Old associates of TUPAC SHAKUR attempted to resurrect the West Coast/East Coast rap feud with P DIDDY at rehearsals for this week’s MTV 20th birthday show in NEW YORK.
Trouble flared on Wednesday night (August 1) when rap outfit The Outlawz, whom Shakur formed before his death in 1996, gatecrashed rehearsals for a tribute to Shakur and Biggie Smalls. The rehearsal featured Run DMC, Ja Rule, Busta Rhymes, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature and Puffy.
According to the New York Post, the Outlawz began “messing around and yelling”.
Combs ignored them until one of the Outlawz grabbed the microphone from his hand. “The kid confronted him and Puffy got right in his face,” claims the Post. “Puffy grabbed the mic back and everybody started screaming and talking trash. Suddenly everything got serious.” Another Post source reports the fracas becoming very tense. “There was a lot of pushing and shoving and people were flailing all over the stage.”
Security moved in and the Outlawz, who had conned their way in as guests of Naughty By Nature, were kicked out. The bad feeling goes back several years. Associates of Shakur frequently accused Combs of tacit involvement in the star’s death.