Tupac Amaru Shakur "Hip-Hop's Greatest Artist"

[ohhhla]

Singer = Great voice

Artist = overall package.

you can have the "overall package" and if you are a singer then you are a singer.

The man said better ARTIST not Rapper

What's the difference?

That's like saying Mariah Carey is not a singer she is an "artist"

An Artist knows how they want their music to sound they have a vision for their music and their subject matter,creativity and impact play a big role in being an artist

bruh EVERY artist have SOME idea about how they want their music to sound, it's all about execution.

Wrong, one can lack technical skills but make up for it.

Pac was probably going to get better at technical skill.

But he died before he reached his prime.

He was a competent enough artist to pull it off.

 

[5th Letter]

And to answer your question about Mariah she's one of the few women in music who actually write their own music. Look at all the hits she has that she wrote its her subject matter and creativity that made her a success

Whitney is great but she's just a singer never wrote anything

i wasn't asking a question just an analogy. she is an artist who sings. pac was an artist that rap. This whole he's not a rapper he's an artist is a copout.

Singer = Great voice

Artist = overall package.

you can have the "overall package" and if you are a singer then you are a singer.

The man said better ARTIST not Rapper

What's the difference?

That's like saying Mariah Carey is not a singer she is an "artist"

An Artist knows how they want their music to sound they have a vision for their music and their subject matter,creativity and impact play a big role in being an artist

bruh EVERY artist have SOME idea about how they want their music to sound, it's all about execution.

Wrong, one can lack technical skills but make up for it.

Pac was probably going to get better at technical skill.

But he died before he reached his prime.

He was a competent enough artist to pull it off.

Okay but I think we're arguing two different things. I am aware that Pac wasn't the most lyrical but he made up for it with his dope storytelling and overall dope music.

I am against separating artist and rapper.

 

[Ishi]

This is an original thread that doesn't get made a couple times a month.

 

[waterproof]

Singer = Great voice

Artist = overall package.

you can have the "overall package" and if you are a singer then you are a singer.

The man said better ARTIST not Rapper

What's the difference?

That's like saying Mariah Carey is not a singer she is an "artist"

An Artist knows how they want their music to sound they have a vision for their music and their subject matter,creativity and impact play a big role in being an artist

bruh EVERY artist have SOME idea about how they want their music to sound, it's all about execution.

Wrong, one can lack technical skills but make up for it.

Pac was probably going to get better at technical skill.

But he died before he reached his prime.

He was a competent enough artist to pull it off.

and that's where people get shit fucked up, first of all Pac is a Poet read his rhymes it's have a poet structure the way he wave's his cadence and all, Pac was an Emcee also which is to Move the Crowd, Reach the people, teach, to make the crowd fell his pain and to inspire.

Lyrical word play is only one aspect of being a complete emcee, Pac didn't need no beats either, Pac write his rhymes before he hear a beat that's what poets do. And being lyrical was last on his list

Pac was on the verge on becoming a complete emcee and I believed hip-hop haven't have one yet and was entering another whole level with his lyrics when he dropped 7 Day theory, that was for the naysayers, and was letting the world know that he's about to enter a whole new zone.

and Pac have not even reached his prime, he was just getting started....

 

[ohhhla]

Pac wasn't technical but a good poet.

He never had a verse like Thieves In The Night, Memory Lane, My Downfall, Ain't No Half-Steppin, Know The Ledge and etc.

He had songs like Heartz of Men, White Men's World, If I Die 2nite, Me Against The World and Hellrazor.

 

[the_focused_one]

Nas>>>

Jay>>>

BIG>>>

And I'm one hour from Oakland where the legend started... The Tupac Worship is brewing again I see... LoL.

 

[5th Letter]

I like those definitions^^^^

Along those lines....

Rapper/Emcee = One who focuses on the techniques and craft of emceeing. A "rapper" deals with the technical aspects of emceeing - including diction, wordplay, flow, lyricism etc.....

