Why Bloggers Hate 2pac
Had Tupac Amaru Shakur not been killed in a violent shooting on the Las Vegas Strip that faithful evening of September 7th, 1996, he would have turned 38-years-old today.[1] As much as I’d like to write a post that serves as a celebration of his life, I feel compelled to defend his music. You see, in the past few years bloggers who critize 2pac have done more damage to his legacy than old C. Delores Tucker could ever hope to do. Sure, a lot of what they say is true (He was never really a thug, he never sold drugs, he got caught up playing Bishop in real life) but that doens’t mean we should throw 2pac under the bus. Which is why I’m here to offer a few reasons why bloggers hate 2pac so much.
1) Bloggers are haters, and people love 2pac. Since people are infatuated with 2pac and seem to worship him like a prophet, he’s a prime target for bloggers everywhere. Probably because bloggers are infatuated with their own sense of self-righteousness and supreme knowledge of whatever topic they write about (myself included) that they inherently feel the urge to go againt popular consensus just to prove just how high and mightly they truly are. Which in turn makes most bloggers haters by nature.[2] Funny thing is, I’d bet if 2pac came out today like he did in ’93 he’d be shunned by the very fans who worship him now and embraced by the bloggers who hate on him on the internet.
2) 2Pac’s albums are worse than you think. Sure, Pac has the trifecta of classics (which in hip hop more or less guarantees your name be brought up in GOAT conversations) but his albums are all filled with filter. And not because of Pac himself, but because of the company he kept. If 2pac was a basketball player he’d be Lebron James, but the Outlaws would be the rest of that bum ass Cavaliers squad. And I aint talking that ’09 Cavs squad either. I’m talking more like that ’03 Cavs squad. Crews that surround big time acts can often come up with one decent sidekick or worthy counterpart (Lil Kim, Proof, Game, Beans), but not with the Outlaws you can’t. And if your throwing your arms up in disagreement, name one hot verse the Outlaws ever spit on that song that isn’t “Hit’Em Up.” I’ll wait….
3) 2pac’s music hasn’t aged well. Maybe this is just a personal thing, but I find myself listening to 2pac’s music less and less these days. A few years ago when I was high school, I would listen to Makaveli on the regular. But nowadays the only 2pac album I listen heavily is Me Against The World (Which I would still argue is his best album). Meanwhile, he’s slowly slipped out of my personal GOAT and has been surpassed by the seemingly invincible Jay-Z.[3] One of the things bloggers like to bring up about Pac is that his lyricism isn’t up to par with wordsmiths like Nas, or Eminem, or Black Thought. There’s really no debate from me there, Pac isn’t know for clever concepts or witty punchlines (Although his honesty does make him a great songwriter). But Pac isn’t about his lyrics, he’s about his emotion and his delivery. Next to Biggie, 2pac has one of the greatest voices in the history of rap music. A voice that barked with aggression but could curl with sensitivity. But hey, bloggers aren’t interested in things like that.
As a gift, I present the most underrated 2pac song ever:
[1] I know that’s old news, but stop for a minute and think about it; A rapper was shot and killed. Forget the shady nature of the slaying and the aftermath and all the conspricy theories behind it. Just think about it, a rapper was MURDERED on the streets.
[2] I promised myself I would dedicate this blog to showing love and support for the things I love. When things are great, I have no problem saying so. I’ve tried not to nitpick and accept things for the way they are. So far, I feel that I’ve come as close as possible.
[3] I base my GOAT on discography. Each passing posthumous 2pac release is another turd in his catalog, while Jay just keeps making good music.
