Celebrating a Legend’s B-Day
June 16, 2009 by admin
“June 16th 1971, mama gave birth to a hell raisin’ heavenly son” -Tupac (Cradle to the Grave)
Counting down the greatest joints from Tupac’s deep and historic catalog. As difficult as it may be, we narrowed the list down to 20. (We also asked Obie Trice, Yukmouth, Nipsey Hussle, Cormega & more to give us their favorite 2pac tracks ever. See Below)
SupremeMag.com’s Top 20
Words by Shea Serrano
1. “So Many Tears,” Me Against the World
It’s always an iffy situation when a rapper does one of these My Life Is Harder Than You Realize And Even Though I’ve Got Millions Of Dollars And Worldly Fame Sometimes That Pressure Still Gets To Me tracks, but Tupac consistently did it better than anyone* ever has (and, likely, ever will).
*It was considerably less cool when I confided to my middle school mates that I too had shed many tears, mostly on account of this superdick who tormented me because I once made fun of how he wore the same pair of purple Girbaud jeans at least three times a week. I didn’t see what the big deal was. I mean, it’s not like other people hadn’t noticed. They were bright purple.
2. “Dear Mama,” Me Against The World
If somebody had never heard of Tupac, and you were trying to explain the gravitas that his work carried, “Dear Mama” would be the song that you played as an example. It’s beautiful, and that’s a weird way to describe a rap song where the rapper remembers his mother being a crack fiend, but it’s absolutely appropriate.
3. “Old School,” Me Against the World
This is the most formulaic and expected of Tupac’s top 10, but, again, the ethos he packed into each song made it feel fresh. You got the feeling he could sing “Happy Birthday” and it would feel important.
4. “Ambitionz as a Ridah,” All Eyes On Me
I won’t deny it, Tupac’s a straight rider, and you don’t wanna fuck with him.
5. “Trapped,” 2pacalypse Now
“You know they got me trapped in this prison of seclusion // happiness, living on the streets is a delusion.”
“All we know is violence, do the job in silence // walk the city streets like a rat pack of tyrants.”
“Bang, bang, down another casualty // but it’s a cop who’s shot, there’s brutality. // Who do you blame? // It’s a shame because the man’s slain, // He got caught in the chains of his own game. // How can I feel guilty after all the things they did to me?”
There is at least one line in every Tupac song that is undeniably profound; “Trapped” had about 27 of them.
6. “Keep Your Head Up,” Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z
A lot of people forget this, but Tupac was exceptionally skilled at crafting opening lines that made you need to hear the rest of the song. It’s a lost art. I’d like to point out that the word “walk” is used about six thousand times in the first eighteen seconds of Dorrough’s “Walk That Walk.”
7. “To Live and Die in L.A.,” Makaveli
Two things you need to take note of here:
1. Tupac might’ve been the only guy in the history of the fruit selling business cool enough to pick up an entire car of women while trying to sell them some oranges.
2. Part of the reason that women were so infatuated with Tupac was that he always seemed to be championing the Average Woman. To wit: Notice at the part in the video where he’s performing under the freeway, he’s surrounded by totally normal looking females, not Buffie, not Jessica Ford, not Supahead. That’s a powerful message, and there’s no way it could unironically happen today.
8. “White Man’z World,” Makaveli
Listened to concurrently, it is impressive how many of Tupac’s songs carried such strong cultural narratives or principles; he managed to make intelligent conversation not only cool, but necessary, and that may have been his second greatest accomplishment. (For his first greatest accomplishment, see the first numbered point in the above “To Live And Die In L.A.” blurb.)
9. “Blasphemy,” Makaveli
“We probably in Hell already, our dumb asses not knowin’, everybody kissin’ ass to go to heaven ain’t goin’.”
For every commercially successful track wrapped around the Respect My Thuggery premise (see: “Amerikaz Most Wanted”), he offered up something like “Blasphemy,” and whether by happenstance or intentional, his ability to seamlessly transition from that into existential debate continues to be arresting.
