Rap What Ifs: Jay-Z vs. Tupac
I dropped a post today over at XXL, about how I feel Tupac is still overrated. Reminded me of back in 1996, when I was still repping Roc-a-fella Records. “Reasonable Doubt” had just dropped and it was shortly after Pac died. I remember specifically one day, when Dame and Jay came to my office to handle some business. A couple of days after “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory” hit. Like a punch deep in the stomach. The mood in New York was very weird, somber, scary, eerie. Hip Hop wasn’t yet accustomed to having it’s rappers gunned downed.
Then there was the effect that Pac’s latest album was having, him still firing shots, this time at new targets, and from the grave. Jay was one of those targets. On that Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply) song. Most likely in response to Jay’s collabo with B.I.G. on Brooklyn’s Finest. Everyone, still in deep shock after Pac’s death, now getting hit with more shit. Almost unbearable the emotions floating around.
So I had heard Pac’s shots, and Dame and Jay were sitting in front of me. Curious as to what they felt, how Jay felt, I asked him “so, you gonna come back at dude?” It was a very natural question, what with me being accustomed to young Jay ready to decimate any foes at the drop of a dime. He looked at me with a shocked look, at how stupid my question was. Like I said, it was a lot to take in. His response “Nah, I’mma leave the dead alone.” Dame added “We had something…but nah.” The look in Jay’s eye spoke different, like Pac’s passing robbed him from firing back, from dropping the most perfect diss record ever. It was a look of deep regret.
I know I’ve been running this beef topic for a while, maybe too much, but my XXL post just reminded me of that moment. When emotions were raw. Before Jay became platinum “Hova The God”, and when Big Poppa was still alive. I never got to hear what they, what he had in mind.
But all I’m thinking right now is “What if…”
Pac woulda smashed him. Pac was just too vicious and would have been funnier. Pac in his day was the 50 cent of intros and outros. I mean Jay lyrically would have decimated the kid, but
“Jay-Z of Hawaiian Sophie Fame, and other corny sounding rappers” is still one of the best lines ever. In a battle sometimes its not about lyrics and Pac would have crushed Jay in ever other category. This is way before Jay was super dominant remember.
Also Pac is under rated if anything.
*daps Mr.Meen*
I think at that point in their career Jay woulda murdered Pac (no pun intended). He was still the animal running through rappers in NY. It wouldn’t have taken much to expose Pac as a joke, for all the Rah Rah he talked it was evident by his business moves he wasn’t the boss of his own situation. Jay and Dame had the Roc a Fella lookin like the Bulls pre MJ retirement and Pac was the Allen Iverson of rap back then. Shit talkin aside Pac didn’t really have a chance.
their careers > their career
had the Roc > had the Roc a Fella
@theco – “I think at that point in their career Jay woulda murdered Pac (no pun intended)” MY GUY THAT IS NOT A PUN, LEARN YOUR ENGLISH!!! BTW at the time pac was ahead of every dude in the game in terms of visibility (see media ie rap mags,movies,hype etx etc)
No question, even then, Jay was lyrically superior to Tupac. I wonder less what it would’ve sounded like, and more how it would’ve been recieved(if he released it when Tupac was alive), especially considering the fact that Pac stannery was nowhere near the level it’s at currently.
I have to ask you this CJ, it is off topic but I need an answer, remember your XXl post the other day where you said Jay was afraid to respond to 50? After those predictions that 50’s last album will be a straight bust, do you still think it would have been a smart move for Jay to respond? I don’t think you were right I think it would have been a bad move on Jay’s part, but I am interested to hear if you still believe Jay was scarred or maybe smart in not responding.
Remember that one side effect of Jay dissing Nas was that Nas’s career was revitalized. That is a fact, I roll with a crew of Jay Stans. We’ve been Jay Stans since Reasonable Doubt. And stans like us, which there are quite a few, support the Jay in weird ways. For instance, we weren’t feeling Nas for a long time (for good reason, that Nastradamus shit seemed like the end of his career). But when Jay went hard at him, most of us had decided that we were going to buy his album just to see what the kid would do. Not only did we buy Stillmatic, but a few of us were so pleased with his response to Hov that we copped a few more oh his albums (even that lost tape joint).
