The legendary radio personality opens up about why she kept portions of her 1996 Tupac Shakur interview hidden for nearly three decades and why she’s finally ready to share them with the world.
Nearly 30 years after conducting one of the most significant interviews of Tupac Shakur’s final months, legendary radio personality Angie Martinez is finally preparing to release previously unheard portions of their historic 1996 conversation.
The Radio Hall of Famer and New York Times bestselling author will revisit the interview in The Tupac Tapes with Angie Martinez, a four-part Netflix video podcast event premiering November 27.
The highly anticipated project will feature never-before-released material from Martinez’s conversation with the late rapper, alongside reflections from Charlamagne Tha God, Joe Budden, Big Boy, Dream Hampton, RZA, and Wallo.
For Martinez, the decision to finally share the recordings wasn’t easy. In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, she revealed that she deliberately withheld parts of the conversation because of the dangerous tensions surrounding hip-hop at the time.
“For a long time, I didn’t feel comfortable releasing the tapes,” Martinez explained. “There were things said in that conversation that could have hurt people, damaged relationships, and added fuel to an already dangerous situation.”
How the Historic Tupac Interview Happened
In 1996, Tupac was one of the biggest and most controversial artists in the world. The East Coast–West Coast rivalry was dominating headlines, and tensions between the rapper and several New York hip-hop figures were escalating.
Martinez, then a young New York radio personality, wanted to give Tupac an opportunity to explain his position directly.
The interview came about after Tupac contacted her about appearing in his music video for “I Ain’t Mad at Cha.” Although Martinez wasn’t comfortable participating, their conversation eventually led to an invitation to interview him at his Los Angeles home.
“When we spoke, he explained that his issues weren’t with all of New York, and I thought that was something people needed to hear,” she recalled.
Martinez said the encounter revealed the many sides of Tupac’s personality.
“Pac was passionate, emotional, funny, angry, brilliant — sometimes all within the same conversation. He had so much he wanted to say, and he trusted me enough to say it.”
Despite the controversy surrounding him, she also remembered his hospitality.
“He had New York pizza waiting for me when I arrived because he wanted me to feel at home.”
Neither could have known that just months later, Tupac would be dead at only 25 years old.
Although Martinez aired selected portions of the interview, she decided against releasing some of Tupac’s more inflammatory statements.
She feared that broadcasting everything could worsen the already volatile situation.
“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.”
Following Tupac’s death in September 1996, the decision became even more complicated.
“After Pac died, it became even more complicated. I felt a responsibility to protect something that was never meant to become his final statement.”
But after nearly three decades, Martinez believes the historical importance of the recordings outweighs her personal hesitation.
“I also realized these tapes were bigger than me. They’re a piece of hip-hop history, and I don’t think they should just sit in my possession forever.”