Artist = A visionary whose concerns deal with creative expression. When we call a rapper an "artist", we are taking note not just of their rapping abilities, but the themes and messages present in their work. That's when we ask ourselves, What is he or she trying to convey in their music? What themes or images does he/she want to paint? Are they telling a story? Have they attempted to use other mediums or media to expand upon their own vision?

who are these rappers and "artists"

 

[HarlemThumzUp]

5 Reasons Why Tupac Is The G.O.A.T

#1

1. His work ethic can't be touched. First started in 1990 and dropped his first album in 1991 (2Pacalypse Now) and made 6 album in 5 years (4 if you count the time he was behind bars) Pac managed to drop more than 450 songs till his death in September of 96. He was in n out of court and was making movies yet he found time to record so much songs that contributed about 8 posthumous albums plus he still music that hasn't even been released yet

#2

2. Pac was versatile when it came to subject matter. Pac had songs from Keep Ya Head Up to Hit Em Up and from How Do You Want It to Hail Mary. Pac touched on all subjects (Women,Sex,Gangs,Politics,Fast Life Style,Family Problems,Poverty, and Religion).

#3

3. Pac probably was the Realest and Smartest Emcee never held his tongue and always dropped knowledge. He talked about everything he rapped about and let everyone know what was on his mind whether it was negative or positive. His meaning for THUGLIFE showed how deep he was

(The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone) He stated many times how THUG LIFE wasn't about Killing,Raping or Robbing People and how it it was about the youth and our future. Pac gave back to a lot of communities and did a lot for others he never asked for cameras to follow him around so people can see the other side of him,he didn't care if the media was around or not. Pac would talk about poverty,politics and religion when other Emcees shy away from those subjects.

#4

4. Tupac wasn't overrated no matter what you think. Overrated is thrown when Pac is mention because of all the hype he got since his death. Even though I was young when he passed I have cousins who where old enough to witness Pac in the spotlight, Pac was extremely popular while he was still alive All Eyes On Me sold 5 million copies in only 2 months he was the biggest name in hip hop at the time and for people to say he's overrated is straight blasphemous. He was in the studio making 3 songs day and filming movies. His music never lacked passion and his pen game was on point, there's cats out there who claim Pac wasn't nice on the mic. Those are the same cats who don't focus on what Pac says check songs out like Heartz Of Men,Ambitonz Az A Ridah,Street Fame (off Better Dayz),Got My Mind Made Up,Me Against The World ect.ect.

#5

5. Hate him or Love him you can't deny that Tupac was and is the most influential rapper of all time.

Pac has been dead for 17 years yet his name and legacy still lives. I was born n raised in The Bay and seen the impact Pac left here I also been overseas and Pac is just as big on the international scene as he is in the states.

Every rapper that came after Pac has taken something from whether its from his personal life or his music. Pac definitely left a mark on music not just Hip-Hop he influenced everyone from 50 Cent to Game to Kendrick and yes even Justin Beiber, Pac's influence was so big that it reached outside the Hip Hop community. I feel like we lost more than just a rapper, but an ICON and a Role Model to some. We will never see another artist as real and creative as Pac. I feel like NaS is the last emcee who can still do that.

R.I.P To The Greatest To Ever Do It

Pretty fuckin much..Makaveli the Don

 

[waterproof]

Nas>>>

Jay>>>

BIG>>>

And I'm one hour from Oakland where the legend started... The Tupac Worship is brewing again I see... LoL.

and I am 45 minutes from Oakland, what's that suppose to mean, show no love for the home team...I bet you was one of those kats in school that shit on the west coast and ride new York dick, talked like you NY, Dress like NY, acted like NY, didn't fuck with nothing but NY, I bet you had the ny accent down and all that shit right???

I am a hip-hop head listen to East Coast, Down South, Midwest and West coast, but one thing I was not a NY wannabe nigga and the west had to many of those niggas....

 

[_Menace_]

Nas>>>

Jay>>>

BIG>>>

And I'm one hour from Oakland where the legend started... The Tupac Worship is brewing again I see... LoL.

Puffy crafted biggies songs biggie just rapped. PAC was the better artist

Biggie lacked creativity and vision without puff he wouldn't have had those hits he has now

 

[waterproof]

DJ Quik is an interesting choice on there.... and yo - just an observation but..... the mere fact that the idea to put Kanye on that list is saying something about where niggas think he can go musically. It aint far fetched to think that one day Kanye West could be seen the GOAT.

@sion Pac is my favorite rapper of all time, then Biggie and then 50 Cent (if we talking about alive). You could lock me in a room with their music for a week and I'd be content.

Quik is an artist to the highest degree, an producer, DJ, Rapper and a musician

DJ Quik - America'z Most Complete Artist


yeah West is an artist also, his vision the way he put songs together and the artist guiding them and putting them in the place where they need to be, from producing and seeing, finding and molding talent, production skills and even though he dress suspect he's learning on being a fashion designer he's up there

 

[achewon87]

The reason I won't vote is due to Q-Tip, Quik & RZA being on this list.

