The East Coast vs West Coast feud of the mid-90s was a dark period in hip-hop history, dividing the rap world into two main warring factions. Amidst the tension, there were few artists who were able to move freely between the battle lines and earn the respect of both sides.
One of them was Wu-Tang’s very own Method Man. The Ticallion Stallion was the only rapper in history to appear on both a Biggie and 2Pac album while both rappers were still alive. In 1994, Meth featured on “The What” off Big’s Ready to Die and was the sole rapper to have a guest verse on the now classic album.
“I didn’t know I was gonna be the only guest on the album,” he said in a 2011 interview. “There were a lot of dudes feelin’ Biggie back then. But he reached out to me. Maybe he called other guys and they didn’t answer the phone in time. Who knows.”
While the Brooklyn MC was in prime form spitting out sick bars like “Bitches I like ’em brainless, guns I like ’em stainless steel / I want the fucking fortune like the Wheel,” the Shaolin lyricist was right there with him with memorable lines like “Hey, I’ll be kicking you son, you doing all the yapping / Acting as if it can’t happen.”
Then later in 1996, Method Man and Redman appeared on 2Pac’s “Got My Mind Made Up” alongside West Coast luminaries Daz Dillinger and Kurupt. Produced by Daz, the posse cut was originally a Dogg Pound track that also featured Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck, The Lady of Rage, and RBX. However, their vocals were removed when Daz gave the song to Pac for his album.
In a 2014 interview, Redman revealed that he and Meth didn’t get a chance to work directly with Pac for the song. “We did that for Tha Dogg Pound,” Reggie recalled. “Yeah, when he came home he just needed material. So, he took songs that was already done to get his album done. And he just went in and did his verse on his own.”
