As old as Kangols and dookie braids, Adidas shell toes and fat laces, or even almost as old as hip hop itself is the debate of who is the Greatest Rapper of All Time (hint: it’s not Lil’ Wayne). Check any list, and the longstanding 2Pac vs Biggie argument is amongst the top ten, but which of the two is actually G.O.A.T.?
You can measure both rappers pound for pound, comparing them in categories like lyricism, charisma, flow and lyrical content, but both rappers still end up in a tie. And then you look at legacy and influence. 2Pac comes out swinging.
Tupac was so much more than a rapper. While Biggie rhymed about street stories he never actually lived coming from a “normal” middle class suburban family household, or about fantasies of living Scarface’s dream (which quite possibly ushered in this era of commercial rap most of us are all too sick of) Tupac personified the essence of hip-hop.
Fifteen years after his unsolved murder or assassination—depending on who you ask, Tupac’s face and music are still everywhere. From Canada to India, to the hallowed halls of Harvard and Berkley (where students and professors deconstruct his image, message and symbolism) the legend of Tupac Shakur lives on.
His music transcends race, gender, socioeconomic class, time, religion and even language. His passion, charisma, political philosophies, personality and genuine love for his people are characteristics that many people continue to relate to and gravitate towards. He was and continues to be the voice of the voiceless, of a generation that continues to be silenced by poverty, disenfranchisement, failed education systems, police brutality and racism. His passion is infectious, his anger and frustration palatable and his many contradictions continue to intrigue. His catalogue of music and his personal history represent a progression of thought. And it is these contradictions, that add to the complexity of this street soldier. No topic was taboo to him whether it be rape, incest, misogyny, crime, political corruption or the lasting effects of drugs on the Black community.
Tupac died when he was only 25-years-old. It is surprising that someone so young could have such a lasting effect on people but this impact is a testament to the greatness of his gift. And his place in Hip Hop.
So when considering ALL factors of what surmises an artist to be the Greatest Of All Time, one really has to sit down and contemplate all these things thoroughly. Concerning hip hop debates, all too often we emphatically (more times blindly) defend what or who we are impartial too. But considering all things hip hop and what it is to truly be G.O.A.T., Tupac Shakur is greater than the sum of his parts. He wasn’t just a rapper. He was poet, actor, musician, griot, activist. Most importantly, he was not only the voice of a generation but also the voice of generations to come. Fifteen years after his passing and his legacy lives on.
Author: Septembre Anderson, journalist & fashion blogger
Septembre Anderson is a Toronto-based journalist and blogger. Her work has appeared on FASHIONMagazine.com, FILLERMagazine.com, HuffingtonPost.ca, Slice.ca and in Sway magazine. For all things Fashion, check her fashion blog J’adore (https://jadorefashionblog.wordpress.com/) or on Twitter at @SeptembreA
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I liked your writeup on 2Pac but your analysis of Biggie was a bit thin. Were there aspects of his rhymes that were fantasy? Of course, but that goes for every rapper, including 2Pac. I don’t think you can brush Biggie as a “normal middle class suburban kid” when he was from a single parent family that lived off Bed-Stuy. Their backgrounds are a lot more dynamic than that, and maybe even parallel at different points. 2Pac – the bastard child of the Black Panthers who achieved a way out of his ever morphing ghetto environment, only to allow himself to be pulled back in because of what he deemed black masculinity to be. Biggie – the well educated kid using his smarts to make friends who enraptured him to a street life that would swallow him whole.They both wanted to be like each other (Biggie wanted Pac’s authenticity and charisma, Pac wanted Biggie’s street crew and legitimate NY foundation) but they were more alike than they knew.
I also maintain that you can’t really compare the two. That’s like asking who is the better player: Michael Jordan or Hakeem Olajuwon? Of course everyone says MIchael is the GOAT but Jordan and Olajuwon had different roles to play and were different players. Same here. 2Pac and Biggie were never the same type of artist. It was a shame we lost two; 1 at the height of his career and one at the very beginning. Truth be told, we really didn’t have a chance to see where Biggie would’ve gone.
Very well put together article. Just felt like there should have been more about Big. I wouldn’t say that Big lied in his music but maybe embellished. He did live in a wild neighborhood for that time . I know a few dudes who grew up with him and know the truth and everything. These are two very different artists with different upbringings. I love it when Tupac gets his praise because he’s my favorite artist as well an influence in my work
WHOOOOOAAAAAAA….BIG is BROOKLYN!!! He represented the boro,the people and our codes and ethics which is why he was loved by the people and thats what made his lyrics so real. He spread the BK WAY across the USA. By the way rap is Theatrical. If what BIG spoke upon wasn’t real, Brooklyn would not have givin him the stamp of approval.
as a child who got into hip-hop at around age 10, both pac and biggie had been deceased for a few years. in the beginning, i was a hardcore pac fan. i actually remember getting into arguments at school claiming that pac was still alive. i agree that he was so much more than a rapper. he had a whole milieu of other talents and he left a lasting impression in the world of hip hop. however, as i got older, i became enamoured with new york hip hop and most of all, biggie. it took quite some time to appreciate biggie’s rhymes, which in my opinion, are completely immaculate. he has an infinite follow that spills out like cream from a jar, slow, steady and heavy. his metaphors and similes all make perfect sense and are spoke with a very sophisticated vocabulary and articulate sentence structure. you really have to get past the rowdy phase of your young life and venture into the roots of hip hop; its new york soul and only then will you realize just how absolutely fantastic biggie truly is.