Poll: Tupac or Biggie?

[infohippie]

Fred Schneider.

 

[BonsaiK]

So a few of my friends and I were arguing as to who was the better rapper, Tupac or Biggie Smalls, and we argued into a stalemate, so I'm leaving the fate of the argument in the hands of the wise people of the Escapist.

Who's the better rapper? Tupac or Biggie?

I prefer Biggie. Biggie actually had decent rap lyrics - he was an ugly bastard who got fame purely because he was a good rapper who knew how to rap and how to use words, and for no other reason.

Tupac on the other hand never really fit into rap - his lyrical flow was never that great, the beats were poor - sure, he was a good performer (because that was his background - performance art), and anyone who loves him should see him in the film Gridlock'd because he was a fantastic actor, but he wasn't much of a rapper when it came down to it.

Let's compare 2-Pac's debut rapping performance with Biggie's.


Yes, that's 2-Pac with the keyboard strapped to him. 2-Pac got his start in the music career as this group's roadie and backup dancer.

Now here's the demo tape that got Biggie his record deal:


Certainly a world of difference in terms of lyrical skill.

Tupac's painfully overwrought moralising about the evils of gangsterism every so often was pretty hypocritical given that he was riding that cultural wave all the way to the bank. Tupac was always trying to model himself on some kind of "sensitive Scarface" character in his latter days and god knows why because it just made him look stupid. You can't have gangster talk on half your album, tattoo "thug life" on your chest and then speak up against that lifestyle and expect to be taken seriously. At least Biggie was ideologically consistent.

 

[Zachary Unkle]

Dr.Suess,everything he says rhymes.

 

[New Troll]

Voted Tupac, not because I'm a fan of either, but because I could possibly stand to listen to some of his raps longer than Biggie. But I'd take someone like Skee-Lo over the both of them any day of the week!

 

[Ham_authority95]

Biggie, simply because he was a fat, ugly ************ who didn't get his start in the cheesiness that was Digital Underground.

EDIT: Holy shit, someone took my answer.

Yes, that's 2-Pac with the keyboard strapped to him. (Or maybe it isn't - hard to tell, but no-one here has any good lyrics anyway) 2-Pac got his start in the music career as this group's roadie and backup dancer.

 

[New Troll]

i like both about the same. prefer Biggie, but i dont see the point. they were actually friends (Biggie actually recorded earlier albums at the same place as Tupac)

Just a friendly rivalry then I guess? Sort of like Dre and Easy? Well thier rivalry didn't hurt thier sales so...

 

[Shock and Awe]

Tupac, you can't argue with Hail Mary.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Doesn't matter. Vanilla Ice is the best rapper of all time![/sarcasm]

Fixed it, seriously though, of the two mentioned who would you pick?

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Neither. "Gangsta" rap sucks.

So do people who think that their obvious trolling needs to be heard.
Honestly, if you don't like rap music, and you clearly knew this thread was about rap, you shouldn't come here.

So rapping about mutha fuckin niggas and uzis isn't considered gangsta rap? I love hip hop, and i've got a soft spot for rap, but gangsta rap is fucking terrible and gives a bad name to the rest of the genre.
EDIT: And can we please get some kind of intranets dictionary or something?
A troll isn't someone with a different opinion.

I'm going to agree with the other guy, you should have known this was about gangsta rap so if you had nothing to contribute you shouldn't have clicked on it, if you feel like actually contributing why don't you tell us who sucks less?

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Doesn't matter. Vanilla Ice is the best rapper of all time![/sarcasm]

Fixed it, seriously though, of the two mentioned who would you pick?

That is not fixed. Vanilla Ice is the best rapper of all time.[/fact]

Whether you like him or not there is no denying that he is the most widely known rap artist of all time. Everyone knows of him.
These other two can not make such a claim.

Actually I think they can. I've known about Biggie and Tupac since I was 4, I had to move to another country before I found out who Vanilla Ice was.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Tupac is the better rapper, Biggie is the better lyricist.

I love Tupac so much for his songs in terms of the stories he tells and the message he brings, but in terms of lyricism there's fuck all there.

Biggie on the other hand? He's a monster.

This is probably why people argue so much; they don't realise that in a way, they were both better than each other.

Shameless plug: We also have a Hip Hop group if you're interested in more discussion: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Mic-Club-The-Escapist-Hip-Hop-Group

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

i like both about the same. prefer Biggie, but i dont see the point. they were actually friends (Biggie actually recorded earlier albums at the same place as Tupac)

Just a friendly rivalry then I guess? Sort of like Dre and Easy? Well thier rivalry didn't hurt thier sales so...

Tupac slept with Biggie's wife and made a track about it. They were friends.

 

[ChaoticKraus]

I don't know really. On one hand i'd say that biggie was a better lyricist but i'm not a fan of that kind of "east coast" beats and i never really liked his voice that much.

2pac on the other hand had some shitty beats too, he wasn't too good lyrically either but he wrote some pretty good songs and had some nice messages. Oh and the fact that he ran with the g-funk crew for a while gave him some really nice beats to rap over.

I guess i'd pick 2pac since i can think of more songs of his that i like. I really like 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted. Not because it's deep or clever, it's just a damn catchy song.

 

[Wynn Donivan]

The only correct answer, of course, is yes.

 

[Vampire cat]

Uh, well I'm no rap-head (or whatever rap fans are called), but one of the few raps I do enjoy is by Tupac so I guess I'll have to vote for him...

 

[michiehoward]

Though I love both, Biggie wins it for being the better MC.