"
Hit 'Em Up" is a
diss song by
rap artist
Tupac Shakur (2Pac), featuring his group the
Outlawz. It is the
B-side to the single "
How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996, from the album
All Eyez on Me. The song’s lyrics contain vicious insults to several
East Coast rappers, chief among them, Shakur's former friend turned rival,
The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls. The song was recorded in
Los Angeles,
California at Can Am Studios in May 1996. Reporter
Chuck Philips, who interviewed Shakur at Can Am, described the song as "a caustic anti-East Coast jihad in which the rapper threatens to eliminate Biggie,
Sean Combs (Puffy), and a slew of Bad Boy artists and other New York acts." The song was
produced by long-time collaborator
Johnny "J" and samples the bassline from "
Don't Look Any Further" by
Dennis Edwards. The video, itself described as infamous, includes impersonations of Biggie, Puffy and
Lil' Kim.