<p id=”par-1_65″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/the-notorious-big/?swcfpc=1″>The Notorious B.I.G.</a> spent several years in a feud with California’s Death Row Records. After <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/tupac-shakur/?swcfpc=1″>Tupac Shakur</a> was shot in 1994, he alleged that Biggie and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/sean-diddy-combs/?swcfpc=1″>Sean “Diddy” Combs</a> had some involvement, thus kicking off the rivalry. According to Diddy, Biggie had been hoping to ease some tension with a song. He spoke about how excited he was about this on the night he died.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-sean-diddy-combs-said-the-notorious-b-i-g-wanted-to-express-love-for-the-west-coast”>Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs said The Notorious B.I.G. wanted to express love for the West Coast</h2>
<p id=”par-2_12″>On the night Biggie died, he was at a party with Diddy.</p>
<p id=”par-3_37″>“We was drinking and listening to records, sitting at the table the whole night,” Diddy told <a href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/sean-p-diddy-combs-cover-story-1997-1235028689/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a>. “And he was just being nice. He was nice naturally, but he <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-said-notorious-b-i-g-chipper-night-died.html/”>was being extra nice</a>. He was… chipper.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Notorious-B.I.G.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”The Notorious B.I.G. wears a hat and smiles.” class=”wp-image-3718393″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>The Notorious B.I.G. | Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_21″>According to Diddy, Biggie saw the song as his love letter to California. He wrote about his appreciation for the state.</p>
<p id=”par-5_66″>“He’s proud of himself, talking about how stuff’s going to be when the album comes out, and how it’s going to be better,” Diddy recalled. “He’s like, ‘I’m gonna make them love me.’ He was talking about the West Coast. He was like, ‘I can’t wait till they hear that track “Going Back to Cali,” so they know I ain’t got nothing but love for them.’”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-sean-diddy-combs-recalled-the-notorious-b-i-g-and-tupac-s-friendship”>Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs recalled The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac’s friendship</h2>
<p id=”par-6_11″>Before the feud, Diddy said he greatly admired Death Row Records.</p>
<p id=”par-7_47″>“When we were in our beginning stages, Death Row was established,” he said. “Bad Boy was kind of modeled after Death Row because Death Row had became a movement. We wanted to model ourselves behind the record companies that were movements, like Motown, Def Jam, Death Row.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_20″>He was friendly with Death Row’s founder, Suge Knight, and claimed he could never have predicted any <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/suge-knight-smacked-dogs-sean-diddy-combs-party-claimed-keith-murray.html/?swcfpc=1″>problems between them</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-9_54″>“Whenever Suge would come in town, he would come by the office,” Diddy said. “Whenever I was in town, he would come pick me up, and we’d hang out. There was maybe two times I went over to Snoop’s house. It was all cool. No way in the world I could foresee any problems.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_15″>He got to know Tupac Shakur through Biggie. The pair were friends at the time.</p>
<p id=”par-11_42″>“And Tupac… he was mostly friends with Biggie. That’s really how I got to know him. Biggie loved him to death, and Tupac helped Biggie out when we were just getting off the ground. He would let us come open his shows.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-tupac-encouraged-biggie-to-work-with-diddy”>Tupac encouraged Biggie to work with Diddy</h2>
<p id=”par-12_28″>Before the rivalry between them, Tupac and Biggie were close enough friends that the latter asked Tupac to represent him. Tupac encouraged him to stay with Diddy, though.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Biggie-Diddy.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs stand together wearing sunglasses. Biggie wears a black suit and Diddy wears white.” class=”wp-image-3730888″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs | Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tupac-shared-thought-sean-diddy-combs-bad-boy-records-hell.html/”>
Tupac Shared Why He Thought Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Bad Boy Records Was in ‘Hell’ </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-13_14″>“Nah, stay with Puff,” he said, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.biography.com/musicians/biggie-tupac-friends-rivals-east-coast-west-coast” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Biography</a>. “He will make you a star.”</p>
<p id=”par-14_26″>Still, Tupac didn’t hold Diddy in high regard. Photographer Monique Bunn told <a href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/diddy-friends-bad-boy-artists-abuse-violence-1235028178/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a> that Tupac saw Diddy as a “corny executive” and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tupac-shakur-kind-respect-corny-sean-diddy-combs.html/”>didn’t respect him</a>.</p>