With Nas currently celebrating the release of the Hit-Boy produced King’s Disease, an album overwhelmed with positive first-impressions, the legendary lyricist has been openly reflecting on the road he’s traveled thus far. Yesterday, Escobar took a moment to catch up with the Hot 97 crew, sharing a few notable anecdotes and tales from the early days of his career. As it happens, he actually addressed his short-lived beef with 2Pac, which all started after Pac believed Nas was taking shots at him on It Was Written.

Nas 2Pac

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“He explained that he thought I was dissing him on the song ‘The Message,’” explains Nas. “And I heard he was dissing me at clubs.” After clarifying that the song’s opening line — “fake thugs, no love, you get the slug” — was the one that offended Pac, Nas continues. “The last person I was even thinking about when I wrote that record,” he says. “I was writing, I was just going. It was just going at everybody. So he thought that. And then I said ‘I heard you was coming at me’ and back and forth.”

“He was like ‘Yo Nas, we brothers, man,’” reveals Esco. “We not supposed to go through this.’ And I’m like, that’s what I’m saying. We had a plan to squash it in Vegas. So I was out there when he was in the hospital, praying for him to come through. Rest in peace.” Though the pair were never able to have that sit down, Nas ultimately paid respect to Pac’s legacy on “Thug’s Mansion,” a heartfelt dedication to the fallen hip-hop legend. Hearing him speak on this now, it’s hard not to picture what might have been had Pac survived to add a few Nas collaborations to his already stacked repertoire.

Check out Nas’ reflection below, and go stream King’s Disease right here.