My point is that if Jay wouldn’t have attack Nas, I don’t think Nas would have been relevant for as long as he was. Now, 50’s career was on the line. So, he tried to pick a fight with Jay-Z. But let’s be honest with ourselves, all he did was say some little fly shit. Where is 50’s Jay-z Diss? He wants Jay to attack him, so that he can make a reply. That’s how Jay got into trouble with Nas. He went all out on Nas after Nas made that song saying some fly shit, but really if you think about it Nas out chessed Jay on that shit. He made Ether, which really didn’t answer “takeover” it just made some claims that got people to say shit like “Jay-Z is too old.” And if Jay made a song replying to 50, 50 would be in a situation to save his career maybe, but I wouldn’t by that shit no matter what. I look at 50 as a comedian. I mean don’t get me wrong he does have mad cake, nobody can hate on him on that level. But dude is all about gimmicks.
Fuck you Combat Jack!!! R.I.P. the goat, Tupac!
Niggarachi – Why must you diss CJ for siding with Jay?
Don’t be a poor sport.
How the fuck does Pac’s dumb thug shit compare?
Print one verse that bodies Jay or BIG, you cannot, there is not one in existence.
And dont gimme that I fucked Faith Evans shit, so what if he did.
Biggie got his knob slobbed while his fat ass was eating a bucket of KFC, to me thats waaay more “gangsta” & way less deplorable.
Pac just showed what a disrespectful car thief he was with that move.
Not to mention dude raped a broad! How can u even slightly respect him?
He prolly got his shit pushed in while he was ‘inside’! You know how they do rapists !
Sure, Pac had charisma, flash – pizzaz, media presence, chicks liked him, etc…
But all he wanted was to get his dick wet & be on TV. NOT rock the MIC like a real MC.
Tell me, in a lyrical cypher, who would you guys rather hear?
Who would win?
Again, Jay & BIG = Real MC’s.
Pac = nonsense.
Pac is NOT the GOAT.
Fallen Star, Bay Area Legend, excellent actor – sure I give him that.
But that is about it.
You Pac droids listening to Hip Hop or you watching MTV Cribs with a nose ring & backwards bandana?
Give Credit where it is due !!
@Marcus- TO ANSWER ANSWER YOUR Q my fried friend! NaS > hova… NaS spit realness (see ILLMATIC) Ether = best come back song EVER… Jigga is at the down slope of the mountain now so fif knows he can take him out on the the rap/mc tip… case closed
[...] AND: Rap What Ifs: Jay-Z vs Tupac [...]
THIS RAP SHIT IS A BLOOD SPORT!
pun or no pun, it aint shit a nigga rapping to work of a debt can tell a nigga who runs his own company. visibilty and all, Pac was an employee of the month showin his ass tryin to make assistant manager. what could he really tell Jay besides “fuck you, you wear Hawaiin shirts”?
@SbuJah
Listen, I’m not making any claims to who is the best rapper, or who is better (especially the debate between Jay and Nas). I think those discussions go no where. I just bringing up the followings that these rappers have. To me it seems that followings is what is important. Jay-Z’s following is stronger than Nas and 50 Cents. That doesn’t mean that Jay is a better rapper. I’m not sure what decides who is the best rapper, I think that is a question that is to subjective to even be given a real answer. People have different taste. And people react to different songs and artist differently.
For example, even when Biggie was doing it like no one ever did it lyrically I was still feeling jay more when he dropped Reasonable Doubt. Just because I was already on some hustling shit. (Let me qualify that, I am not claiming I was doing anything illegal to get paper. I was in high school working two jobs, selling bootleg movies, gambling, and trying to stay fly in the worst city in Michigan – Highland Park. While at the same time keeping my grades up because I was dreaming of law school and getting out of the hood). The reason I like Jay music is because no matter what his content was (drugs, or marketing himself) he was playing chess in regards to getting cake. His music was always about getting bread and moving up.