10. “Under Pressure,” Thug Life Vol. 1
I remember seeing this title on the back of the CD and thinking “OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD, please, please, please let Tupac have sampled a Queen song.” Sadly, that wasn’t the case, but it was no less a triumph for the disappointment.
Best of the rest. 11. Pour Out a lil Liquor. 12. Krazy. 13. Troublesome 96′ 14.Never Be Peace. 15. Against All Odds. 16. So Much Pain . 17. I Get Around. 18. Hail Mary. 19. Trading War Stories. 20. Bury Me a G
_________________________________________________________________________________________
For all the outstanding accomplishments in Tupac’s short career, his influence on his peers is what probably sticks out the most. So SupremeMag.com reached out to a few artists to share their Top 3 favorite Tupac joints of all time. Here’s what they had to say.
Obie Trice
obietriceimage1. Krazy (Editors note: Check out Obie’s ill remake of “Krazy”)
http://www.suprememag.com/2009/?p=2315
2. So Many Tears – Both hit home and touched the emotional side of people including myself. On those songs the words are so strong you can reach out and touch the lyrics. That was Pac’s gift.
3. I Get Around- That was that summer hottness. It’s a feel good song. You want to chase hot ladies around the yard at your bar-b-que. That’s one of those songs where the video was dead on.”
Cormega
cormega1. Keep Your Head Up- Because the message it conveyed especially during the time in which it was released.
2. Hail Mary - Just simply rare in sound and structure there’s no song you can compare it with.
3. Dear Mama–For its sincerity and feel.
Nipsey Hussle
nipseyimage1. Dear Mama
2. White Manz World
3. To Live and Die in L.A.
Currency (Cash Money Records)
currency1. When My Homies Call – That’s how I feel about my set… JETS
2. So Many Tears – Best beast I heard in a long time, and he was saying some real shit. Dude said he wanted babies so he could see a better version of himself
3. Picture me Rollin- Cuz its always good to take a shit on the haters. Can u see me? Am I clear to ya? Jets Nigga, you know.
DJ Fuze (Former Digital Underground DJ)
djfuze21. Ambitionz of a Ridah
2. I get around
1.
2. 3. All eyes on me. Tupac was an extremely brilliant artist. What is less known is that he was hella funny. He could have easily been a comedian as well as a rapper.
Murda Mook
mook11. Dear Mama – No explanation needed!
2. Keep Your Head Up- The 2nd most powerful song he made, it impacted lives of women everywhere, it was an anthem. My moms was on welfare and were in desperation
3. Hit Em Up- I feel that song goes down in history as the best diss ever made. That song stopped the entire country, he had East Coast niggas rapping that.
Mistah Fab
mistahfab21. Dear Mama – Because everything he was talking about I was going through with my Mom. And our mothers lived similar lives so I felt a direct connection.
2. So Many Tears- It showed a more vulnerable side of him that not many people would have the courage to open up and give to the world. He spoke about issues in the Hood’ that was so drastic but simple you overlooked. Just a young dude stressin’ givin his thoughts.
3. Blasphemy – It was like my (Pac’s) ‘Ok this is my testimony’ I’m going through, so much shit down here it don’t matter what nobody does to me after this. I’m just gonna get it all out and go all out, fuck whoever is against me. Rebel music, he knew how to channel that rage and that song exemplified that.
Yukmouth (The Luniz)
yukmouth21. TRAPPED- Because it was the 1st song that turned me on to 2PAC in JR High School. I heard the (Same Song ) track w/ Digital Underground but that (Trapped) made me a 2PAC Fan!
2. HIT EM UP- It was the hardest diss track ever made….so me being a rapper that had a lot of BEEF, I used that song 2 structure my diss songs.
3. HAIL MARY-Because when 2PAC 1st made this song, he came to the E-40 Video Shoot & played it for us in the trailer. So when the song comes on, 2PAC just goes crazy & starts rappin the song word for word like a Live Concert!! To see how passionate he was about his track was motivation for me.Made me WAKE MY GAME UP!!
