After news broke about Michael Jackson turning down a feature for Tupac, former Outlawz member Napoleon says it was Tupac who rejected MJ first!
“He was called to the studio to do a verse for Michael Jackson,” Napoleon explained on Cam Capone News. “He told his mother. He told his family, he was excited. Then he went to the studio and he’s like, ‘Where’s Michael Jackson?’ They was like, ‘Oh, he can’t come. He went to lay a verse.'”
According to Napoleon, Tupac was not happy. “He got up and left. He was like, ‘He wasn’t man enough to come say hi to me and speak to me. I don’t wanna get on the song,'” Napoleon recalled. “He walked out on an opportunity, because he was more about ethics and morals. We look up to you. If you want me on a song, at least come say hi to me.'”
Nowadays, artists recording their verses solo in two different locations is the norm. But, in the mid nineties, majority of the time artists were visiting each others studios as they collaborated. “Pac looked at it like, you don’t want to come speak to me, I don’t want to get on your song. I don’t think Pac was just doing stuff for money. It was more personal. If he get on a record with you. He really didn’t care about the money,” Napoleon said.
Recently BET took a deep dive into Tupac’s classic Makaveli album ‘The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.’ Speaking with QDIII, who produced ‘To Live & Die In L.A.’ on the Makaveli album, the talented producer claimed Michael Jackson was contacted for a feature on the album.
QD3 had sampled Jackson’s ‘Human Nature’ for Tupac’s ‘Ni–a nature,’ which was slated to appear on the ‘The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.’ Perhaps QD3 not only wanted the clearance for the record, but also a feature from the pop icon.
“So I set up a meeting at Neverland [Ranch],” QDIII explained. “I go up there and told Michael about it. And do you know what Michael said? He liked Biggie.”
Years later Michael Jackson was again sampled for two Tupac posthumous releases. In 2001 on Tupac’s ‘Until The End Of Time’ album, the single ‘Letter2 My Unborn,’ sampled Jackson’s 1987 hit ‘Liberian Girl.’ Then two years later, 2003, Tupac’s ‘They Don’t Give A Fuck About Us‘ echoed Jackson’s ‘They Don’t Care About Us.’