But just because I feel his words and his mentality doesn’t mean that I think he is better than Nas. To me he won because he kept his fan base. That might mean he lost the battle, but won the war. I actually didn’t feel ether was as great as most people did. I just thought Nas had the advantage of making a response record rather than an attack record. Defense is always easier than offense. Plus some of the things he said against Jay-Z were just silly to me – like making fun of his age. While I thought Jay really made some valid attacks on Nas’ music, and criticizing what Nas was talking about in his songs. And I really thing the Blueprint 2 (song) really killed Nas on that level even more.
But all of that is my opinion. There are some facts you need to explain, like Nas’s last two albums. I mean it seems like his fans aren’t even supporting that garbage. Shit, they probably sold what they did because of Jay-Z fans. I know I bought Hip Hop is Dead for Black Republicans, just like I bought Cam’ron’s Come Home With Me for that New York joint with Jay ( I also bought that Carter 3 for Mr. Carter, but I already said I was a Jay stan – at least I am honest).
By the way I don’t think anyone could beat Pac at that time. I wasn’t ever really feeling his music, but he had a movement like no one else in history except maybe Eminem when he first came out.
Jay was still on the come up if alot of y’all remember and he was the only emcee reppin’ Rocafella, so all this “Jay looking like Pre-retirement MJ” is complete Bullshit !! Please stop the madness ! If homie wanted to go at Pac he had plenty to do so before Pac’s passing. The way I see it, he was just waiting to see what BIG was gonna do and follow that. The only emcee’s to have the gall to step up after being called out was Mobb Deep !! There’s no ” What if” about Jay vs. Pac.
If Biggie or Jay would have released a diss song against Pac, no one ever would even mention Hit ‘em up or think about Pac as the best.
R.I.P. 2Pac…for so many reasons..
R.I.P. Biggie…the GOAT of all GOATs
@liaBIGPUnov,
that’s easy to say now knowing 2 of the players are no longer with us but there’s no telling what would’ve popped off if they had set it off and retuned fire on Pac and his boys. I myself, was quite disaapointed that only Havov and Prodigy jumped on. It is what it is. It’s easy to say that Jordan would’ve had more than six rings if he didn’t retire but who’s to say that would’ve transpired ?
Theoretically speaking bait Jay would win if it actually came to a diss track. Lyrically its not an argument, though Pacs passion could easily swing public opinion. Prodigy wouldve merked him as well “Drop A Gem On Em” even as a subliminal>>>>Hit Em Up even as a straight up track. Some might consider that blasphemous but its true.
RIP Pac. I will say though that CJ you and your challenging of his status in the game is actually vital, some objectivity is a good thing. Its actually crazy how angry people are of that post, but it is indicative of dudes influence. Im not gonna lie that post, even as one from years ago, did scream shock tactics. I know his catalogue aint monumental but Me Against is a classic LP and his best CD. I saw your point and pretty much agree with it but it was put forth in an extreme way.
Actually you can hear Jay-Z’s ‘unreleased’ diss to 2Pac anytime, just google Jay-Z Sauce Money Dead or Alive pt 2…vids will pop up and yes he mentions Pac by name on the third verse, Jay’s second. It’s not bad but it sounds like Jay could have taken it waayyy more serious, it’s no “Drop a Gem” or anything. I have to believe it was recorded before Pac was actually killed, or else all that drop a body talk would be straight heartless.
Victor: Prodigy would have merked him with “Drop a Gem on ‘Em”? That song was released on a B-side in ‘95, a year before it came out on Hell on Earth, and it barely scathed Pac’s knuckles. Understand that disses like that were being recorded against Pac all over NY at the time…all the greats upholding the east coast like Nas, BIG, (apparently) the Fugees, Mobb Deep, and all of them were just sending lil’ subliminals out there while Pac was wilding out recording “Hit ‘em Up” and “When We Ride on Our Enemies” and talking shit about duffing Nas at the VH1 awards and fucking Faith Evans. Jay-Z wasn’t at that make-or-break level where he could damage Pac at the time, hell, he hadn’t even sold a million records yet in 1996.
