So I listen to a lot of music (8 hours a day at work) and I would appreciate someone explaining to me why 2Pac is always mentioned as the best or top 2-3. I have a few songs by him that I enjoy but I rarely hear anything from him that blows my mind. I can't help but find Biggie's rhymes/flow style/bars, whatever you wanna call them far superior to 2Pac's stuff.

This is not a 2pac diss thread, this is not me saying he's bad, I'm just asking for some input as to why he's always rated so high in hip-hops history. More specifically if you can suggest songs by him that are arguably among his best as far as skills go, I would appreciate it. I'm interested in people's opinions, but I'm more interested in song suggestions by him that can help change my mind on him.

Thanks ahead of time for spending the time to reply (assuming anyone does).

don't know why he's highly rated, but to me he's special because of the strong emotions he displays in his rhymes for lack of better words. not many rappers give me the same feel.

i'm not a 2pac fan but i think he got special attention because he was very real and he rapped about real stuff that nobody else was. he had a big heart and he cared about people living in poverty. he himself grew up in east harlem and was raised by various felons and black panther members. 2pac was respected because he was the real deal. then when he got shot, it just amplified his novelty effect and all the fans romanticized him. i agree that 2pac is overrated. he was very good and unique but hes not the god that many people make him out to me.

Most renown hip hop producers and djs wouldn't classify 2pac as top 5 for anything, it's mainly the younger generations that hang on to every word pac rhymes. He's popular because his music relates to a lot of young people growing up today, his tracks are all fierce and grimy and emotional and he portrays himself through his music as almost a motivational speaker or a big brother. The way I see it, It's hard to relate to drake talking about how becoming a millionaire makes him see so and so differently or how he's having a tough day because he can't choose between the 50,000 girls that want to suck his dick because most of us aren't millionaires ourselves and most of us don't have 50,000 girls wanting our dick, that's where 2pac shines, he raps about survival, watching out for 2 faced people in your life, standing up for yourself, being loyal to your boys and a slew of other good moral lessons instead of wasting our time with lyrics about selling drugs, treating women like hoes, massacring innocent people and being richer than everyone else.

You have to also understand, most rappers and hiphop mcs are pussies in real life. Just regular joe blows trying to make a career to feed their families and live a good life entertaining others. 2pac was one of the few that actually lived out the lyrics without any exaggeration, there's something artistic and authentic about that, that just reels people in.

If you could list rappers as either the "good guy" or the "bad guy"

tupac would represent the good guy, the under dog.. it's what he represents that makes younger generations perceive him as the greatest

This post was edited by BLit on Dec 8 2013 10:50am

few good songs from pac:

changes
thugz mansion
until the end of time
dear mama
hit em up
starin at the world through my rear view
ambitionz as a ridah
hail mary
keep ya head up

he's definitely not top 5 but a top 10 dead or alive hip-hop artist for sure

Inb4Anakin

music is all about how ur responce to the way they flow (voice and description) makes your feel and see.
alot of people get a great feeling and can just see the stories he tells and love that style of music.

its all your preference and how you react to there work.

Others love him cause he was a Blackpanther and also did alot of work for the poor and so much donations to groups but never telling the media

This post was edited by Jeremy on Dec 9 2013 10:08am

During his lifetime he created alot of controversy and of course since he died in his prime and his death was a mystery that concerned the whole world not just the hip-hop fans many people are familiar with him and if many people are familiar with something it gets popular.

Because Tupac is a known name he is many peoples first contact with hip-hop and whatever people encounter in their early stages of exploring a genre is bound to stick

His status is not based on his skill as a rapper (even though he is good) it's based on mediacoverage

He was not overrated. Compared to his competition he was simply demolishing everyone.

explain why you think that or suggest some songs that you feel prove it. that's what this thread is about..