachary Dawes, known for his work with Lana Del Rey and The Last Shadow Puppets. The bassist was also asked whether Haim had started developing fresh music.
“Haim business is open for business, 24 hours, seven days a week,” the musician responded. “We’re always writing, we’re always thinking about what the next thing is going to sound like.”
Still, Este indicated that the sisters are not rushing into their fifth album and plan to give themselves enough space to discover new ideas. She explained that she “just want[s] to live in it a little bit and experience life”.
“I want to revel in being married for a minute,” Este went on. “I didn’t get married until I was 39, so now I want to enjoy it and stop and smell the roses for a little bit.”
Discussing what has been sparking ideas for Haim and possibly influencing the direction of their upcoming project, Este pointed to the time she has spent in New York and the friendships she has been able to revisit there.
“I’ve really found New York to be very inspiring. Being here and reconnecting with friends that I went to college with and didn’t have the chance to hang out with because I was living in LA has been really great.
“And the energy in New York, I’ve really been thriving in it. You go outside of your door and you’re in the shit; you are in the flow whether you like it or not. I’ve found it really inspiring – just the energy and the sounds of New York, it’s so different for me.”
Asked how those surroundings might eventually translate into Haim’s music, Este kept the details under wraps, saying: “We’ll have to wait and see! I don’t know the answers yet, but I’m having a great time figuring it out!”
Este has also worked with Christopher Stracey on the music for the upcoming Callum Turner film One Night Only. Her previous composing credits include Netflix’s Maid and the Sydney Sweeney romantic comedy Anyone But You.
She takes on the role of Aura in Sunny Dancer as well. Meanwhile, her sister and fellow Haim member Alana Haim has appeared in The Mastermind, The Drama and One Battle After Another within roughly the last year.
Haim marked the arrival of ‘I Quit’ last summer by playing an unannounced performance at Glastonbury Festival. After completing a run of North American dates, the trio embarked on a UK arena tour later that year.
‘I Quit’ earned a place on NME’s ranking of the 50 best albums released in 2025, while ‘Relationships’ was included among the publication’s standout songs of the year. A deluxe version followed in October, adding ‘Tie You Down’, a collaboration with Bon Iver.
Awarding the original release four stars, NME said: “‘I Quit’ is set at a crossroads in the grieving process, when lessons have already been learned, but the pain of memories still linger.
“But this is still a Haim album, and their songs never linger on despair, are never far from the warmth of their sisterhood. They’re no longer the pop group you once knew, but this record is proof that sometimes, you really do need to let go in order to grow.”
