Questlove seemingly disses Tupac Shakur’s Hit Em Up on One Song Podcast

Questlove, the acclaimed Roots drummer and Oscar winner, faced criticism online for seemingly disparaging Tupac Shakur's track "Hit Em Up."

During a recent episode of the One Song Podcast, Questlove discussed rap beefs with the hosts, sparked by the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud. 

"Hit Em Up," a notorious diss track from Tupac Shakur to The Notorious B.I.G., emerged from the East Coast-West Coast rivalry and the competitive rap industry of the 1990s. The feud culminated in both artists' tragic murders in 1996 and 1997.

Questlove commented on "Hit Em Up," stating, “Hit Em Up to me is disqualified. Like dude, you’re rhyming over like smooth jazz dinner music.” 

Questlove added, “if you’re going to annihilate me  on a diss record, I want you to take me out” implying a desire for more impactful lyrics.

Following his comments, fans expressed their discontent online. 

One fan responded to a clip of the podcast on X, urging Questlove to stop his commentary: “Yo! Questlove we love you, but you gotta stop.”

Another disagreed, highlighting the enduring intensity of Tupac's disdain evident in the track: “totally disagree with @questlove. Tupac’s “Hit Em Up” scares the hell out of me today. The sheer intensity of his dislike is abundantly clear!”

Questlove had previously faced backlash for his remarks on the Kendrick and Drake feud when he stated, "Nobody won the war… Hip-hop is truly dead."