2-Pac

“I never cried when Pac died…but I prolly will when Hov does…”-Drake

You gotta understand and feel that…Mr. Hol uP!

Top 5 Dead or Alive 

#5- 2-Pac-

              Undeniably Pac had it all…Hit records, classic albums, platinum plaques, and plenty of controversy and media coverage…Pac was the most passionate of the bunch no question…He cared the most about the people… He worked the hardest, which is obvious by the ridiculous amounts of posthumous albums that have been released since his death. (there’s another one on the way).

 Tupac Shakur was a phenomenon, a whirlwind…In fact some would say that by the way Pac lived his life, the way he passed was somewhat inevitable. He danced the fine line between thug and revolutionary. You never knew what was going to come out of  his mouth next, whether it be a scathing diss track (ie. Hit’em Up), a classic heartfelt record (ie. Dear Mama,I Ain’t Mad at cha) or a candid interview. If Pac felt a way about something, the world knew about it. He was never afraid to speak his mind, and was quite possibly the most dualistic emcee ever. He just embodied so many different things. He wasn’t the MOST lyrical, but he definitely held his own with the best of all time. He wasn’t personally my favorite of the group coming up, but I definitely understand why he left such and indelible mark on so many people’s lives.

#4.- Notorious B.I.G.

 The flow, the voice, the lyrics, the delivery…The PRESENCE…Biggie Smalls aka The Notorious B.I.G. was exactly that from the onset of his career. Completely and almost single-handedly bringing East Coast hiphop back to the forefront, Biggie slayed the competition with a classic debut album ‘Ready To Die’…In which he managed to accomplish providing that hard, gutter Brooklyn bullshit, as well as smooth, melodic, club anthems. All the while giving you a deep and very introspective look at his life…B.I.G. had a swag like no other!

             Nobody came into the game like Biggie…In a time where sex appeal rules…Those rules did not apply to The Notorious One…He embodied self confidence in the place of aesthetics. His lyrics were clever and witty…His stories were detailed and grim…His voice was deep and intimidating…and his flow wasn’t in pocket…it was the pocket…He dropped two albums. Both widely considered classics…but that’s where he loses spots on my list…my heart aches at the lost of these two Kings of Hiphop, unfortunately B.I.G’s career was cut short, and b/c he was only able to drop two albums before his death…He lands at #4, but B.I.G. is Forever…

 #3. Eminem-

I’m gonna catch some flack for this choice, but I’ll tell you like he would tell you…I just don’t give a fuck!!!….Nobody, and I do mean nobody was as rebellious and hell bent on pissing people off like the bleach blonde, middle finger waving white boy from Detroit MI. Coming from a battle-rap background, and co-signed by arguably the greatest producer in HipHop history Dr. Dre… Eminem came into the game with blistering lyrics, and an attitude that was simply infectious…

    Nobody wanted to give white boys a chance in HipHop after Vanilla Ice, but Eminem proved all the critics wrong time and again, and he loved  every bit of it. Any type of scrutiny feuled him. Any type of criticism enraged him. It was as if he’d been waiting all his life to unleash his rage on the world, and that’s exactly what he did. The more he pissed people off…the more he tried…the more he offended people…the more offensive he would get…”I find you offensive for finding me offensive”…

Eminem has been known to BODY features, starting with Biggie’s posthumous remix to Dead Wrong…continuing his reputation with what many consider to be an upstaging of Jay-Z on Renegades (I’m on the fence with that one)…and more recently bodying ‘Forever’ featuring Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and newcomer Drake…Eminem is still on route to make more history as he has made a valiant comeback with Relapse, and intends to close the year with Relapse 2 which will allegedly have hefty production from Just Blaze…It should be very interesting to see what the next phase of Slim Shady will be.