June 16, 2009 by admin
“June 16th 1971, mama gave birth to a hell raisin’ heavenly son” -Tupac (Cradle to the Grave)
Counting down the greatest joints from Tupac’s deep and historic catalog. As difficult as it may be, we narrowed the list down to 20. (We also asked Obie Trice, Yukmouth, Nipsey Hussle, Cormega & more to give us their favorite 2pac tracks ever. See Below)
SupremeMag.com’s Top 20
Words by Shea Serrano
1. “So Many Tears,” Me Against the World
It’s always an iffy situation when a rapper does one of these My Life Is Harder Than You Realize And Even Though I’ve Got Millions Of Dollars And Worldly Fame Sometimes That Pressure Still Gets To Me tracks, but Tupac consistently did it better than anyone* ever has (and, likely, ever will).
*It was considerably less cool when I confided to my middle school mates that I too had shed many tears, mostly on account of this superdick who tormented me because I once made fun of how he wore the same pair of purple Girbaud jeans at least three times a week. I didn’t see what the big deal was. I mean, it’s not like other people hadn’t noticed. They were bright purple.
2. “Dear Mama,” Me Against The World
If somebody had never heard of Tupac, and you were trying to explain the gravitas that his work carried, “Dear Mama” would be the song that you played as an example. It’s beautiful, and that’s a weird way to describe a rap song where the rapper remembers his mother being a crack fiend, but it’s absolutely appropriate.
3. “Old School,” Me Against the World
This is the most formulaic and expected of Tupac’s top 10, but, again, the ethos he packed into each song made it feel fresh. You got the feeling he could sing “Happy Birthday” and it would feel important.
4. “Ambitionz as a Ridah,” All Eyes On Me
I won’t deny it, Tupac’s a straight rider, and you don’t wanna fuck with him.
5. “Trapped,” 2pacalypse Now
“You know they got me trapped in this prison of seclusion // happiness, living on the streets is a delusion.”
“All we know is violence, do the job in silence // walk the city streets like a rat pack of tyrants.”
“Bang, bang, down another casualty // but it’s a cop who’s shot, there’s brutality. // Who do you blame? // It’s a shame because the man’s slain, // He got caught in the chains of his own game. // How can I feel guilty after all the things they did to me?”
There is at least one line in every Tupac song that is undeniably profound; “Trapped” had about 27 of them.
6. “Keep Your Head Up,” Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z
A lot of people forget this, but Tupac was exceptionally skilled at crafting opening lines that made you need to hear the rest of the song. It’s a lost art. I’d like to point out that the word “walk” is used about six thousand times in the first eighteen seconds of Dorrough’s “Walk That Walk.”
7. “To Live and Die in L.A.,” Makaveli
Two things you need to take note of here:
1. Tupac might’ve been the only guy in the history of the fruit selling business cool enough to pick up an entire car of women while trying to sell them some oranges.
2. Part of the reason that women were so infatuated with Tupac was that he always seemed to be championing the Average Woman. To wit: Notice at the part in the video where he’s performing under the freeway, he’s surrounded by totally normal looking females, not Buffie, not Jessica Ford, not Supahead. That’s a powerful message, and there’s no way it could unironically happen today.
8. “White Man’z World,” Makaveli
Listened to concurrently, it is impressive how many of Tupac’s songs carried such strong cultural narratives or principles; he managed to make intelligent conversation not only cool, but necessary, and that may have been his second greatest accomplishment. (For his first greatest accomplishment, see the first numbered point in the above “To Live And Die In L.A.” blurb.)
9. “Blasphemy,” Makaveli
“We probably in Hell already, our dumb asses not knowin’, everybody kissin’ ass to go to heaven ain’t goin’.”
For every commercially successful track wrapped around the Respect My Thuggery premise (see: “Amerikaz Most Wanted”), he offered up something like “Blasphemy,” and whether by happenstance or intentional, his ability to seamlessly transition from that into existential debate continues to be arresting.
