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I know that many of you feel that Pac was the greatest of all time. But was he really? To me, Pac wasn't even a rapper but more of a spoken word artist who would preach over hot beats. If you really listen to 2Pac lyrics and examine his skills. A true hip-hop fan would see that he didn't have much. He never gave me and i am sure a lot of other people that "ohhhh" or "ahhhh" factor like from a rapper who uses metaphors and figurative language like B.I.G. or Jay-Z. Or even that "haha" factor that you get from a witty rapper like Kanye, Em or 50. He never gave you that picture painted in your head like a storyteller like Nas and Lupe Fiasco and even slick rick. 2pac never gave that clever wordplay like a rapper named Fabolous or Lupe Fiasco. So after mentioning these facts all Pac really had was DEEP LYRICS with really NO creative input at all. If you don't believe me listen to a Pac verse from any song that he made and compare it to a Nas, B.I.G. and Jay-Z from any song from their classic debut albums and honestly tell me who had the hottest verse. So at the end of the day was 2Pac overrated? Lets Be Honest People.
P.S. I am also a Pac fan and i am not trying to bash his legacy, i am just trying to open some of you people eyes and ears to what skills a true hip-hop mc/rapper should possess. Which includes hot punchlines, clever wordplay, witty lines, a nice flow most of the time and storytelling. All of those rappers i listed above had or have either 1 or more of those abilities. 2Pac only had DEEP SIMPLE STRAIGHTFOWARD lyrics and a hot flow some of the time. So in the end you can't compare a poet with lots of emotion with a rapper with creativity and delivery. REAL TALK.
Pac was a passionate poet, that's why alot of people think of him as one of the greats. He put forth alot of energy and emotion into his songs.
With that said, could he actually "spit"?
No. He was very repetitive when he tried, I mean how many times was he gonna rhyme something with enemies? LOL, but he was a good rapper and in my top 20 list, but not top 5.
As for Biggie, he too is slighty overrated but only because he only had 2 "real" albums. He could spit, tell stories, nearly everything. Had he continued to lived, his potential would be limitless.
TRUTH!
i've always felt that biggie was a ridiculous story teller...he used such vivid detail on some of those tracks, it was like listening to a radio play or a movie. think somebody's got to die, i got a story to tell, etc.
by all means hell no!! tupac was at one time, a revolutionary! i wasnt a big fan, but i loved his work and emotin that he put in his music. like suge said" pac was in the studio recording songs in a matter of minutes" he made people around him up their game to next level. so overrated, no. and he was an emcee!
i agree. i liked pac as a kid, and i think he was a great personality. i dont think of him as a rapper though...he was more interesting for his ability to put forth social issues in song, and his penchant for drawing attention and being larger than life. he brought hip hop to new outlets, and was definitely legendary. in a sense, he was a great actor, a big voice (and a great tone of voice...which helped). we all know from seeing him perform, and from all of the adlib verses on his later albums that he couldnt really spit live or freestyle. and i'd say for every banger, he dropped two duds, but who doesn't still listen to dear mama or hail mary tho...when he hit he hit hard!
I dont think your really listening to Pac. When you say hes not a storyteller what about "Brendas Got a Baby", "Aint Mad at Cha", or "Dear Mama". And ohhhh ahhh factors he ethers Big on "Hit em up" and the claim can be made that this song is more shock value but if your talking lyrical ohhhs I can agree with you that he isnt a punchline artist and wasnt the wittiest of emcees but you get the raw emotion and conviction of his words in Pac songs. I think his vocabulary was probably one of the best of any emcee and his ability to craft songs not just hot 16s is what makes him one of or not the best rapper of all time.
Well stated. I totally agree with you. I'm really tired of people getting on these message boards trying to bash Pac. "Let the late, great veteran live." You can't change anyone's opinion. If several people think he is the greatest, then he is the greatest. That's their opinions. I feel that he is the greatest too because of the passion and emotion he put into his music. No one on this site can define hip hop and what an artist is supposed to do to be "hip hop" so stop. Hip hop is an art form that can be interpreted differently by each of it's listeners, so of course we're going to have different opinions because we interpret differently, we relate to different things. Tupac was a poet by all means and this isn't an easy feat. You all diss him but I haven't heard anyone recreate the magic that was all his.