Kanye will be able to make an argument when all is said is done.

 

[Drew_Ali]

*The worlds greatest entertainer*

Fuck what you heard

 

[D_Rap_Scholar]

I like those definitions^^^^

Along those lines....

Rapper/Emcee = One who focuses on the techniques and craft of emceeing. A "rapper" deals with the technical aspects of emceeing - including diction, wordplay, flow, lyricism etc.....

Artist = A visionary whose concerns deal with creative expression. When we call a rapper an "artist", we are taking note not just of their rapping abilities, but the themes and messages present in their work. That's when we ask ourselves, What is he or she trying to convey in their music? What themes or images does he/she want to paint? Are they telling a story? Have they attempted to use other mediums or media to expand upon their own vision?

who are these rappers and "artists"

Like you, I don't want to keep the artist and the rapper separate, because I think rappers who have talent and are serious about their skills are bound to become artists anyways. But when we're weighing the legacy of one's work, it's sometimes helpful to make those distinctions (I wanna stress, that these are only generalizations where making here, nothing more)

For instance, Rakim and Nas are both amazing rappers -but while Rakim's claim to fame will always be as dope emcee, I think Nas clearly greater merit as an artist. He's much more known for having an expressive range in his subject matter, dealing with the themes of betrayal, crime, family, love, fatalism, poverty, etc. He's also been known for his unique creative abilities as a storyteller. Just think about all the narratives he's been able to invent, whether he's telling a story from the perspective of a letter ('One Love'), or from the point of view of a gun ('I Gave You Power'), as a pre-natal baby ('Fetus'), a women ('Sekou Story'), in reverse time ("Rewind), allegory ("Money Is My Bitch") or autobiography ("Doo Rags") - and that's just to name a few. Songs like "Undying Love" almost like a novel or movie. Musician and writer Greg Tate even likens Nas to the great literary/musical names of history:

" Like Balzac or Marquez , Nas doesn't just give you a story but an exotic world in words, a place you can imagine actual doomed but undaunted people living, hustling, drinking, drugging, shooting, and dying. Like Borges, Calvino or Chuck Jones, Nas remains startled enough about this marvel of constructing fictive universes to be self-reflective and commically knowledgeable about the act and art of speculative writing. . . And as much as any Brian Eno ambient music project (like Music for Airports), Nas's work exudes the emphemeral fugtiive resonance of trace memory. . .

I was not surprised to learn a few years back that Nas once had aspirations to become a film director because his best lyrics . . . scan more like a cinematic, panoramic array of shots, cuts, and ellipses than the poetic potpurri of personal statements that defined the styles of his lyric peers -- those of both your resolutely allusive and your more in-your-face-types. What distinguishes Nas is the logical, world-ordering point of view in his rhymes. It simulates the didactic yet dreamy surrealism of the motion picture camera -- not just documenting what he has seen but framing the fractured actions of the world for us in ways that make us believe we too are behind a hidden roving lens directing the actions and interiority of human beings"

^^that's how you know when a rapper is being an artist - when their music helps to create or inspire a picture, an image, a visual aesthetic (via music videos, album covers, fashion style), a state of mind, or an entire worldview.

 

[optimistic]

Nas>>>

Jay>>>

BIG>>>

And I'm one hour from Oakland where the legend started... The Tupac Worship is brewing again I see... LoL.

and I am 45 minutes from Oakland, what's that suppose to mean, show no love for the home team...I bet you was one of those kats in school that shit on the west coast and ride new York dick, talked like you NY, Dress like NY, acted like NY, didn't fuck with nothing but NY, I bet you had the ny accent down and all that shit right???

I am a hip-hop head listen to East Coast, Down South, Midwest and West coast, but one thing I was not a NY wannabe nigga and the west had to many of those niggas....

word to emcee new york!

 

[the_focused_one]

Nas>>>

Jay>>>

BIG>>>

And I'm one hour from Oakland where the legend started... The Tupac Worship is brewing again I see... LoL.

and I am 45 minutes from Oakland, what's that suppose to mean, show no love for the home team...I bet you was one of those kats in school that shit on the west coast and ride new York dick, talked like you NY, Dress like NY, acted like NY, didn't fuck with nothing but NY, I bet you had the ny accent down and all that shit right???

I am a hip-hop head listen to East Coast, Down South, Midwest and West coast, but one thing I was not a NY wannabe nigga and the west had to many of those niggas....

