Will.i.am isn’t shying away from sharing his true feelings about a pair of hip-hop legends.
During a recent interview with Hip Hop Confessions, the Black Eyed Peas member offered up a hot take regarding 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G.
“Like when people say 2Pac and Biggie, I’m such a Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul head that I don’t like 2Pac and Biggie,” the 47-year-old explained. “That kind of music doesn’t speak to my spirit. I like Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One, I like—if it’s like, 2Pac or Biggie? It’s KRS-One. Why those two?”
Will.i.am said he doesn’t “hold them up like that.” He continued, “I hold Eric B. and Rakim like that. 2Pac’s dope—don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I don’t think he’s dope. It spoke to the projects. My escape is De La/Tribe out the projects.”
He maintained that while 2Pac “spoke to the projects,” De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest were the two hip-hop acts that gave him the truest escapism and inspiration.
“It took me out the projects physically, as far as being able to reach my dreams, that was my path out. … It kept me safe while I was in the projects,” he said. “Had I loved 2Pac and Biggie while I was in the projects, I probably would have been stuck in the projects still.”
Check out Will.i.am’s full take on Biggie and ’Pac up top.