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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

MARIEL (QUIK RTW) New York City, 1980s

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Stetsasonic New York City, 1988 Credit: Janette Beckman

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Tony Rome & Black Brooklyn, New York City, 1982 Credit: Jamel Shabazz

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Smif-N-Wessun, 1994 Credit: Gary Spector

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Wine149' by Lask Staten Island, 1985 Credit: Henry Chalfant

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

BUS129 (DONDI CIA) - BOY5 (NOC167) Tragic Magic. OTB crew car. New York City, 1980s

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Jeru the Damaja New York City, 1994 Credit: Danny Hastings

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Dezzy Dez aka DJ Kay Slay Manhattan's 3 Yard, 1982 Credit: Martha Cooper

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

More than just a lead single, "...Upside" is a declaration of how far Snoop had become isolated at the label, signaling an impending departure by his next album. I wonder if he'd have left regardless of 2Pac's death.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

"Shippin' records overseas, I'm makin' G's With who you may call enemies But I see nothing funny about makin' money" Snoop won't be dictated to by Suge or 2Pac on who he makes records with. Even if the former consider them an 'enemy.' Snoop had previously talked about doing a song with Puff and Big

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

"Niggas in the game be doin' way too much Actin' tough with this east-west coast stuff See me, I'm all about my money, mane" Snoop doubling down on his Angie Martinez radio appearance distancing himself from the Coastal war, which infuriated 2Pac. By his death they weren't even on speaking terms.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

"Put me up on game, tellin' me who gon' jack me But ever since I was a puppy 'til I was full grown I never had no other dog pullin' on my bone" This is directly about 2Pac joining the label and becoming its lead star, and Suge's homie. Snoop is ready for the competition.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

"The homie just got paroled And he got more stories than the Highway Patrol Tellin' me about the money Suge Knight stole" Dre telling Snoop that Suge is stealing from him, which he was. It's interesting Aftermath never made a play for Snoop, but I guess Dre wanted nothing more with Suge.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

"Some niggas think they know they shit, but they don't Some inmates escape, some won't." Referring to Death Row artists leaving the label, specifically Dre, who likely advised Snoop to get out too.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

But on "...Upside" he goes deeper... "So If you plan on comin' out, nigga, hold up This a stick up, Dick up They got yo' shit on the shelf, oh, mine is too And guess who they gon' pick up?" referring to he and Dre's next albums releasing within 2 weeks of each other in November '96.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Throughout the LP Snoop responds to criticisms. Like on the Freestyle Conversation intro when a homie remarks "word is on the streets your beats gon' be delicate since Dre done shook the spizzot." Snoop replies "man, I don't give a fuck about no beat." And he's right. Because the beats were mid.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝘄 𝟭𝟬𝟬 /𝟱𝟮. 𝗦𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝗗𝗼𝗴𝗴 - 𝗦𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗽'𝘀 𝗨𝗽𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗬𝗮 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 Snoop taps into his Gap Band bag for Doggfather's lead single, released just one day after the death of labelmate 2Pac. Ironic as the song is Snoop's riposte to tensions and rumors surrounding their relationship.

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Snoop Dogg - Snoop's Upside Ya Head (feat. Charlie Wilson)

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

Biggie Smalls Brooklyn, 1994 Credit: Manuel Acevedo

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

BEAM (KASE2 TFP) New York City, 1980s

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Black Sheep New York City, 1992 Credit: Al Pereira

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Organized Konfusion, 1991 Credit: Sue Kwon

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

CRASH - NOD80 New York City, 1980s Credit: Henry Chalfant

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Subway Rush Hour New York City, 1988 Credit: Jamel Shabazz

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Nas in the studio, 1996 Credit: Sue Kwon

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

"Flatline.... I hear the doctor standin' over me, screamin' I can make it Got a body full of bullet holes, layin' here naked. [...] I call the nurse 'cause it hurts to reminisce How did it come to this? I wish they didn't miss." Incredible. This is why 2Pac is a GOAT lyricist.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

"As a matter of fact, Suge Knight was looking for us. There was an APB out on Rappin’ 4-Tay and Tupac Shakur. So to calm Suge Knight down, when we did get in the studio, when we finally made it back, we put together a song, ‘Only God Can Judge Me,’ and history was made."