To take it and relate it to a current analogy, Jay-Z to 2Pac then was like 50 Cent to Jay-Z now, except Jay didn’t even have millions or a track record of terrorizing the industry like 50 does today. Still if the shit had gone down I believe they would have just made up eventually and done music, which would have been the best outcome.
@Marcus – my guy… valid points all the way thru… BUT I am speaking about rap skills (ie 1 on 1 b-ball ish)! wud pac have won on lyrical assault (SEE RAP/MC SKILLS)… NO! is “hov” the best to spit at a mic… NO. PERSPECTIVE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING brother… go listen to renegade and then listen to success (off american gangster) and then come back and tell me what you think! ME I THINK UR NIG GOT MURKED ON HIS OWN ISH! CASE CLOSED
chess is an art and jigga’s moves are mad tight (see business success and choosing “rap” battles wisely etc etc etc)
First of all. If somenone is close to Pac, it is Snoop, Eminem or DRE!! Jay-z is good. But not a LEGEND like 2Pac. Many of you guys have forgotten what Pac did!! He was a smart and kind man, Pluss he was smashing the Streets with Beats and Rhyms!RIP PAC!!
@SbuJah
He did get Em to drop one of the top 3 verses of his career on a Blueprint Album (in return he gave him a throw away song on that 8mile Sound track). That looks like a case of Jay hustling Em. Or you can look at it like this, Em probably felt like he had to do his best since it was going to be on a Jay album which is just mad respect.
I don’t know why you would bring up that Nas’ verse from Success That ish was not fire.
@MrJ
“If somenone is close to Pac, it is Snoop, Eminem or DRE!! ”
You are clearly up on some morning screwdrivers (4 parts vodka, 1/2 part OJ). Dre, my dude is not a rapper. And that ish that Snoop and Em are making these days is hot piss.
Didn’t reasonable doubt drop just in june 1996? I remember cos I was bumping the album around my 16th birthday.Wouldn’t that mean 2pac was alive at the time?
I remember that time pretty clearly and while I completely agree with Combat Jack’s dissection of Pac’s underwhelming discography, very few wanted it with Pac back then- skills aside. In hindsight, I think, as I always have, that Pac was a fraud, a chameleon and a created character- Bishop Shakur as somebody put it. Jigga could have destroyed him with a diss. But on some level, there was fear I think. Fear of violence, fear that Pac might just have completely lost his mind and would do something stupid. I remember bumping the Makaveli joint riding around Brooklyn after absolutely wearing out Reasonable Doubt and thinking to myself “damn, Jigga’s should have taken this dude out when he was still alive.” I always wondered why he didn’t.
I am the biggest Pac fan and yes it would have been a good battle wit him and biggie but jay was hungry back then and i think he would have smashed on pac a la 50 to Ja Rule….this is coming from one of the biggest pac fans i repeat but i study the game and pac had so many weaknesses that could have been exploited in a rap battle.
@Curtis75Black
Although everyone kind of denies it, both Who shot ya? and Long Kiss from Big are kind of Pac disses and one has wit, the other has fire. So yes, maybe you can’t tell whether Jordan would have won 6 more titles if he had played longer of if he had not faced Magic without a sidekick for so long, but based on those tracks and Kick in the Door, you can make the projection that with a very high probability Biggie could have made a better (open) diss record against Pac, just as you could say that with the way defense works in the NBA today, MJ might have had 40 ppg each season.
