Mariah Carey Says She Wishes She Dated 2Pac While Recalling 1996 AMAs Encounter

2Pac is the one that got away for Mariah Carey. Mimi joined Power 106’s Brown Bag Mornings on Tuesday (Aug. 26), where she recalled an encounter with the late Death Row rapper at the 1996 American Music Awards, which made her heart skip a beat.

“Well, he said it like ‘Hi, Mariah,’ and I was like [ahhh],” she said of the brief interaction with 2Pac after he jumped out of a white Rolls-Royce, which left her with “more than butterflies.”

She continued: “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.”

“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,” the singer said before adding she definitely wanted to collaborate with Pac on a song.

Co-host Letty Peniche gushed about Mariah and 2Pac being the ultimate celebrity power couple if they ever had the chance to date. “I wish,” Carey bluntly replied.

While the pair of music icons never joined forces on a track, Mariah did interpolate Pac’s “Me and My Girlfriend” on 1999’s “How Much,” following the rapper’s death in September 1996.

September is gearing up to be a busy month for Mariah Carey, who will be receiving the honor of the Video Vanguard Award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. Carey’s next album, Here For It All, is due out on Sept. 26.

Watch the interview clip with Mariah Carey below.