The downfalls for Em have been the long periods of inactivity, and also a tendency to get repetitive in subject matter, but in his defense..He may not be any more repetitive than your favorite rapper…He’s just not talking about money, cars, clothes, and hoes…

#2.- Nas

Nas…the poet, the master MC…the legendary storyteller…Lyrics wise there’s so much that you can say about the Queensbridge King. He’s held it down before there was a Jay-Z, before there was a B.I.G…There was Nas…There was Illmatic…One of the greatest albums to ever be constructed, followed by It Was Written, which was slept on by some, but featured classic records (ie. I gave you power)

      Nas has consistently done things with lyricism that have never even been attempted before (ie. Rewind)…While maintaining a persona of the flyest wise guy from the corner. Nas has always been a name that is revered in hiphop, because he has always set the bar so high for his colleagues. The word living legend couldn’t be more fitting.

Nas also is heralded as having quite possibly the best and most devastating diss track ever in his resume (Ether)…Which was unleashed on Jay-Z in what was easily the most high profile rap beef since Biggie & Pac. At a time when everybody had counted Nas out, after Nastradamus and Jay-Z’s earth shattering Takeover diss…Nas rebounded with Ether, and as of this very day, the word “Ether” is used as term for finishing off someone in a rap battle or debate.

Nas has continued to drop classic material, as seen in his most latest and most slept on effort…Nas’ “Nigger album”…in which conceptually and socially, he challenges the psyche of blacks and whites. He’s no stranger to challenging the minds of his listeners, as he caused a huge uproar and a lasting impression with his album  titled “Hip Hop Is Dead”, which is still being widely debate as we speak…Nas is thinker’s MC…a rapper’s rapper…A poet…and as long as he continues to drop albums…We’ll continue to listen…

Nas’ downfalls have come in lack of consistency, and sub-par production. He’s also made some mis-steps in attempts at commercial singles, that don’t fit the mold of what fans expect of Nasir Jones, but all in all…He one of the greatest to ever do it, and for his contributions…He lands at #2 on my list…

#1- JAY-Z-

Jay-Z…Jiggaman…Hov…Young…The God MC…So many different monikers, but only one JAY…He’s done it ALL, and then some…and is continuing to do it…Starting with Reasonable Doubt, which in my opinion is THE best Hiphop album of all time, but that’s of course arguable, but what isn’t arguable is that it is a certified CLASSIC…Jay has lyrically given us just as much depth and imagery as anyone else in his span of 14 albums. 11 solo albums (#2 ONLY to The Beatles in #1 albums)…

Sales wise over 30 Million sold…at least one other certified classic album in The Blueprint…rated already by MTV as The Greastest of All Time, and just this week rated by MTV as it’s CURRENT hottest MC…His longevity and consistency is something HipHop has NEVER SEEN. No one has done it this well, for this long…

His influence has been well documented…What he’s said has pretty much gone over the last 10+ years…He buys it…You buy it…He trashes it…You trash it…Jay-Z aka the trend killer. Ask 4.0 range rovers, ask burberry, ask X-5’s, ask throwbacks, ask Cristal, ask Autotune…

Jay’s success as a mogul sometimes overshadows his enormous contributions musically…Bar for bar, song for song…your favorite rapper can’t keep up…His consistency will break their necks. After all…He’s your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper… Even KRS-One has gone on record to say that Jay-Z is the greatest lyricist of all time. Now whether or not you agree with that is purely up to you and your personal tastes, but no one can deny his abilities as a lyricist, just as well as they can’t deny his success as a businessman and artist…Men lie, Women lie, Numbers don’t…

So overall, say what you want to say about Jay-Z, and the records you don’t like, the stories you hear from his old friends, and the fact that he’s older than the crowd…He has opened doors for HipHop that have never been opened, and continuously strives to open more…If you love Hiphop…you have to love Jay-Z…He filled the void that BIG and Pac left, and took HipHop to places that I don’t know either of them would have been concerned to take it…Love him or not…He IS The Greatest of All Time, and there’s not an intelligent argument you can make against that FACT………..

Wow man..Pac was a deep dude…That goes without saying, but he was truly passionate. Looking at this lets you know how special of a person we lost. I don’t agree with everything he said, but it’s not for me to…R.I.P. Pac….Mr. Hol Up

***Man it’s crazy to see candid stuff like this…You could tell Pac really loved his niggas…RIP Pac….****Mr Hol Up****