@liaBIGPUNov,
oh no doubt !! Biggie would’ve went in on Pac, NO QUESTION !! The problem is he didn’t. The same goes for Jay !! I heard the unreleased this morning on the way to work and it was tight. I can’t stand subliminal shots though. You gotta say the niggas name, you must go head on, fuck a jab. I honestly feel if BIG would’ve answered homie the right way, there would be alot more respect.
the fact is JAY & BIG DID’NT WANT IT WITH PAC.Everyone around at the time knows that.Pac was a beast in 96..he became a bonafide superstar that yr..Big & Jay could’ve dropped any diss record they wanted…it would’nt have done shit..Pac wads just too strong/popular that yr,he hjad the westcoast & the south riding for him & closet eastcoast fans
Let the man rest in peace..Like it or not he made 3 consecutive classics when he was alive,cry all you want but Pac only gets more popular..i respect Jay but he clearly did’nt want it so there’s no point intalking bout it.
honestly i didn’t like jay-z for the longest time because pac didn’t like him, i was on some east coast/west coast ignorance at the time being a west coaster, but i mean, rap started in new york, so it only makes sense to pay homage, but hip hop in its teenage angst phase was standing up to the fatherland of new york and i would say i was happily proud of throwing up the dub, only within the last few years have i gone back and listened to a lot of jay-z’s music and come to appreciate his wordplay, and the thing is, pac always talked shit on nas too, but i never stopped liking nas, that dude to me was untouchable, and then when jay and nas had a beef, i think to this day that nas literally ethered jay-z, its crazy cause the way i saw the jay-z/2pac beef is completely opposite of the way you saw it, damn you were straight up on the frontlines
GTFOHWTBS !
Jay would have DESTROYED Pac, hands down.
This is coming from a West Coast / Bay Area cat!!!
Fuck all that dumb Thug Life gangster bullshit.
Pac was too fucking ignorant for his own good.
Yeah he had some club & street heat, I liked some of his joints – All Eyez on me was hot for the dimes in the clubs.
But dude is not of the same caliber as a Jay or Biggie – NO WAY NO HOW.
I don’t celebrate his death nor am I glad he is gone, but fuck his music.
I hope no more comes out, shit is played to death, let him rest in peace & lay his (Pac’s) legacy to rest once & for all.
Much as I dislike his garbage, it sickens me to see him exploited so much.
But again, Jay vs. Pac – ESPECIALLY back then???
GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE. Jay %110 .
West vs East bullshit beef nonsense aside – Mc vs MC – Line for Line, Jay is a real MC. JAY GOT LYRICAL HEAT. SHIT IS SCIENTIFIC.
Pac was an ignorant retard who happened to posses some great poetic talent.
Beyond that, he sucked ass & was not a B-Boy in any sense.
Come on man, that Poopocolypse shit? Brenda had a baby? I get around? WACK WACK !!!
Cool party shit sure, but shit is gay as Hammer pants.
Now Jay???
D’Evils, Feelin it, Brooklyns Finest, Dead Presidents, Cant knock the Hustle, etc…
NO COMPETITION. EVER !!!
And I say it again – I am a West Coast Bay Area cat, never been to NY & honestly not even a fan of Jay Z anymore.
But for that era? JAY SLAYED THEM.
PERIOD. Don’t even front.
This is Hip Hop !!!
Pac was not Hip Hop. He was Thug Bullshit. Weak.
And Biggie, please – Best Ever !
Way more style, lyrical talent & hustle than Pac.
PLEASE – DO NOT FRONT.
I was born & raised in the Town (Oakland) !!
I love my Bay folks, but come on, don’t front just cuz Pac was out here.
Rest In Peace Pac.
Rest in Peace B.I.G.
Jay – LAST MAN STANDING – Nuff Said.
I can only imagine what Jays record woulda sounded like.
I know what Pacs garbage woulda sounded like!!!
Gay ass beats with a bunch of I’ll shoot you & bone your girl nonsense.
Pffffffttt !!!!
And if any of you Pac-Men’s wanna really take it down a few notches and argue on the level of real mean ass thug street level gutter shit…
I still would not even hand it Pac’s no shirt tattoo’s-for-TV ass.
Lets push Jay & Biggie aside…
BIG L !!!
