Appearing for freestyle number 142 was Symba who had a strong message for Funkmaster Flex on his own show: disrespecting Tupac stops tonight!
Over the years Funkmaster Flex has made it very clear how he feels about Tupac Shakur. Flex’s feelings were heard loud and clear when someone in attendance at a concert at BB Kings in New York City, recorded Flex on stage. “There are those that don’t f**k with Tupac. F**k ni**as sucking Tupac’s d**k. I don’t suck Tupac’s d**k. Make some noise if you miss f**king Biggie Smalls. Brooklyn, let’s go!,” the Hot 97 DJ said on stage back in 2010.
Flex would defend his comments by saying Tupac was “pushing out all that negative energy, he was pushing out all that negative energy on television, in the magazines and I know everybody loves the man and you should love him—but I don’t have to love him like that…”
“I know some of his fans are upset. Not only do I respect his music, I respect what he put down, what he made happen, the records he made, the records he sold, his positive energy in the beginning … and I know how passionate he was about his music. That’s not where any of this came from,” Flex added.
But, that was not the end of Flex’s rant about Tupac. Seven years later, prior to the release of Tupac’s ‘All Eyez On Me” biopic and a month after Tupac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the first solo hip hop artist, Flex went on another Tupac rant. This time, live on Hot 97.
“Tupac lied. Never, ever said nothing about him. Tupac f**king lied! Nobody wants to tell the truth. Y’all ni**as don’t want to tell the truth? It existed. Worshipping. T.I. talking about G code. That’s not G code. That ain’t G code. He lied and Biggie died. That’s my only issue. That’s it bro. Why’s that so hard? What’s so hard about that. You think that’s cool? You think that’s good? We worship that? I don’t worship that and I won’t and I don’t have to. I still have morals. I still have morals, I give a f**k. He lied, and he carried that lie to years to his graves. He knew Biggie didn’t lie and set him up. Ni**as shot and killed Big because of what he said,” Flex said shouting in tears live on air and on IG Live.
Once again, Flex received backlash from Tupac fans and many within the hip hop community. Treach of Naughty By Nature and the Outlawz released their own diss record aimed at Funkmaster Flex. Comedian, Mike Epps also went on to mock Flex, who cried during his 2017 Tupac rant. (View: Tupac Fans Praised By Treach For Keeping Legacy Alive)
Four years later and another rapper did not agree with the disrespect towards Tupac. Up next on Funkmaster Flex’s freestyle session on Hot 97 was Bay Area’s up and coming rapper, Symba, who decided to confront Flex in person on his on show.
“I started from the Bay, it’s amazing I made it here
I guess it’s safe to say I’m having a hell of a year
Flex, it’s a honor to meet you but let’s be clear
I done had a bone to pick with yo’ a** for four years
You been a big part of this culture my whole life
So what I’m ’bout to say, y’all most don’t feel right
You say some wild sh*t, most times you actually right
But all that disrespecting Tupac sh*t stops tonight
As a West Coast ni**a, Pac gave all of us pride
That’s why when you said what you said we was surprised
How you wait twenty-some years
To come in this motherf**ker and keep screaming, “He lied”
And he ain’t alive to tell his sidе
But I ain’t mad at you ’cause you was speaking your mind
To keep it real, what you said was on half thеse ni**as minds
Just the next time you say it, don’t sound like you ’bout to cry,” Symba
Flex had no choice but to accept the viral moment, as he said, “Alright! Alright! I’ma stop! I won’t say nothing about him no more. They love him in The Bay! He stopped me today. Never more,” before adding: “Rest in peace, 2Pac” and then apologizing.
“Yesterday made 26 years since Pac died… it was only right that I let @funkflex know how I felt about his comments on the goat 🐐,” Symba wrote on his IG caption sharing the freestyle. The post and freestyle was praised by Tupac’s childhood friend and Outlawz member, E.D.I. Mean. “Talk that sh*t young man💪🏾,” he wrote in the comments section.