Hip-Hop Legends: The G.O.A.T. Pt 4 - 2pac

When it comes to legend status, there aren’t many people who don’t think of Tupac Shakur as one of rap’s greatest icons of his time. Despite his career being cut short by gang violence that led to his death, 2pac set the stage for music and hip-hop culture to grow beyond die-hard hip-hop fans.

Early in his career, 2pac took the world by storm but not before paying his dues as a roadie/backup dancer for Digital Underground. It was his blend of gangster rap and life experiences that fans flocked to. Songs in his catalog can easily relate to a larger audience. He made songs about the struggle of inner city life. Songs like “Brenda’s Got A Baby” off his album 2pacalypse Now brought the struggles of parenthood at a young age in the inner city. It might have been about the struggles of young black men/women to light but in a way that every demographic could relate to.

That was the strongest aspect of 2pac’s career. He didn’t just rap, he told stories. The struggles might have been about growing up in the ghetto but the way he brought them to a larger audience sold his albums. While the song was about pre-teen pregnancy, it was relatable on so many levels in a generation where a large population of people was becoming parents too young and struggling to get by.

He’d continue the trend on his next few albums as well. Songs like “Keep Ya Head Up” off the album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z focused on the struggle of young black women but again with reliability to a wider audience. In it he raps:

You know me makes me unhappy? When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy.And since we all came from a woman, got our name from a woman, and our game from a woman.I wonder why we take from our women Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?I think it’s time to kill for our women, time to heal our women, be real to our womenAnd if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies, that will hate the ladies, that make the babiesAnd since a man can’t make one, he has no right to tell a woman when and where to create oneSo will the real men get up, I know you’re fed up ladies, but keep your head up ..

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Here we are 30 years later and still facing those same struggles as a society as people still quote these lyrics. But Shakur didn’t just make a political statement in his music. Tracks like “Dear Mama” brought to light the connection of a child’s love for their parent despite the struggle. He’d also go on to record hip-hop anthems like “California Love” and one of rap’s most famous diss tracks “Hit ‘Em Up” targeting his feud with the Notorious B.I.G. His music was political, uplifting, party anthems, and gangster rap, all while honoring hip-hop as a whole. It’s a list that barely scratches the surface of some of his most popular songs that became fan favorites.

Tupac Shakur blurred the lines between rapper and artist. Having a background in theater, poetry, and music expanded his talents beyond just rap music. He brought culture with his career and portrayed the struggle in both his music and his acting career. He’d go on to star in movies like Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson which paid homage to his youth and upbringing. The movie was a follow-up to one of his more as Bishop in the movie Juice. His acting career was just taking off when he was gunned down in Las Vegas. After his death, 3 more movies would be released. Gang Related, Bullet, and Gridlock’d emulated his music again focusing on inner-city struggles.

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2pac’s music brought hip-hop culture to a more diverse crowd. He didn’t just rap for the “top 25” radio stations. His music broke down barriers and brought attention to struggles a larger audience can relate to. His music was heartfelt and sincere. Just like Biggie, his NY counterpart, the two were considered some of hip-hop’s greatest storytellers that inspired the next wave of hip-hop legends. Rap might have moved on from the traditional artists like Tupac and B.I.G. in favor of club-kid music but the G.O.A.T conversation still comes down to hip-hop’s greatest storytellers. When ‘Pac and Biggie died, many believed that hip-hop slowly died with them.

Artists like Jay-Z and Nas carried the torch to fill the void, but hip-hop was forever changed in the mid-90s.