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Rappin 4-Tay on how the collabo happened: "We seen each other at the Beverly Center and painted the whole town…Los Angeles…day and night, having fun, supermodels, bottles. Goin’ full throttle, in the droptop Rolls Royce, just having fun. You couldn’t separate us."

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

"Perhaps I was blind to the facts, stabbed in the back I couldn't trust my own homies, just a bunch of dirty rats." Such a powerful opening, oozing with paranoia. Pac had went through a few different titles, as per the copy of his rhyme sheet. He chose the right one. Wonder who Rah Rah is.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Pete Rock & CL Smooth Mount Vernon, New York Credit: Catherine McGann

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

One more film for the 25 flicks that influenced Wu Tang Clan. A late 80s entry this time with 1987's Wu Tang vs. Ninja aka Ninja Hunter.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Bombin’ in the Bronx: KRS-One & Fat Joe with the legendary TATS CRU New York City, 1993

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

MACKIE (RTW) New York City, 1979

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Method Man & ODB, 1995 Credit: Sue Kwon

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Grand Mixer DST on turntables, Donald D on the mic, DJ Kool Herc in hat and shades Bronx River Center, Nov 12 1983 Credit: Sophie Bramly

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

TKID170 - PEARL (TNB) New York City, 1980s

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Jeru the Damaja and pops Brooklyn, 1995 Credit: T. Eric Monroe

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

For Pac it was symbolic of the hold Suge had over him & the engulfing gangster persona that would be his undoing months later in Las Vegas. Sneed deserved better, and Suge shot himself in the foot by failing to develop emerging artists like Sneed & Flexx that could have saved the label from itself.

youtube.com

I Warned Sam Sneed That The Meeting With 2Pac & Suge Knight Was A Set Up & Ambush! He Didn’t Listen!

YouTube video by The Art Of Dialogue

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Suge called a general meeting where Sneed's video was played. Under the guise of no other Death Row artists being in the video, Suge cajoled those in the room to attack Sneed, notably Sixx8 from Six Feet Deep and 2Pac.

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Suge Knight Showed 2Pac Sam Sneed Video With Only NY Rappers & 2Pac Immediately Beat Up Sam Sneed!

YouTube video by The Art Of Dialogue

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝘄 𝟭𝟬𝟬 /𝟱𝟰. 𝗦𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 - 𝗨 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 The best non-West Coast single from Death Row also foreshadowed one of the darker behind closed doors moments in the label's history. With Dre gone and out of reach, protege Sam Sneed was without protection for those who wanted to hurt his mentor.

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Sam Sneed - U Better Recognize Ft. Dr Dre (Music Video)

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

MIDG (NWA) - CRASH - DAZE (CYA) New York City, 1980s

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Das EFX, 1994 Credit: Chi Modu

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

One more for our 25 flicks that influenced Wu Tang Clan and it's a classic, 1979's The Mystery of Chess Boxing. Oh, and it features of a villain by the name of the Ghost-Faced Killer.

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Futura 2000 and Dondi White London, 1982 Credit: Janette Beckman

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

DAZE (CYA) New York City, 1980s

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

The Boot Camp Clik, 1995 Credit: Gary Spector

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

They dropped a video featuring Snoop on his Scarface shit with film footage from 2Pac in Gridlock'd. I'm still amazed that half of this song is just Snoop ad-libbing. It deserved better.

youtube.com

2Pac Ft. Snoop Dogg - Wanted Dead Or Alive [High Quality]

YouTube video by ezikill

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Chris Wave @chriswave.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

It's certainly not as famous as 'Gangsta Party,' but the back-and-forth flow over the G-funked up beat is great. A shame it only really has 2 minutes with an extended outro. Should have gave Kurupt & Daz the 2nd verse.

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