10. “Under Pressure,” Thug Life Vol. 1
I remember seeing this title on the back of the CD and thinking “OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD, please, please, please let Tupac have sampled a Queen song.” Sadly, that wasn’t the case, but it was no less a triumph for the disappointment.
Best of the rest. 11. Pour Out a lil Liquor. 12. Krazy. 13. Troublesome 96′ 14.Never Be Peace. 15. Against All Odds. 16. So Much Pain . 17. I Get Around. 18. Hail Mary. 19. Trading War Stories. 20. Bury Me a G
_________________________________________________________________________________________
For all the outstanding accomplishments in Tupac’s short career, his influence on his peers is what probably sticks out the most. So SupremeMag.com reached out to a few artists to share their Top 3 favorite Tupac joints of all time. Here’s what they had to say.
Obie Trice
obietriceimage1. Krazy (Editors note: Check out Obie’s ill remake of “Krazy”)
http://www.suprememag.com/2009/?p=2315
2. So Many Tears – Both hit home and touched the emotional side of people including myself. On those songs the words are so strong you can reach out and touch the lyrics. That was Pac’s gift.
3. I Get Around- That was that summer hottness. It’s a feel good song. You want to chase hot ladies around the yard at your bar-b-que. That’s one of those songs where the video was dead on.”
Cormega
cormega1. Keep Your Head Up- Because the message it conveyed especially during the time in which it was released.
2. Hail Mary - Just simply rare in sound and structure there’s no song you can compare it with.
3. Dear Mama–For its sincerity and feel.
Nipsey Hussle
nipseyimage1. Dear Mama
2. White Manz World
3. To Live and Die in L.A.
Currency (Cash Money Records)
currency1. When My Homies Call – That’s how I feel about my set… JETS
2. So Many Tears – Best beast I heard in a long time, and he was saying some real shit. Dude said he wanted babies so he could see a better version of himself
3. Picture me Rollin- Cuz its always good to take a shit on the haters. Can u see me? Am I clear to ya? Jets Nigga, you know.
DJ Fuze (Former Digital Underground DJ)
djfuze21. Ambitionz of a Ridah
2. I get around
1.
2. 3. All eyes on me. Tupac was an extremely brilliant artist. What is less known is that he was hella funny. He could have easily been a comedian as well as a rapper.
Murda Mook
mook11. Dear Mama – No explanation needed!
2. Keep Your Head Up- The 2nd most powerful song he made, it impacted lives of women everywhere, it was an anthem. My moms was on welfare and were in desperation
3. Hit Em Up- I feel that song goes down in history as the best diss ever made. That song stopped the entire country, he had East Coast niggas rapping that.
Mistah Fab
mistahfab21. Dear Mama – Because everything he was talking about I was going through with my Mom. And our mothers lived similar lives so I felt a direct connection.
2. So Many Tears- It showed a more vulnerable side of him that not many people would have the courage to open up and give to the world. He spoke about issues in the Hood’ that was so drastic but simple you overlooked. Just a young dude stressin’ givin his thoughts.
3. Blasphemy – It was like my (Pac’s) ‘Ok this is my testimony’ I’m going through, so much shit down here it don’t matter what nobody does to me after this. I’m just gonna get it all out and go all out, fuck whoever is against me. Rebel music, he knew how to channel that rage and that song exemplified that.
Yukmouth (The Luniz)
yukmouth21. TRAPPED- Because it was the 1st song that turned me on to 2PAC in JR High School. I heard the (Same Song ) track w/ Digital Underground but that (Trapped) made me a 2PAC Fan!
2. HIT EM UP- It was the hardest diss track ever made….so me being a rapper that had a lot of BEEF, I used that song 2 structure my diss songs.
3. HAIL MARY-Because when 2PAC 1st made this song, he came to the E-40 Video Shoot & played it for us in the trailer. So when the song comes on, 2PAC just goes crazy & starts rappin the song word for word like a Live Concert!! To see how passionate he was about his track was motivation for me.Made me WAKE MY GAME UP!!