BIG L would have eaten Pac alive, shitted him out & then lit his steaming ass on fire.
ENOUGH SAID.
Shit, BIg L may have even slayed JAY (I know I’m pushing it here, but cmon. L was ILL!!).
Have you Pac lovers ever heard a Big L & Jay Freestyle?
GAME FUCKING OVER.
Pac has never ever ever never ever not even slightly done anything remotely as sick & HIP-HOP as that shit!
Jay is/was a better lyricist. Pac was a better gangsta rapper. Far as MCing, in the general definition of the term, back then Pac may have been a better MC-moving the crowd & what not, purely based on the energies emitted-but his lyrics weren’t anywhere near Jay’s. Even before Jay got off doubling up his rhymes, that took a certain amount of skill. Where Jay was sly & slick with the sublims, metaphors, etc., Pac brought it to your face, so there would be no confusion or even hitting the rewind button, unless to revel in the sheer disrespect factor. That’s that gutter shit that unfortunately, cats respect more. Well, some cats @ least. Usually in competition, the skill level works to the advantage of the agitator. Pac was loud, boisterous, obnoxious.
Pac wouldn’t have been able to out-diss Jay, but the sheer gravity of a song like ‘Hit Em Up’ takes it a step beyond clever lyrics. The intro alone was hammer to nails.
“Thats why I fucked your bitch you fat motherfucker”
Whoa! Thats a nigga coming out swinging, regardless of being formally trained in combat or otherwise.
& Pac brought out a certain level of danger. He’s spitting @ camera’s, shooting @ undercover cops (y’all remember that?), allegedly raping chicks, dude was wild. Whether fabricated or not, he became Bishop, & that had to be a red flag to most people, even the most skilled rappers.
Once he became the messiah of west coast/down south gangsta rapdom, fuck music. This dude had some type of death wish.
Those who respect the power of words give a nod to Jay because he was the far better lyricist.
Jay wrote novels, Pac wrote social commentary. Two completely different worlds.
I guess the “victor” would be based on what facet of the artist one respects more.
I respect the lyrics, because when the hype dies down, it’s the quality of the product that remains.
Pac would have got killed in a battle with Jay. Pac was a bullshit lame lyricist. I’m surprised Chino XL didn’t get at him after the mention on “Hit ‘em up”. Chino would have murdered him. Real talk.
I think the Jay VS Pac debate is pretty simple technically. Jay was a much better lyricist at that time. Pac didn’t have anything on Jay-Z and this was a time where Jay-Z was brutally jumping on any rapper that dared challenge him. Jay-Z would’ve come lyrically destructive and if Tupac did a response Jay-Z would’ve come back even harder. You have to realize that this was a time where Jay-Z still felt as if he were an underdog, underground artist, and if a giant like Tupac was attacking him, taking him down on a national beef level would’ve given him incredible kudos. Imagine the legacy he would’ve had today if he was known as the rapper who lyrically destroyed Tupac. Even though Biggie was a much greater lyricist than Tupac as well, he lacked the viciousness and darkness that Jay-Z had in his lyrics. Jay-Z wouldn’t have just beat Tupac, he would’ve made sure that Tupac would never be remembered as “Tupac the poetic gangsta rapper”, but “Tupac the guy who got slaughtered by Jay-Z”. Jay would’ve rocked Tupac and thought nothing of it, it would just be a ladder to the fame he would garner later with Hard Knock Life.
That being said this is a dumb what if in my opinion. I love this blog, but CJ needs to be more creative with his what ifs. 50 couldn’t beef with Jay-Z because Jay would destroy him lyrically and then let the legal aspects handle itself. He’s too bored for that “entertainment” genre of beef. A real beef? Jay-Z VS Common. I’m telling you, Kanye did his most artistic stuff with Chi-towns finest and lyrically Common was always beyond his time. He was doing next level flow and rap before Jay-Z, and while I like Hova more today, Common should be a legend, and I feel that he’s one of the most underrated rappers around.
