Arsenio Hall Says Tupac's Personality Was "A Unique Contradiction"

"You know what CNN is to news?" Arsenio Hall says. "My stage has always been that to Hip Hop."

Shortly after news of his relaunched talk show host being cancelled, an interview with Arsenio Hall has been released by VladTV.

During the interview, Hall reflected on his time interviewing and speaking with Tupac Shakur.

“I think my most memorable Tupac experience was the moment I realized his personality was such a unique contradiction,” he said. “I remember he wanted to sit his mom in the audience because when he talked about his first experience smoking weed, he wanted to be able to see his mom. I thought that was interesting because she turned him onto it. She wanted him to know what it was. She wanted him to know what it wasn’t. That’s how she educated Tupac. That was an interesting interview. Listening to him talk about that and seeing her.

“Also the Janet Jackson one was interesting,” Hall added, referencing a 1993 interview during a promotional run for Poetic Justice.

“I also remember Tupac calling me because he wanted to clear his name about some madness that went on with him and a young lady on the dance floor,“ the late-night host also said.

“So he wanted to come on and talk about that. You know, my Stage 29, just like my Stage 6, kind of like, you know what CNN is to news? My stage has always been that to Hip Hop.”

The Arsenio Hall Show was cancelled after it’s first season last month. The original version of the series ran between 1989 and 1994.