After 30 years, Angie Martinez is finally releasing her unaired interview with Tupac Shakur in a four-part podcast series on Netflix.
On Wednesday (Nov. 11), Netflix premiered the trailer for The Tupac Tapes with Angie Martinez, a four-part podcast series featuring an unreleased, unaired interview with Tupac Shakur conducted by legendary radio personality. The series will premiere Nov. 27.
Thirty years after it was recorded, Angie’s full interview with the late rapper will finally be made available to the public through this television event. Joining her to reflect on 2Pac’s enduring legacy and impact are fellow podcasters Joe Budden, Charlamagne Tha God, Big Boy and Wallo, as well as journalist-filmmaker Dream Hampton and hip-hop producer RZA.
Angie’s interview with Tupac took place in Los Angeles just three months before the legendary rhymer’s untimely death in September of 1996. Angie was a 25-year-old radio personality at New York’s Hot 97 who scored her first major interview with ‘Pac right in the midst of the heated East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud.
In the trailer, which can be viewed below, you can hear Tupac’s intensity at the time. “I’ve done more for credibility in hip-hop than any f**king artist,” ‘Pac says in the clip.
In an interview with Netflix, Angie explained why she held on to the tapes for over three decades.
“For a long time, I didn’t feel comfortable releasing the tapes. There were things said in that conversation that could have hurt people, damaged relationships, and added fuel to an already dangerous situation,” she said. “I did air portions of the interview that I felt represented ‘Pac’s message, particularly his desire to clarify that he wasn’t at war with an entire coast. But I chose not to release the more inflammatory parts.”
“After ‘Pac died, it became even more complicated. I felt a responsibility to protect something that was never meant to become his final statement,” she added.
With the series, Angie Martinez hopes fans come with a deeper empathy for both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., both of whom lost their lives to tragic outcomes that still remain difficult to process.
“I was actually on the radio the day ‘Pac died, and I remember having to tell our listeners the news. It was one of the most emotional moments of my career,” she said. “I think about that whenever I think about the real human cost of everything that was happening.”
“More than anything, I hope people leave with a greater sense of empathy. Because behind all the headlines, the records, the rivalries, and the mythology, there were real people. And the consequences were real,” she concluded.
Check out the trailer to The Tupac Tapes below.
Watch Netflix’s The Tupac Tapes with Angie Martinez Official Trailer
