Yay. Jay-Z don't hold a candle to 2Pac....

don't get me wrong, I love Jay-Z and have most of his stuff, but 2Pac rules overall....

Pac's words, flow, realism, intensity and creativity can still beat out most of the rappers out here nowdays...

TonyVanDam said:

I really believe that near the end, he might have regretted this decision and realized he made a mistake but by this time, it was too late...i'm talking about even before he died, it was still too late to turn back or leave death row....look how hard it was for Dre and Snoop to leave --- WITH THEIR LIFE!!

nurse said:

child you didn't know? on this site most people hate on the talented who have made a lot of mistakes. They just dote on the negative "personal" side of the artist, instead of the artist's creativity. Pac was misunderstood by most people anyway so I ignore most of the haters in here because 99% of the time, they are just blowing out hot air....
[Edited 9/6/06 5:01am]

2pac is the most charismatic, influential, and compelling rapper.

Rhondab said:

Rhondab, I usually agree with EVERYTHING you post, but this just floored me.

1. Rakim - amazing lyricist
2. Tupac - all around entertainer and story teller
3. Jay-Z - because Rhonda likes him
[Edited 9/6/06 7:53am]

The G.O.A.T. is = Rakim. One of the greatest deliveries and poignant subject matter. Everybody else is just trying to reach Rakim status.

violator said:

Either Rakim or KRS One. Definitely NOT 2Pac.

2pac was a thug wanna be. Nothing more.

2pac's entire catalog consist of these few words;
nigga
thug
187
bitch
nigga
ganster
nigga
G
.....mama.

I say Nay! Grandmaster Melle Mel is! RRrrrrraaah!

Had he lived, and gotten from under Shug's big ass foot, I truly believe the answer would be a resounding YAY!! He didn't, so my answer is nay he is not the GOAT, but without question he IS one of the GOAT!

No way was 2Pac the greatest rapper.

Grandmaster Flash, Chuck D, Ice Cube, Ice T (peak period), LL (peak period, not the lame puppet with tangled strings we have today), Snoop, Kool Keith (peak period), Eminem are all better than Pac ever was. Granted he made one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time (Me Against The World), but his tragic early death has obscured his obvious flaws - like All Eyez On Me, which was a great album (w)rapped up in an average one.

Shapeshifter said:

Ice T, Snoop, and Eminem can't even touch Pac's jockstrap. How Eminem is even in consideration as being better than Pac is beyond all of my comprehension.

some of yall need to leave rap alone because it aint for yall, keep discussing about rnb/ funk and rock leave hip hop out of the discussion because nobody except for Cin knows what he is talking about.

2pac is nowhere near the greatest rapper of all time, he was a good rapper yes, but he isn't even in the top 10, during his heyday

Nas, Biggie, GZA,Kurupt,Andre 3000, Ras Kass,Redman,Jay-z, even Snoop Dogg was a better rapper than Pac when alive(Snoop hadn't release no other LP's other than Doggystyle)

Pac had emotion in his songs, but as a rapper dude was an above average MC.

SoulScrybe said:

Because Enimen's first two albums and half his third are funnier, sharper, better and way more innovative than 2Pac ever was. Ditto Ice T when he was on top of his game (everything from Rhyme Pays to Original Gangster, including Colors) and Snoop is still capable of writing killer rhymes that easily outclass almost anything 2Pac did in his lifetime.

Had he lived Pac would have been acting in Steven Seagal and Ice Cube films, and maybe tossing out an album once every five years.

But he's dead, and his reputation has frankly been sullied by all those posthumous outtakes collections, which are all sub-standard crap.

Anyway, KingKrazy mentioned a few greats I forgot to mention - Nas, GZA and Andre 3000.

Tell you what though, I'll agree that Pac was better BIG.

I am not sure this can really be answered. But if I had to choose it wouldn't be Tupac, and even though I like Rakim....not enough product for him to be the one on top. Tupac is in the top 10...but Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel, and LL Cool J ( back in the day LL Cool J, not that recent crap he's been putting out)

sextonseven said:

I'm with you on this one. I'll add Chuck D as well.

KingKrazy said:

You lost all credibility right there.

Shapeshifter said:

So you're using "humor" as criterion? Wow. So Em was "funnier" than Pac. Ok. I guess?

Em is average. He's getting over on being white and that's it.

Ice T had elementary rhymes and a boring ass flow. Ice's best effort was "Hustler" and that's really about it. "6 in The Morning" was landmark but his rhyme scheme was basic and simple.

Snoop is one dimensional. All he knows is "bitches and hoes" so his writing skills are pretty weaksauce. Pac at least covered socio-political issues and not just weed and women.

And Pac was a great actor and would have been where Cube is now and beyond as far as popularity and acting chops.

SoulScrybe said:

Yeah, right. He a good actor - compared to DMX, say - but not a great one. (Denzel Washington's a great actor). And none of the films he made in his lifetime are exactly masterpieces. He would've been playing "Urban Gangleader No 2" in Steven Seagal straight to video flicks by now. In fact, did you ever see a film he did called Bullet with Mickey Rourke? Pile of shit. "Gang Related" was crap too. "Poetic Justice" was boring as fuck. Gridlock'd was pretty good though, but minor.

Don't get me wrong - I like 2Pac a lot, but calling him the greatest rapper of all time is a huge exaggeration of his talents. And his posthumous stuff's shit.
[Edited 9/6/06 13:54pm]

Graycap23 said:

you are so lost on this topic huh?

Rhondab said:

Not at all. I knew the lil shit and he was WACK.

vainandy said:

I can't stand Marion "Suge" Knight. The man who I think is responsible for leading Pac into the direction of this Thug Life, And who I think had Notorious B.I.G murdered. I think had he lived, Tupac would've left the rap game and become a successful actor. Even more so then Will Smith. Sadly we'll never know.

Hell no!

Shapeshifter said:

Well, I guess in your world it belongs but not in mine. I guess you're not familiar with urban decay - I guess that's funny so a lot of rappers rapped about that just because it was funny. I guess racism is funny so rappers rapped about that. Black on Black crime is funny too right?



I guess you're not from L.A. because "groundbreaking" was NWA, NOT Ice T. Far from it. Ice T just rode the gangsta rap wave with the likes of Toddy T, King Tee, and others.


So you took one album that has those elements and make that Pac's entire legacy? You're not making any sense now.

Chuck D = G.O.A.T.

vainandy said:

He used a Clash-sample.

ladygirl99 said:

I can't believe you fixed your fingers to type that. Hip-hop gets the "least love and respect" on the Org? I hope you're kidding.

In any event, most hip-hop heads would say exactly what CinCee said. Despite 2PACALYPSE Now and Strictly for My N.I.G.G.A.Z., notwithstanding the many classics he made thereafter, such as "Dear Mama" and "I Wonder If Heaven's Got A Ghetto," despite his praised Makiaveli, he's NOT the GOAT. He is one of the best to ever put pen to pad, but there are several MCs out there that are greater than he.
[Edited 9/6/06 15:39pm]

Militant said:

There is absolutely no way Tupac Shakur is "EASILY" the greatest of all time. He's EASILY your favorite. He's EASILY a hip-hop legend. But there are several MCs that were simply better than he.