One of the Most Unexpected Tributes Ever?
I don’t know about you, but when I think of Nintendo I think of family-friendly, light-hearted, vibrant video games. The last thing I’d ever think of when thinking about Nintendo is hip-hop! Yet it seems like in a recent trailer for Splatoon 2, Nintendo has paid homage to two famous 90s rappers, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.
Splatoon fans on Twitter seemed to have noticed what appears to be a tribute to the two legendary hip-hop performers. Check out the tweet below!
is it me or??? pic.twitter.com/K9bQ5Rw1BI
— Luggy (@MexicanLuggy) March 8, 2018
Now for a little rap history: Tupac and Biggie Smalls were former friends who became rivals in what is known as one of the most famous, if not the most famous, rap rivalries (or “beefs”) of all time.
The rivalry apparently started after Biggie Smalls released his 1994 hit single “Who Shot Ya?” which seemed to be mocking Tupac for getting shot while getting mugged in Manhattan a month earlier. In response, Tupac released several tracks that insulted Biggie Smalls and his record label, Bad Boy Records, and released his most famous diss track, titled “Hit ‘Em Up”, in 1996.
Tupac died in a shooting later that year and Biggie Smalls was also killed in a shooting a year later in 1997. Both of their shootings remain officially unsolved though many theories have been made about those who murdered the two artists who were considered to be the best rappers of the 90s era.
Again, not exactly the type of tribute you’d expect in a Nintendo game especially not one as kid-friendly as Splatoon 2! Do you think that this tribute is just a coincidence or was it deliberate? Let us know your views on this possible tribute in the comments section!