In the ’90s, Rashida Jones wasn’t the biggest fan of Tupac. Turns out, the root of it all stems from some controversial remarks the late rapper made about her father and legendary music producer Quincy Jones.
During an interview with The Source magazine back in the ’90s, Tupac dissed Quincy over his so-called affinity for white women.
“All he does is stick his d*ck in white b**tches and make f**ked up kids,” he said at the time, according to Vibe.
When Rashida caught a whiff of Tupac’s comments, she penned a blistering letter in which she defended her father — pointing out how Quincy set the precedent for younger artists like Tupac to have a viable mainstream voice and platform. In her letter, Rashida wrote that Tupac’s “ignorance and lack of respect for his people” was “destroying his race.”
Decades later, Rashida’s perspective has shifted a bit.
“Yeah, I was so mad. It was a new perspective to me. I kind of understand the nuance more now that I’m older. It just felt like a completely unwarranted attack,” she told the New Yorker in a recent profile.
She added, “It just felt like a completely unwarranted attack. My dad doesn’t work for the government. He’s a music producer. How he chooses to live his life and who he loves is just his own business, and I’ve always felt this way.”
Their relationship improved after Tupac began dating her sister, Kidada Jones. Tupac ran into Kidada in New York and approached her, mistaking her for Rashida.
“It resolved itself really nicely, because when I met him, he immediately apologized to me, immediately apologized to my dad,” Rashia said. “We sat down and had a really good conversation about it, and then he was family.”