Tupac vs. Biggie

I’ve had this discussion a number of times with various people and the same response (save for one) was correct: Who was more street The Notorious B.I.G. or Tupac?

Most people respond that Tupac was more street. Wrong.

Tupac was raised by a single mother, like Big, who was a Black Panther. Tupac attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet. Big on the other hand dropped out of school at the age of 17 and got more involved in crime, including selling crack, a practice he continued all the way up to the release of his first album.

Big grew up largely on the streets and rapped from experience. Tupac on the other hand rapped in a more poetic style and defended his lyrics by appealing to a high meaning such as “the problems facing young black males.” This isn’t a critique of the rappers themselves as I think most agree the poetic and message driven songs of Tupac is completely different from the style of the Notorious B.I.G.

In order to up his cred, Tupac took to starting a feud with B.I.G. for apparently recording a song in the same studio Tupac was in when he was recording. Tupac started shit with everyone, does not mean he was more street. His attacks include Jay-Z, the Fugees, and Nas, all legends of Hip-Hop and rap.

Next are their respective run-ins with the law. Tupac went to jail for allegedly gang rapping some girl. Big got in trouble but was never sent to prison once for breaking a window, pulling a guy out and beating him, and another time for weapons and possession charges.

As time went on, Tupac started to embrace the street lifestyle more than Big who had grown up there. It is easy to see where the misconception comes from. Now you might ask why this matters? It does not. Just thought some people should know the history a bit.

::GR Out::
to love is to place our happiness in the happiness of another. ~gottfried wilhelm von leibnitz~