I had no idea there was a difference between 2Pac and Biggie.

GASP. Stop it right there. Tupac became a gangster after he became a millionaire. There's something really wrong with that.

Tupac grew up a rich kid with everything a young boy could want. When he raps about struggle and the 'hood he's making it all up. He, unlike the very legit Biggie, makes it all up for street cred. They are totally different. Biggie revolutionized it, Tupac almost homogenized it.

Ari.

Hell, I'm the whitest person I know and I knew Tupac was no gangsta. He used to be in the Digital Underground for pete's sake. You know ? Humpty Hump !

I drink up all the Hennessey ya got on ya shelf
so just let me introduce myself
My name is Humpty, pronounced with a Umpty.
Yo ladies, oh how I like to hump thee.
And all the rappers in the top ten--please allow me to bump thee.
I'm steppin' tall, y'all,
and just like Humpty Dumpty
you're gonna fall when the stereos pump me.
I like to rhyme,
I like my beats funky,
I'm spunky. I like my oatmeal lumpy.
I'm sick wit dis, straight gangsta mack
but sometimes I get ridiculous
I'll eat up all your crackers and your licorice
hey yo fat girl, c'mere--are ya ticklish?
Yeah, I called ya fat.
Look at me, I'm skinny
It never stopped me from gettin' busy
I'm a freak
I like the girls with the boom
I once got busy in a Burger King bathroom.

oooh, I knew there was a song I had forgotten to buy for my ipod!
The Humpty Dance is your chance to do tha hump!

He was just oscar-worthy in Poetic Justice too. LOL.

Blasphemy. Biggie was a fat tub of lard that wouldn't be nearly as popular as he is without Puffy's posthumous necro-fellatio. Completely mediocre is what he was.

Thing is, I'm not a huge Biggie fan. But he is miles and miles and (one more) miles better than Tupac. And he had a tough life and an interesting style. Tupac was sanctimonious and hypocritical, in addition to that whole becoming a thug after becoming a millionaire.

Blasphemy. Biggie was a fat tub of lard that wouldn't be nearly as popular as he is without Puffy's posthumous necro-fellatio. Completely mediocre is what he was.
Posted by Drew at February 9, 2005 05:30 PM

Blasphemy, indeed. I love how Tupac fans can do little to support their mindless worship of that hypocritical sell-out than to bust on Biggie. Ad hominem attacks are so lame, Drew. Biggie was immensely popular throughout his life and career, especially in Brooklyn. Biggie probably suffered more than he gained from Puffy after death, including with the release of the horrid "Born Again." But what Biggie achieved in his brief life and career is amazing. I just bought and have been listening to "Ready to Die." A lyrical masterpiece that set the tone for an entire generation of rap.

And Karol, other than your affinity for 50 Cent, you exhibit remarkable hip-hop taste: you are on point about 'Pac, Big, and you have yourself a gem there in Nas's "I Am." "We Will Survive" is a great track, too.

Claudio

Blasphemy, indeed. Tupac was a hypocritical sell-out who adopted a gangsta persona in order to sell records. Biggie always stayed true to his own self, and to the hood (Bed-Stuy and Brooklyn love him). Biggie's work set the tone for an entire generation of emcees: "Ready to Die" is still a classic of enormous proportions.

And Karol, you continue to amaze me with your hip-hop awareness. You're on point with Big, Pac, and you have yourself a gem there with Nas's "I Am." "We Will Survive" is a great track on an amazing CD. I don't quite share your affinity for 50 Cent, though. Can't stand him.

Claudio

Neither one of them compares to the O.G. himself Ice T. The father of gagsta rap. Not sure if anyone is old enough to remember when he was a rapper. anyway.

Hit'em Up!

You gotta respect 2pac for starting a battle track with the line: "First off, "

As if to say: before I get into the real bashing of you (Biggie), I'd like to start by give a big F-U to your wife and your clique.

That's just classic stuff.

I dunno, Eric, I much prefer a classic Eminem rebuff to Ja 'me and Hailey dance to your songs, we like you'. It's just smarter and funnier. Tupac was just so typical.

BTW, I was listening to Memphis Bleek this morning and he too mentions both Biggie and Pac in a song.

My comment didn't even mention Tupac. Yes, I like his music more than Biggie's, but that wasn't the point of my post. It's great that Biggie was popular in Brooklyn. What percentage of America does Brooklyn encompass, again? And if there's any real debate over who was the bigger icon, just look at the ripple their respective deaths caused. They don't even compare.

My main problem with Tupac is that I think he's a fake. I'm not saying that a phony guy can't appeal to the masses, look at Milli Vanilli for an example of how fake can equal dough.

Oooh now! We are seeing a classic case of East Coast vs West Coast here! Tupac's style is very CALIFORNIA, and to a So Cal ear--I prefer him! Gangster status, or not--his stuff to me, is just better. It's like Taco Bell vs. Whitecastle. Flip Flops vs Pumas. I could go on.
"California Love" vs "Been Around the World Tonight"

Urg, but it's sooooo preachy.

Tupac is preachy? I think the comment about Brooklyn is very significant. At the same time, I like Puffy better than Jay-Z. SHOCKING! Yet, the grand-daddy of them all is the "Teen People" coverboy-NELLY. Yet, I am far too ethno-centric to attend a concert, according to your BFF.

Tupac is very preachy. 'Keep Your Head Up'?

I keep teling you to listen to Guerilla Black - it'll blow your mind!!

It's not so much a matter of lyrics for me, rather the difference in their beat & tempo. I feel Tupac is a little better. More comprehensive, the chorus, a bit more catchy.

but, hey like I tell my liberal friends: "That's why there is chocolate, and that's why there is vanilla."

"It's hard bein' young, from the slums, eatin' five-cent gums, not knowin' where your meal's comin from."

When it comes to rapping about life on the streets, nobody does it better, or with more credibility, than Biggie. "Ready to Die" is a timeless album. Biggie put Bad Boy and Puff Daddy on the map, not the other way around. Tupac had nothing on Biggie.