Notorious B.I.G vs 2Pac - Who do you prefer?

[Headkicktoleg]

Tupac could make actually songs and not just rap over beats so I'll go with him.

 

[IloveTHIS]

Liked them both tbh. Biggie was more gifted lyrically, but 2Pac was something special, the likes of whom we probably dont see again; a 20th Century icon for sure. I also think his stuff (especially pre Death Row) was deeper in its content, and you can see the traits that he inherited from his mother who was a significant member of the Black Panthers in his music. RIP to both, and what a waste of talent orchestrated by the dark forces around them.

"both" is not a valid answer to "who do you prefer"

 

[mrbaapt]

Tupac was a great artist. However his entire persona is illegitimate. His first name was MC New York. He was a dancer for Digital Underground in Oakland. Then Shug Knight sold him on the West Coast gangster persona and he aligned himself with gang culture and violence. That ain't hip hop.

Biggie all day, came up without much help, was a beast at freestyling and never did anything to promote the fake beef that ultimately extinguished both their lives.

 

[The Audience]

"both" is not a valid answer to "who do you prefer"

 

[Dizzy]

Tupac was a great artist. However his entire persona is illegitimate. His first name was MC New York. He was a dancer for Digital Underground in Oakland. Then Shug Knight sold him on the West Coast gangster persona and he aligned himself with gang culture and violence. That ain't hip hop.

Biggie all day, came up without much help, was a beast at freestyling and never did anything to promote the fake beef that ultimately extinguished both their lives.

Absolutely this, Biggie was a crack dealer. Pac was getting down in parachute pants as a backup dancer.

It’s amazing how many people bought into the Tupac character.

 

[Aurelian]

Both died wayyyy too young and never got to show all they had to offer. I'm going with Tupac: he got a lot done in a short space of time and had the ability to tell diverse stories in a personal and affecting way. Such a shame he threw it all away trying to be a gangbanger.

Biggie's first album had an interesting concept to it too. You gotta wonder what he would have gone on to do, given time.

Crazy to think BIG died at age 24 and Tupac 25. Neither of those guys were close to their peak. For comparison, Eminem didn't come onto the rap scene until he was like 27.

 

[mrbaapt]

Crazy to think BIG died at age 24 and Tupac 25. Neither of those guys were close to their peak. For comparison, Eminem didn't come onto the rap scene until he was like 27.

Eminem was battling at Skribble jam in his mid 20s.

 

[Aurelian]

Eminem was battling at Skribble jam in his mid 20s.

I meant before he blew up and picked up by Dre. His early work is great and the SSLP has a special place in my heart. But he didn't really get known until that album.

 

[surgeyou1]

2Pac hit different. Biggie was smoother but didn't have that same oomph.

 

[WhiskyJack]

Snowflake alert! I got something for you:



2Pac all day. All Eyez On Me is the tightest rap album of all time.

2021 and I still bump All Eyez on me in my '99 floatin in mah black beamah.

...One day I need to get a CD player I can actually hook up to my phone though.

I sound poor.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Absolutely this, Biggie was a crack dealer. Pac was getting down in parachute pants as a backup dancer.

It’s amazing how many people bought into the Tupac character.

He was also a homosexual.

 

[boingyman]

Biggie is easily the better rapper, however who is the better hip hop artist is very subjective. I prefer Biggie, but I enjoy tracks from both artist depending on the mood.

 

[Dizzy]

He was also a homosexual.

 

[Cold187um]

Ice Cubes first 3 solos > Pac and Biggies whole catalogs and that’s not even including the NWA stuff

 

[Uber_Noober]

 

[blaseblah]

Pac has way more material to choose from. Biggie only made two albums and a lot of it is typical pop shit. Especially the second album.

 

[Long Dark Blues]

Even though I'm not that big of a fan of either, Biggie.

Tupac had the most garbage beats. Even the beats on All Eyez On Me were hit or miss at best.

 

[Mesos]

Biggie was in the streets since he was a kid and was arrested, meanwhile 2Pac did dance ballet. How is exactly 2Pac "more real" ?

I agree 2Pac was more raw, and has more quantity on his belt, and did a lot of song with a strong thematic gravity though.

Biggie chose to be on streets but it wasnt like had no choice like real street dudes. I remember reading something about his mom being well off, and owned some properties.

Dude wasnt hustling to survive, he did it because he liked playing street Gangster role and same could be said of Tupac to an extent but in Pacs case he became more like that after the fame.

Either way in terms of the content of the music. 2pacs music was more honest(no bs bravado like Big would do)

Things 2pac said on his songs he was down for. The ballet stuff 2pac was into ties into really his overall love of art. He wrote poetry, did ballet, acting, think he was into drawing too. It shows in the quality of his music too, he treated his music artfully and has the better catalog

 

[Vergilius]

Tupac was a great artist. However his entire persona is illegitimate. His first name was MC New York. He was a dancer for Digital Underground in Oakland. Then Shug Knight sold him on the West Coast gangster persona and he aligned himself with gang culture and violence. That ain't hip hop.

Biggie all day, came up without much help, was a beast at freestyling and never did anything to promote the fake beef that ultimately extinguished both their lives.

That's not quite the whole story is it? Tupac was complex: he went to art school and was into poetry, Shakespeare and even danced ballet. But before he ever went to the West coast he had been shot five times, served time in jail for two violent assaults and sexual abuse - and he also shot two off duty cops. The whole reason he went to Death Row was because Suge Knight bailed him out of jail in exchange for him signing.

Looking back at it, the dude was spiraling out of control over a number of years. A shame he couldn't leave it behind and focus on what actually mattered. Snoop is a great lesson to young rappers in that regard - he got out and stayed out when he realised things were going South if he tried keeping things real.

 

[Simple Southerner]

It used to be pac but it's biggy for me now