Me and My Girlfriend

He describes loyalty, jealousy, and nights spent together, yet no human being lies by his side: in Me and My Girlfriend, Tupac sings to his pistol. The track sounds like a love song and is not one-what he means is the weapon. Tupac recorded the track in the summer of 1996 as Makaveli for The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Years later, a sample in Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s hit introduced the melody to a mass audience.

Recorded in a Few Days: Nas as Inspiration and Can-Am Studios

The album was created in the summer of 1996 at Can-Am Studios in Tarzana. Those involved stated that the recording sessions lasted only a few days. Tupac, Harper, and Hurt-M-Badd (Tyrone Wrice) share the production credit.

Outlaw Young Noble cited Nas’s song I Gave You Power, in which a gun speaks for itself, as the model. Young Noble stated this in an interview picked up by the English Wikipedia. It is an assertion, not proof. The parallel remains remarkable nonetheless, because Tupac took aim at Nas on Against All Odds at the very same time.

A Pistol Needs a Voice: Virginya Slim

The voice of the gun comes from Virginya Slim. She worked at Death Row and recounted in 2025 that several women hired by the label had previously failed to pull off the role convincingly. Tupac explained to her that the weapon needed a voice, otherwise the track wouldn’t work.

By her own account, she recorded her part in a single take, complete with acted-out gunshots and pauses (Complex, June 29, 2025). The story originates from her son’s social media accounts and is not independently confirmed.

The Weapon as a Companion on the Run

The lines play with double meaning: anyone who hears only the first verse understands a relationship; anyone who keeps listening recognizes the weapon. Tupac depicts the pistol as a companion who never lets him down, simultaneously describing an existence on the run. The lyrics are not reproduced here.

Clearance in a Single Day and a Dispute Over the Beat

On October 10, 2002, Jay-Z’s single ‘03 Bonnie & Clyde featuring Beyoncé was released. According to Wikipedia, producer Kanye West suggested building the beat from Tupac’s track after listening to the Makaveli album. The record company had to clear the sample within a single day. A&R executive Tina Davis told Vibe in 2003 that they negotiated all day with Afeni Shakur until clearance was granted.

Toni Braxton had used the same song for her track Me & My Boyfriend on More Than a Woman (2002). On October 8, 2002, she alleged that Jay-Z and West had stolen her idea. Both denied this (Entertainment Weekly, October 15, 2002). Mariah Carey had also already used the beat in 1999 for How Much on Rainbow.

Anyone searching for “Tupac Jay-Z Me and My Girlfriend” will find no joint song by the two, but rather this sample dispute. For the relationship between Tupac and Jay-Z, see the feuds page.

Pure Album Track Without Reliable Streaming Numbers

No reliable streaming figure could be determined for the album version; the analysis of 2Pac’s Spotify profile (kworb.net) captures only a marginal version. A single, a music video, or a certification is not documented in the sources reviewed. The track remained purely an album track.