Last updated on March 21, 2026
Tupac’s Makaveli album was not released as he had originally envisioned. The unreleased back cover boldly portrayed Puffy in a pink skirt as a ballerina and Biggie as a pig, underscoring Tupac’s unyielding assault on Puffy and Bad Boy Records. Pac was relentless in his feud, and the artwork captured the intensity of his rivalry.
“The album changed a lot when Pac died, it was no longer a mixtape and they made it into a studio album. The original artwork had images I did of Biggie as a pig and Puffy as a ballerina, because Pac was still at war with them. That all got taken out when it became this commercial project.” – Artist Ronald “Riskie” Brent
What’s your take on Tupac’s Makaveli cover?
Thomas Dishaw is the creator of Rap Therapy and a lifelong Hip Hop fan with deep roots in the culture. He previously worked at Heaven Studios, where he interviewed many of Detroit’s most influential voices.