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.
After staying quiet for years, The Avalanches have finally returned with something brand new. Their latest single “Together,” released through Modular Recordings, features Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza, and Prentiss, marking the group’s first original release in close to six years.
Anyone expecting quiet, reflective electronic music or sample heavy Motown inspired textures may be caught off guard by this one. “Together” leans into bright energy and movement, delivering a lively dance driven sound that feels playful, upbeat, and built for packed rooms and late nights.
The Avalanches, currently made up of Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi and Andy Szekeres, made a huge impact with their 2000 debut album Since I Left You.
What made the record stand out was its incredible use of sampling, blending fragments from hundreds of recordings by artists including Françoise Hardy, Sérgio Mendes, Raekwon, Wayne and Shuster, and Madonna into something completely unique. Tracks like “Frontier Psychiatrist” and the title song helped establish the album as both nostalgic and futuristic at the same time. According to a statement from the band’s representatives, the project left “a global footprint for collaborative sampology in the 21st century.”
Their second album arrived after an extremely long wait and explored a very different direction creatively. Sixteen years after their debut, The Avalanches released Wildflower, which debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Their next project, We Will Always Love You, arrived in 2020 and later earned the Australian Music Prize for Album of the Year.
The group briefly resurfaced again in 2024 through their collaboration with Jamie XX on the song “All You Children” from In Waves.
“Together” appears to be the beginning of another major era for the group. The release is connected to a “Superfun” campaign that features artwork of Chater gaming along with an animated visual for the track. The video brings old technology to life, including an iPod and a diskette, as they wander through a colorful world side by side.
A classic Nokia 3310 also shows up in the video, floating down from above complete with angel wings.
“How are you looking after your memories? At Takumi digital archives your most treasured moments are safe with us,” says the mysterious official statement. Fans are also invited to “visit Takumi today” through the website takumiarchives.com.
Jonathan Zawada directed and animated the music video, which can be streamed below.
