Thursday, December 16, 2004

Dear Mama, I ain't mad at ya, but I'm not a big fan of Tupac

As I write this, I understand that I have a lot of opinions that aren't shared by many people. For example, I don't think Ron Artest is a animal, I think that Tupac is overrated, and I think that Shaquille O'Neal is just as much of a bitch as Kobe is.(For someone who says that they aren't thinking about Kobe, why is every interview Shaq does about Kobe. Shaq, you are equivalent to a scorned lover. One who still calls regularly, drives by the house, and can't keep your ex lover's name out of your mouth. I keep expecting Kobe to say, "Didn't I break up with you motherfucker??!!)

Anyway, the mere fact that I think that Tupac is overrated angers people, and it seems as if I have spoken ill about God. I'm sorry, I think the man was a good artist but he just is totally overrated. I won't go into why I think that but a very interesting thing happened a few days ago. A friend of mine named Derek and I were talking about Hip Hop. Derek and I have been friends since we were kids, but over the past few years we have grown apart. During our conversation I mentioned how I thought that Tupac was overrated. A look of frustration came over his face and he said, "You are crazy! What kind of bullshit are you on??" I said, "I just don't think he was that great, that's all. I just think that his death made him greater than he actually was in the public eye." Growing increasingly angrier he said, "That's why you like that bullshit. Everyone you like can't hold a candle to Tupac!" With an asshole smirk I answered, "Krs one, Rakim, Public Enemy, Tribe?? Are you kidding me? Tupac was a great artist, but he left a lot to be desired when it came to raw lyricism.

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back, he then tried a different angle. He said, "The reason you don't feel Tupac is because you never had to struggle. You were never homeless. You don't understand the streets!! He rapped about shit you can't understand. You had two parents, education, that is why your dumb ass can't comprehend Tupac."

He looked at me like he put me in my place, and by him slipping that "dumb" in there I realized that it was getting personal. I think he expected me to retreat, but instead I erupted with a big gust of laughter. My rant in response went a little like this: "Ha, ha, ha,ha. You are joking right? Motherfucker, for one thing you and I come from the same area, same high school, and your miserable ass had two parents also. When did you need to be from the same background as a artist to understand their music. Do I have to be from the trailer park to understand Eminem? Do I have to be from Brooklyn to get Biggie? Do I have to be from Seattle to understand Nirvana lyrics?? Exactly, your point was the stupidest thing I heard since Bush got re-elected. By the way, you had a supportive family but you chose to go to the ghetto, you chose to be homeless because you wanted to prove to people that "you were down", so don't give me any of your fucking sob stories.." He promptly said "Fuck You" and stormed out of my house. As he left I thought two things. 1)That people sure get pissed off when you criticize Tupac and 2)If I keep this up, I won't have any friends left.

23 comments:

Dan said...

Tupac was a bitch. He was good in DU, then became a fake ass gangster and "street". There are so many better hip hop artists out there, they just don't have bullets though their chest and 4 (probably wrong about the number) after-death albums. He's eating nachos with Elvis right now.

ohnati said...

i agree that he was overrated, yeah he was a good artist and poet but his music never really grabbed me.


some people just need to learn to agree to disagree....

8ZERO8 said...

You are dead on. People want to build him up because he's dead. Every album of his that I bought had one or two radio-friendly tracks and the rest was crap.

Anonymous said...

I have a theory about why Tupac has become an icon in his death. See if you can feel me on this. Tupac died as a result of an supposed East Coast-West Coast conflict that threatened to jettison rap music back to a time and place when it was not a respected musical form, but "garbage" produced by "ghetto dwellers" regarded as lacking in credibility and creativity. In order to make this conflict more than some gang shit gone wild, the culture turned it into some sort of epic battle between good and evil (industry and streets), and made Tupac a war hero (instead of a big mouth nigga that fucked with the wrong Blood and got his crazy ass shot). What do you think? Fair analysis?

summer of sam said...

you're right, tupac is overrated. what i get most frustrated about is how academics (nikki giovanni, michael e. dyson) have done their part to deify this dude. truth is, 'pac never had some political agenda to articulate (like, p.e. for example), and he's not even in my top 5 emcees. basically, i think his mom being a panther allowed older folks a point of entry into hip hop via tupac. thus, those black intellectuals who allegedly are the leading thinkers of 'our community' used him to validate the artform, and implicitly influenced how mofos see tupac today. it gets deeper than that, but i hope you feel me.

