Tekashi 69 doesn’t believe there’s any difference between himself and Tupac, according to a New York Times profile of the recently-released, rabble-rousing rapper published today. The broad-spanning interview finds the troublemaking 24-year-old in full tell-all mode as he opens up about his various missteps, including his 2015 conviction for using a child in a sexual performance (he continues to deny wrongdoing in that instance), his testimony against the Nine Trey Bloods (“I knew what I was doing with Nine Trey. I knew what I was getting into.”), and his penchant for nonstop trolling in the pursuit of fame.
To whit, the comparison between 69 and Pac. When asked about his above-mentioned guilty plea for posting a video of a 13-year-old girl in a sexual performance with an acquaintance (he maintains he didn’t know the girl’s age and was devastated to learn it after the fact), he points to Tupac’s 1994 conviction for felony sex abuse. “Tupac Shakur was convicted of rape,” he insists. “Is Tupac Shakur loved or hated? Loved! What’s the difference between me and Tupac Shakur? I never caught a rape charge — ever.”
He counters protests that Tupac gave back to the world through his music by playing “Troublesome ’96” and pointing out that it’s one of Tupac’s biggest songs. “What’s the difference between that and ‘Billy’?” he wonders. You’re telling me he gave back through his art? You’re lying to me.” When interviewer Joe Coscarelli points out that Pac was a multifaceted artist in comparison to 69’s more one-dimensional output, Tekashi contends that “I got to feed what, in 2020, is relevant. I got to feed the masses. There’s no difference between me and Tupac Shakur.”
Read the full interview here.