Mariah Carey accepts the Ultimate Icon Award onstage during the 2025 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Tupac Shakur at the Club USA in New York City, New York
Key Takeaways
- Mariah Carey recalled a flirty backstage moment with Tupac Shakur at the American Music Awards.
- She reflected on the possibility of a musical collaboration with Tupac, saying she admired his artistry.
- Carey’s appreciation for the rapper continues through her music, including a 1999 track that samples one of his songs.
Mariah Carey is reflecting on a missed moment that fans of both R&B and Hip Hop never saw coming — a potential romance with Tupac.
During a recent interview on Power 106 Los Angeles’ “Brown Bag Mornings,” the Grammy Award-winning singer was asked about a brief but memorable run-in with the late rap icon that gave her “more than butterflies.” The moment took place at the American Music Awards, years before Pac’s untimely death.
“He said it like, ‘Hi, Mariah,’ and I was like [screams],” she recalled. “I was hosting the AMAs that year, so I had to keep going back and forth. But I wanted to keep going back and forth because that happened.” Carey, previously recounted seeing Pac pull up in a Rolls-Royce in her 2020 memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.”
She also said she would’ve been open to making music with him. “It was definitely in spite of anyone telling me not to... I love Hip Hop, and I love the moments that we’re talking about, especially ‘Hi, Mariah.’ So yeah, it was a pretty major moment for me to say the least.” Her admiration for Pac lives on, including through her 1999 track “How Much,” which samples his song “Me and My Girlfriend.”
When one of the hosts mentioned that she and Pac would have been “the power couple of all power couples,” Carey didn’t hold back her feelings. "I wish,” she said.
Mariah Carey on aging and timelessness
In a separate interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, Carey opened up about how she navigates getting older in the spotlight. “I don’t allow it — it just doesn’t happen,” she said of aging. “I don’t know time. I don’t know numbers. I do not acknowledge time.” The star has been hitting the interview circuit to promote her upcoming album, Here For It All, set to drop Sept. 26.