Posted by The meteoric rise of Tupac Shakur before his tragic, unsolved murder in 1996 remains one of Hip Hop’s most poignant cautionary tales.
Jeezy admitted he was reminded by Snoop Dogg and E-40 years ago that he could be as a casualty in the streets like the late Makaveli creator if he didn’t begin focusing on his music career.
During the latest episode titled “Mental Health, Grudges and Forgiveness” of Jeezy’s Best Advice podcast released Thursday (May 6), the Atlanta-bred Snowman discussed being “locked up in L.A. for some things that happened in the Bay” Area in 2014.
The Doggfather and 40 were among Shakur’s close friends. His death compelled them to approach Jeezy during a video shoot with Jeezy in Los Angeles, providing words of wisdom to chase a positive lifestyle.
“My mind was gone,” Jeezy said. “I was upset, I wanted revenge, and I wasn’t focused. My whole equilibrium was thrown off. I was really on some — it was crazy. I remember sitting down and they both sat down and looked at me and they just kinda like, side-eyed me… [They say], ‘You know what? You know what’s the difference between you and Pac?’ And I was just like, ‘Whoa.’ I’m like, okay.”
He added, “They just went on to say, ‘Yo, listen. Tupac never stopped what he was about. He never let up on his people. He never…’ And it was like ‘You, better get out here and do what you’re supposed to be doing, because these people believe you and they riding with you, and you ain’t moving right. And we telling you that.’
“I’m sitting with E-40 and Snoop Dogg and I’m like, ‘Damn. I’m gettin’ G-checked by the big homies.’”
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Jeezy was arrested and held on $1 million bail along with five other suspects in Irvine, California after police executed a search warrant on his tour bus. He was taken into custody on suspicion for illegal possession of weapons found on the bus and detained in Orange County Jail. Jeezy was apprehended on suspicion stemming from the shooting death of a 38-year-old man named Eric Johnson backstage at a Wiz Khalifa concert one day prior in the northern California city of Mountain View.
Jeezy has two additional arrests within three weeks in January 2014. The first arrest was when Jeezy turned himself in for allegedly beating up and threatening to kill his then-teenage son. His second time arrest occured when Jeezy allegedly cursed out officers and refused to provide his identification after they came to his former girlfriend’s house in Alpharetta, Georgia after its security alarm went off.
Jeezy eventually cleaned up his act and has released six albums since then, including The Recession 2 in 2020. He also got married to “The Real” daytime talk show host Jeannie Mai in March and he’s now the host of Worth A Conversation talk show on the Fox Soul TV channel.
Listen to Jeezy’s Best Advice: Mental Health, Grudges and Forgiveness podcast episode below.