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Amateur Night At The Apollo: Season Opener 2018

Source: Shahar Azran / Getty

Doug E. Fresh said that he served as a mentor to warring rappers Tupac “2Pac” Shakur and Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, and tried to keep the pair of the wrong path. Speaking at a recent panel event, the legendary rapper and entertainer called their tragic deaths a “sacrifice” and put the onus on the media for egging their beef on.

The New York Daily News reports:

Fresh spoke to Confidential at a screening of the USA Network’s show “Unsolved: The Murder of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.” The 10-part series reexamines the rappers’ deaths while also looking at allegations of conspiracy, heated East Coast-West Coast rivalries and police corruption. It premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m.

Fresh says both rappers were good friends of his.

“I used to train Biggie and Tupac, I used to try and keep him out of trouble,” he remembered. “They were great artists and I think they got caught up in some unfortunate circumstances. So I never feel good about that. And I think they were the sacrifice to bring awareness to how foolish things can get when the media puts fire under controversy that automatically turns into something bigger.

Fresh went on to acknowledge that the beef was indeed real on the streets, but framed the coastal war as “unnecessary drama” and thought their beef would not escalate as it did.

Photo: Getty