LMAO... Pac is next on my list... No I was never an NY wannabe... I just find these three to be better... They just happen to be from NY... This is the shit that gets on my nerves about my West Coast brothers. Why is it every time someone from Cali likes an NY artist better, they gotta catch undeserved hate?

Nas is a better artist IMO and the shit ain't even close...

Jay is a better artist IMO...

Puffy crafted biggies songs biggie just rapped. PAC was the better artist

Biggie lacked creativity and vision without puff he wouldn't have had those hits he has now

And to this post about Puff crafting those songs and creativity for Biggie... Please enlighten me on how Puffy wrote Niggaz Bleed or Gimme the Loot, or all the other classics Big dropped??? That's like saying Nas didn't craft Illmatic, but rather Q-Tip, Premo, and Pete Rock created the vision, and Nas just wrote some shit to fill the void...

 

[ohhhla]

B.I.G. isn't a better artist

 

[KLICHE]

I'm just amazed at how much he did by the age of only 25. No matter who I listen to if and when a Pac track comes on, that is my first thought, that dude did all that work by that age.

 

[waterproof]

Nas>>>

Jay>>>

BIG>>>

And I'm one hour from Oakland where the legend started... The Tupac Worship is brewing again I see... LoL.

and I am 45 minutes from Oakland, what's that suppose to mean, show no love for the home team...I bet you was one of those kats in school that shit on the west coast and ride new York dick, talked like you NY, Dress like NY, acted like NY, didn't fuck with nothing but NY, I bet you had the ny accent down and all that shit right???

I am a hip-hop head listen to East Coast, Down South, Midwest and West coast, but one thing I was not a NY wannabe nigga and the west had to many of those niggas....

word to emcee new york!

word to emcee New York what a young raw emcee who loved hip-hop, who showed love to the place he was living at and the birth place of hip-hop, the love of hip-hop is a beautiful thing even made a dedication song to NY. The nigga had more love for NY then NY had for him, The Bay Area welcomed 2pac with open arms and embrace the brother at a young age and that's why he claim the Bay.

When he you hear that twang and Pac voice and the slang he used that's the bay

One of Pac last interview with DAVEY D for KMEL he still gave love to NY and Baltimore

First of all 2Pac congratulations on your success...Most people from the Bay Area couldn't be there by your side..but we felt like with every episode you went through we were there..we saw you through the media and we were right there. Brothers gotta a lotta love for you here in the Bay Area and we wanna know when you're planning on coming back?

2Pac:I'm comin' back for sure..and I love the Bay. Everywhere I go..and every episode I've been through, I always felt like I was sharing it..both the good times and the bad times with the Bay Area. I felt like whatever I am the Bay Area had something to do with making me. So if I'm bad they had something to do with making me and if I'm good they had something to do with making me. Between the east coast, the Bay Area and LA and Baltimore, those places made me....I owe them everything. It's not like I just got love for one block. I got love for those communities.. I got love for those areas because everything about those areas made me who I am...

California Love video, Nigga stayed reppin the bay...

Even Pac Mama knows Pac was a Bay Area Nigga she had total control of R U STILL DOWN

DO FOR LOVE was a Bay Area Pac video, they had a cartoon 2pac in the Bay Area and the song had a Bay Area feel to it, Pac was looking over the bay and chillin in oakland.


In the same interview Pac let it be know he represent THE BAY

Pac you gave a lot of love back to some Bay Area artist like E-40, Rappin' 4Tay, Dru Down and the whole crew...talk about what made you decide to work with them

2Pac: Because I can't always be in the Bay. I know how the Bay is. The Bay is the type of place where if you ain't there they're gonna talk about you. I wanted them to know that I love you, I feel you and I'm gonna represent for you. I know I gotta a certain amount of acclaim so I bring the Bay with me... I know E-40 is what I was when I was with Digital Underground. He is the Bay right now ..him and 4Tay. So I get them on my album to represent the Bay. It shows we still have love and we're still all good. By us being representatives we bring the Bay where ever we go.. Rappin' 4Tay has always been raw to me and I like his style. When I was in jail I used to always listen to stuff so when I got out we clicked and did the song. Now he's in jail and I gotta do what he did for me. When I was in jail he used to send out shout outs and show support, so now I support 4Tay. Everybody pray for him and send letters. I hope the brother gets out of jail as soon as possible.. [Rappin' 4Tay was released in July '96]. You know its a struggle for every young Black man... You know how it is only God can judge us.

 

[deathrowzorrow]