2pac: greatest rapper Alive

March 6, 1990 –

Just a day after N.W.A dropped 100 Miles and Runnin', sending shockwaves through hip-hop, Tupac made a move that nobody saw coming.

Instead of firing back with a diss track, instead of feeding into the beef, he did something completely different—something that had never been done before in a rap feud.

Tupac, through his label Death Row Records, announced that Mariah Carey's debut album would be dropping that night.

No warning. No promo run. No interviews hyping it up.

Just a simple statement from Death Row Records:

"Mariah Carey's debut album is available everywhere. Right now."

The Industry's Reaction: Confusion & Shock

When the news hit, the industry was stunned.

The beef between Tupac and N.W.A had been the hottest topic in music just 24 hours ago. Every major hip-hop journalist was locked in on the war between them, expecting a response from Pac.

But now?

Now, the conversation had shifted.

Instead of talking about Dre's diss bars, instead of debating if Pac would respond, the media had a new headline:

"Tupac Shakur Drops Surprise Album… But It's Not His."

It was a move nobody expected.

It wasn't just smart—it was genius.

Instead of giving N.W.A the satisfaction of a back-and-forth, he drowned out the noise completely by shifting the world's focus onto something else.

The Sales – Mariah Carey Dominates

If Tupac's plan was to overshadow N.W.A's EP, it worked better than even he could have imagined.

Mariah Carey's debut album, simply titled Mariah Carey, wasn't just a normal release—it was the event of the music industry.

First-Day Sales:

The album sold 180,000 copies in the first 24 hours.

Every major record store reported a massive demand for it, with many locations selling out by the afternoon.

By the end of the day, the album had already outsold N.W.A's first-day sales by almost double.

First-Week Sales:

By March 13, Mariah Carey had moved 750,000 copies, making it the best-selling debut album of the year so far.

The album was a mix of R&B, soul, and pop—completely different from what Death Row Records was known for. But that was the point. Tupac wanted Death Row to be bigger than just rap.

Every major music outlet covered it. Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV—all of them shifted focus from the N.W.A drama to Mariah Carey's sudden rise.

Billboard Charts Impact:

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.

Several tracks started climbing the Hot 100 instantly, including:

"Vision of Love" – #1 (Mariah's first chart-topping single)

"Love Takes Time" – #3

"Someday" – #5

"Vanishing" – #12

It was official.

Mariah Carey wasn't just a rising star—she was the next big thing in music.

The Streets & Industry's Reaction

Hip-Hop Fans: A Shift in Conversation

At first, people were confused.

One day, it was all about N.W.A versus Tupac. The next, it was all about Mariah Carey's voice, her songs, and the insane first-week sales.

The beef wasn't gone completely, but with each passing day, it became less and less important.

Even the people who were waiting for Tupac's response started losing interest.

"Man, Pac really did some chess move with this one," a fan said while sitting outside a record store in Compton.

"This dude really just made people forget about the beef in, what, 48 hours?" another fan added, shaking his head in disbelief.

It was becoming clear—Tupac had won without even responding.

The News Media: Mariah Carey Takes Over

MTV, which had been covering the beef extensively, suddenly had a new favorite topic.

Everywhere you turned, Mariah Carey was in the headlines:

Rolling Stone: "The Surprise Album Drop That Changed the Music Industry"

Billboard: "Mariah Carey's Record-Breaking Debut & How Tupac Orchestrated It"

MTV News: "Tupac's Label Drops Pop Album & Silences Hip-Hop Beef"

The conversation had completely shifted.

Even radio stations, which had been playing N.W.A's disses nonstop, started prioritizing Mariah's music.

It wasn't a coincidence.

Death Row Records had put millions into marketing, ensuring that every major station played Mariah's singles over and over again.

N.W.A's Reaction

For the first few days, N.W.A didn't react publicly.

But behind the scenes?

They were furious.

Eazy-E, Jerry Heller, and Dr. Dre had spent months crafting 100 Miles and Runnin', hoping to use it to bury Tupac's name in the industry.

And now?

Now, nobody was even talking about it.

Instead of responding, Tupac had erased the beef from the public consciousness.

Dre, the most personally hurt by Pac's departure, was the angriest.

"This ain't over," he told Eazy-E in a closed-door meeting at Ruthless Records. "He think he slick, but this ain't over."

But the truth was, for the general public, the beef was already fading away.

N.W.A had taken their shot.

Tupac had dodged it completely—and countered in a way nobody saw coming.

Carl Johnson's Reaction – The Business Perspective

Carl Johnson had been worried when 100 Miles and Runnin' dropped.

He had feared that the beef might spiral out of control, hurting Tupac's carefully built reputation.

But now?

Now, he was laughing.

Sitting in his UMG office, he glanced at the first-week sales reports. 750,000 copies.

"Pac really did it," he muttered under his breath.

This wasn't just a victory for Tupac—it was a victory for UMG, for Death Row, and for the entire industry.

Carl knew one thing for sure:

Nobody was ever going to underestimate Tupac again.

The Final Outcome – Tupac's Genius Move

What Tupac did on March 6, 1990, wasn't just about numbers.

It was about control.

He had turned an attack into an opportunity.

Instead of getting dragged into a battle he didn't need, he changed the entire conversation.

By the end of March, N.W.A's 100 Miles and Runnin' was still selling well, but the hype had completely died down.

Meanwhile, Mariah Carey's album was on its way to becoming one of the biggest-selling debuts of all time.

Tupac had done something nobody in hip-hop had ever done before.

He didn't just win the beef.

He made sure the beef never even mattered.

To Be Continued…