Guante said...

'Pac is overrated when it comes to 16 year old kids who think he's a god, sure. But when it comes to the so-called hip hop "heads," i actually think a lot of cats UNDERrate how talented he really was. Yeah, he never had the craziest rhyme schemes or the most innovative flow or even the deepest lyrics, but he had a number of qualities that most emcees-- even GREAT emcees-- don't have: a passionate, emotive delivery, a unique kind of rugged poeticism in his lyrics (balancing blunt and abstract very nicely), the ability and willingness to tackle a number of different topics (this is huge), and charisma for days. I'd take all these over "raw lyricism" any day.

Rakim was a better pure rapper, PE was more politically focused and on point, Biggie had more flow, Tribe was more innovative, of course. But Tupac had the intangibles.

moluv said...

Overrated? I don't think so. I won't lie. I was a big Tupac fan. Overhyped? Yep.

I'm a big Oakland Raider fan too, but I get sick of hearing other people talk about them all the time. Maybe it's the same with you and Tupac. If I had to constantly listen to people go on about how great he is, I'd probably be jaded too.

The boy had massive skills, though. I didn't want to admit it for a long time, but damn ... you can't deny talent.

Ms. Blaize said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ms. Blaize said...

I'm reading this crazy late but I'm almost thinking that you're creeping up on crush status with this one because once again - I feel you!
I've never had a problem telling people that I think that Pac is overrated and deitized (is that a word?). Anyway, what do I get? Bugged out eyes, nasty attitudes, accusations that I'm a New Yorker so I'm biased and storming away type behavior. Sorta the same kind of response I get when I mention that Beyonce can sing but vocally she isn't a Mariah or Whitney. Not saying she's awful or some junk - she's better than some but not better than ALL. Man you would think I said that Will Smith was satan or something! Dudes get all offended and act like she's their girl or something! Ahhh well! if there weren't differences of opinions, life wouldn't be interesting. Only thing your boy would stand to learn is that some things are worth debating, not arguing over and facts speak for themselves! You take care! The one,

Ms. Blaize

Amadeo said...

Tupac and Biggie got alot more props than deserved after death. Melle Mel is the greatest - Exhibit A the rhyme at the end of Beat Street.

Anonymous said...

I also agree that 2pac was overrated & i cant help but think of where he would be now if he was still alive?Would he be revered as much as her is now?I doubt it very much, infact by now he would have probably been a has been rap cautionary tale.Poeple who get upset, because some1 doesnt have same musical taste as them are nothing more than idiots.As if 2pac ever gave a Sh*t about them.On one hand he sings about empowering women, then hes convicted of raping a 19 year old one!I for 1 couldnt care any less about this overhyped muppet.

Anonymous said...

wow u all are stupid ass bitch's 2pac was the best rapper alive! he repped the Bay like no other and ur all fucked up for thinking otherwise!

~p.s- im not even really a tupac fan but this is the truth!

Anonymous said...

Fuck you and Fuck Tupac, he was a overrated bastard..

Rot in piss 'Pac'

The Humanity Critic said...

Why are Tupac fans the stupidest motherfuckers to roam the earth? It is my opinion and my right to say that the man was overrated, just like its your right to keep your tongue in his ass.

Anonymous said...

Tupac is overrated and im glad most of the people in here are intelligent enough to see that, i've just lost about 3 friends in one day over a Tupac arguement, i got all the dudes albums, he doesnt get in my top 20 even. His first two albums were complete bullshit, and by the time he got in his prime he was fuckin' stupid enough to try and be a westcoast G and jump a crip, he deserved to get killed for his ignorance right there. And now he's some kind of generic selection for greatest rapper due to media portrial and a legion of ignorant fucks who think Pac was a born and raised westcoast blood who banged his whole life and killed, when really he was just a wannabe.