You cats is home, screamin the fight’s on
I’m in the fifteen hundred seats, watchin Ty-son
Same night, same fight
But one of us cats ain’t playin right, I let you tell it.
BIGGIE SMALLS & JAY Z I LOVE THE DOUGH.
I dont think Jay was speakin on Tyson or was he??Something screams SUBLIMINAL in this verse !!
props.i feel you on that xxl article.i think similar.
still seein pac as a dancer for d.u.
in front of my inner eye.
Hov woulda smashed Pac! I never rated Pac either! Not a lyricist IMO! He could never eff with Jay on lyrics, metaphors, cadence, flow… I can go on! I’ll say this I do believe Pac stood for something and was very prolific! You felt his pain and struggle in every verse! That’s all good but that doesn’t make you a Top 5 caliber emcee!
[...] Rap What If’s: Jay-Z vs. Tupac [Daily-Math] [...]
pac the shit,, lyrics wasnt really bout shit back then obviously cuz jay wasnt shit he blew up after biggie and pac died.. pac was 2 raw for every industy nigga.. niggas aint want it with that guy face it and get off jay z dick already he over rATED
Why was Jay Z’s AMA speech edited ? U can clearly see it @ the 1:41 Mark.Listen & read his lips http://bit.ly/7vMBy2
Big is up there.. top 10 fo sho, but goat ?????
How can an mc with 2 lps be considered goat, only because he was murdered.
More manufactured hype bought into by non thinkers. Too many no hip hop knowledge young bois on these blogs throwing around terms like goat.
A true goat predates biggie, a true goat influenced biggie. A true goat was biggies hero.
Did biggie have to battle any mcs that actually ranked ?
2 lps deep aint cutting it.
Pac the dancer/ school boy actor/ wanna be blood, dont even rate as an mc. As we see he didnt rank too highly as a gangsta neither.
Come on son.
Everybody gets their moment of glory and eventual lull in good judgement but ‘Pac at that time was unbelievable. He was decimating everyone who even thought of stepping in his path. Former label bosses (Dre), rivals and foes (Big, Jay, Nas), and whoever else wanted some. He was a man on a mission and nothing wouldve stopped him at that time. 50, Eminem, Nas, Game, and everyone else who have used below the belt blows and a never surrender mentality have all been influenced by Pac during this 95-96 period of his life. Rap was changed forever with his ascendance and rap was changed forever with his passing. To this day everyone wonders, what if Pac survived those shots? That’s the real question.
‘Pac > pick any rapper
Jay couldn’t beat DeShawn Stevenson, who comes off the bench for the Wizards.
not one for comparing, my man Pac’s double album never left my car’s cassette player for like a year haha, same with Biggy, man startin’ to think that car was cursed
@ LIKE.THAT.YALL
As far as B.I.G. goes…
his career stretches more than just two albums. If those were the only songs he ever did, that would be one thing, but he has lots of other verses, songs, etc. over the course of those four or so years he was out.
Also, it’s quality vs. quantity. There’s even a lotta rappers who, despite their long careers, are widely loved for little more than one or two albums. Same with Pac, because everybody knows he finally hit his creative stride between Me Against the World and the Makaveli album. That’s roughly under two years of work that made him an icon forever. Had he passed with only 2Pacalypse and Strictly… under his belt, he wouldn’t have been HALF as revered as he is today.
It’s not so much on a “but Biggie only had two albums!” scale as it is all of his work over those years (including but not limited to the albums). His body of work in that context speaks for itself.
-D!
