Tupac vs. Biggie
Tupac Amaru Shakur also known as 2pac and Christopher Wallace also known as Biggie are two of rap music's most idolized and legendary rappers. It is often argued that the two are the best rappers to have ever been in the game and are often compared to see who is the greatest rapper ever. The two men were even friends until one night Tupac was heading to a recording studio where Biggie was present, as he was waiting for the elevator he was robbed and shot by masked men. Tupac believed Biggie set him up and that's where their friendship ended. The pair shared many similarities and differences.
A similarity they shared was that they were both born in New York, Tupac in East Harlem and Biggie in Brooklyn. Both of the rappers suffered tragic deaths at a young age, Tupac at 25 and Biggie at 24. Both were gunned down in drive by shootings by unknown assailants, Tupac in Las Vegas and Biggie in Los Angeles. Both of them were raised in poor households where their mothers were often not home and no father around. Not only were they raised in similar households but they were both raised in similar ghetto atmospheres where they were exposed to violence, drugs, gangs and murders. Due to their environment Biggie and Tupac both got into dealing drugs when they were young. They also both have charity foundations for children.
One of the greatest differences the two rappers had was their different style of rapping. Tupac had a lot of aggression and power in his voice, he knew how to put emphasis in his words. He had a strong, loud voice and made sure he was heard. It is argued that Tupac was more than just a rapper but also a poet. He wasn't just a gangster rapper but he also took the struggles of living in poverty and the ghetto and turned it into poetry. At times he tried to spread positive messages in his music. For example in his song "Changes" Tupac raps "I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes, learn to see me as a brother 'stead of two distant strangers." In Tupac's song "Dear Mama" he raps to his mother to show the appreciation he has for all the things she's done for him, he raps "I appreciate how ya raised me and all tha extra love that ya gave me, I wish I could take the pain away, if you can make it through the night there's a brighter day." Biggie on the other hand had more of a cool, calm, collected style when he rapped. Time magazine wrote that Biggie rapped with an ability to "make multi-syllabic rhymes sound smooth." Biggie had a talent to tell stories in his raps. For example in his song "N*ggas Bleed" he describes a meeting where he's going to go purchase cocaine, he raps " Today's agenda, got the suitcase up in the Sentra, go to room 112, tell em Blanco sent ya, feel the strangest if no money exchanges." Another example of Biggie's amazing talent to tell stories is the song "Somebody's Gotta Die" where he describes one of his friends getting killed and him getting revenge. He raps "He tells me C-Rock just got hit up at the Beacon, I opens up the door, pitiful is he in critical? Retaliation for this one won't be minimal."
At the end of the day there will always be the question of who was the better rapper but that questions is one that doesn't have a simple answer. Both rappers were brilliant and had unique styles. They were important to the rap game and were loved by many many fans. They both met tragic deaths but will always live on in their music.
A similarity they shared was that they were both born in New York, Tupac in East Harlem and Biggie in Brooklyn. Both of the rappers suffered tragic deaths at a young age, Tupac at 25 and Biggie at 24. Both were gunned down in drive by shootings by unknown assailants, Tupac in Las Vegas and Biggie in Los Angeles. Both of them were raised in poor households where their mothers were often not home and no father around. Not only were they raised in similar households but they were both raised in similar ghetto atmospheres where they were exposed to violence, drugs, gangs and murders. Due to their environment Biggie and Tupac both got into dealing drugs when they were young. They also both have charity foundations for children.
One of the greatest differences the two rappers had was their different style of rapping. Tupac had a lot of aggression and power in his voice, he knew how to put emphasis in his words. He had a strong, loud voice and made sure he was heard. It is argued that Tupac was more than just a rapper but also a poet. He wasn't just a gangster rapper but he also took the struggles of living in poverty and the ghetto and turned it into poetry. At times he tried to spread positive messages in his music. For example in his song "Changes" Tupac raps "I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes, learn to see me as a brother 'stead of two distant strangers." In Tupac's song "Dear Mama" he raps to his mother to show the appreciation he has for all the things she's done for him, he raps "I appreciate how ya raised me and all tha extra love that ya gave me, I wish I could take the pain away, if you can make it through the night there's a brighter day." Biggie on the other hand had more of a cool, calm, collected style when he rapped. Time magazine wrote that Biggie rapped with an ability to "make multi-syllabic rhymes sound smooth." Biggie had a talent to tell stories in his raps. For example in his song "N*ggas Bleed" he describes a meeting where he's going to go purchase cocaine, he raps " Today's agenda, got the suitcase up in the Sentra, go to room 112, tell em Blanco sent ya, feel the strangest if no money exchanges." Another example of Biggie's amazing talent to tell stories is the song "Somebody's Gotta Die" where he describes one of his friends getting killed and him getting revenge. He raps "He tells me C-Rock just got hit up at the Beacon, I opens up the door, pitiful is he in critical? Retaliation for this one won't be minimal."
At the end of the day there will always be the question of who was the better rapper but that questions is one that doesn't have a simple answer. Both rappers were brilliant and had unique styles. They were important to the rap game and were loved by many many fans. They both met tragic deaths but will always live on in their music.