Anonymous said...

ya all dump ass and shit tupac is the BEST any rapper of all time today is bling bling and shit !!
Tupac was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002. [38]
In 2003, MTV's "22 Greatest MCs" countdown listed Tupac as the "number 1 MC", as voted by the viewers. [39]
In 2004, a VIBE magazine poll rated Tupac "the greatest rapper of all time" as voted by fans.
In 2005, Top Soundtrack Song of the Year: "Runnin' (Dying To Live)" from Tupac: Resurrection by Tupac featuring The Notorious B.I.G. at the 18th Annual [SCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards].
Also in 2005, MTV listed Tupac's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (released under the pseudonym "Makaveli") as one of the "Top 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time."
Shakur's first album, 2Pacalypse Now, revealed the socially conscious side of Tupac. On this album Shakur attacked social injustice, poverty and police brutality on songs like "Brenda's Got a Baby," "Trapped" and "Part Time Mutha." His style on this album was heavily influenced by the social consciousness and Afrocentrism pervading hip-hop in the late 1980's and early 1990's. On this initial release, Shakur helped extend the legacy of rap groups like Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, X-Clan, and even Grandmaster Flash, as he became one of the first major socially conscious rappers from the West Coast.

On his second album, Shakur continued to rap about the social ills facing African-Americans, with songs like "The Streetz R Deathrow" and "Last Wordz." He also showed his compassionate side with the inspirational anthem "Keep Ya Head Up," while simultaneously putting his legendary aggressiveness on display with the title track from the album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. He even added a salute to his former group Digital Underground by including them on the playful track "I Get Around." Throughout his career, an increasingly aggressive attitude can be seen pervading Shakur's subsequent albums.

The contradictory themes of social inequality and injustice, unbridled aggression, compassion, playfulness, and hope all continued to shape Shakur's work, as witnessed with the release of his incendiary 1995 album Me Against the World. In 1996 Shakur released All Eyez on Me. With many tracks on the album considered to be classics, including "Ambitionz Az a Ridah", "I Ain't Mad at Cha", "California Love (RMX) [Remix]", "Life Goes On" and "Picture Me Rollin'," many critics consider this album to be a classic.

today people talk about bicht big car we ain't have that in ghetto people thinks is overrated because the lyric don't talk to u cuz is simple i talk for everyone black white junky red bleu ..... TUPAC EVERYONE KNOW HIM EVEN IN AFRICA ASIAN ALL AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE HE GOT SOMTHING WHO TALK TO U

The Humanity Critic said...

The sad thing is, highlighting the ignorance of most Tupac fans, is that you copied most of your post from a fucking wikipedia page. Jesus Christ man, can't you even come with your own words you inbred rube..Again, Tupca isn't the greatest rapper and that is a fact you wil have to deal with..

Anonymous said...

HELLO I'M FROM PARIS FRANCE A JUST SEE THIS QUESTIONING ABOUT TUPAC AND I SAYS HE WAS THE BEST EVER
PEOPLE THINKS IS OVERRATED HELL NO
HE IS THE BEST EVER

The Humanity Critic said...

Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit.

Anonymous said...

hi. i really agree with you and i think 2pac was hugely overrated, he had a good voice and could rap but lef a lot to be desired in lyrical skill and flow, there were lots of rappers better than 2pac, including, as you already stated, KRS-One, rakim etc, also, newer rappers such as nas and notrious B.I.G were and are alot more skilled in every way that 2pac, the sooner people start realizing 2pac was OVERRATED, the sooner rap can move on to newer and better things

Anonymous said...

and buddy you ahve to show both sides not decide what you want and only put your side of the story

Anonymous said...

First of all quintill don't even try and compare Tupac and 50, there on different levels, the reason 50 is big cause he's a diss artist, thats what he does, tupac has meaning in his songs, he just didn't rap for the sake of rapping, he did it to change somebodies life, before u start talking shit u should find out the facts

Anonymous said...

1:44 AM, Anonymous said that "Newer" rapers such as Biggie are better than tupac. Wait a second and think ok, first of all Biggie and Tupac were from the same time u idiot, Biggie was murdered a year later than Pac, Jesus christ Ur making me mad, If u want to critisize something or sombody know what ur doing, I respect that the guy who posted this doesn't like Tupac, not everybody has to but don't shoot him down and say he has no meaning thats what he did, he wasn't a diss artist like 50( somebody compared him to 50) please know what ur talking about before u post stuff, or else u just look like idiots, by the way goot blog cause u got me upset over it