Well the fact of the matter is that BIG and JAY could’ve gone after Pac but they didn’t lord knows why,so don’t give me shit saying “”BIG,JAY would have smashed Pac blah blah”"…East coast rappers got better flow specially Rakim ….east nd west rappers also differ on the lyrical subject west coast shit is a bit more VIOLENT….Pac was real nd true,the realest MC ever.I’m from asia but i can feel pac’s lyrics although i’m not grown in those circumstances.When he rhymes u can relate to his words thats the point of his success i guess,songs like DEAR MAMA, KEEP YA HEAD UP, I WONDER IF HEAVEN GOT A GETTO nd many many more, but he’s got a mere subject most of times he raps that i dislike.Biggie’s GIMMIE THE LOOT, SKY’S THE LIMIT but got only 2 albums and the albums thereafter are garbage like Pac’s- Pac’s Life(nd dnt say shit like those 2 album did it all, fuck it, if Pac did 7 album in those 5-6 months “ya it was in those periods listen to the subject of the song nd Pac’s voice it justifies” why didn’t Big, nd yea UNTIL THE END OF TIME(i like this album equally as All eyez On Me, way too underrated)nd BETTER DAYZ are double disk albums. Jay’s D’EVILS,DEAD PRESIDNETS.Nas whole Illmatic(only got 10 songs,thats the reason i cant consider this album the best).Rakim’s I AIN’T NO JOKE are some deep shit…but Rakim’s lost in the whirlwind now….and for those who say Pac can’t freestyle see the movie BEEF where he is freestylin and Warren G is on the side nodding….Jay nd Big= Better flow; Pac= Better lyrics.Jay better stop writing about how many cars he got,how many bedrooms he got in his house,etc etc”I’m in the fifteen hundred seat, watchin Tyson” Mayn i dont give a fuck how much dollar that seat was, i hope u understand my point….Pac is a dramatist while Big is a storyteller,but the words Pac nd Big now-a-days are used for popularity coz they got large background.For instance if some rapper says Pac is his mentor then Pac fan will obviously like him TRICK SHIT….. take this poll too, selling web-sites ………..FUCK IT I JUST SPENT MY TIME WORTHLESS…………….
Hey DANJ ur comment sucks
“Had he passed with only 2Pacalypse and Strictly… under his belt, he wouldn’t have been HALF as revered as he is today.”
what if BIG had passed at that very time he wouldn’t be even known…….
PLZ stop writing biased comments.
Hey DANJ ur comment sucks man
“Had he passed with only 2Pacalypse and Strictly… under his belt, he wouldn’t have been HALF as revered as he is today.”
what if BIG had passed at that very time he wouldn’t be even known…….
PLZ stop writing rubbish.
Hey NepThug… I’m about to shut your whole argument down.
What you’re saying makes no sense at all. I’m not talking about dying in ‘93, I’m talking about dying with two OK albums and a couple hits under your belt. Of course, if BIG died before he was ever able to put out an album, he wouldn’t have even been known, but what the fuck’s that gotta do with the price of memorabilia?
I’ll clarify for you: if Pac died with his role in ‘Juice’ and two aight albums with about three hits btwn the two of ‘em… it’s not the same as dying with numerous news headlines, Me Against The World (including ‘Dear Mama’ which is a timeless song), All Eyez On Me (which was his most successful album to date at the time of his death), and all the hits he had POST-’93. Take all that he did after ‘93 and say that never happened, and you have the death of a talented artist who didn’t really get to reach an apex, and was still starting to establish a strong run.
Now in contrast to that, B.I.G. had a near three-year run at the time of his death and had a new album that everyone was waiting for. He’d already been at the top of his game and celebrated as a top artist in hip-hop, just like Pac was when he died six months earlier.
They both died with the same magnitude surrounding their careers. It just so happens that one did it sooner than the other one did. That’s not a knock on ‘Pac, it’s just the reality of what happened. Following me now?
-D!
cure hangover
Tupac, jay and biggie are all good, but tupac is better off. All this shit about jay ripping tupac off lyrically is some piece of shit, Is all about death before dishonor. At the peak of tupac’s carrier jay was nobody, just a lil boy running around to make some fame. Yes I agree that he is richer today because he is a business man not because he is only a rapper. Jay is a studio gangster. I do like some of jay tracks, but I got tired easily listening to the them coz is all about he cars, flashy life style,1500 seat and some bullshit. But pac is an activist, a gangster, a born leader a passionate singer and what ever u can think of. Pac is the best followed by biggie and jay.