In the late 90s, I was behind the times when it came to rap artists and hip-hop, so I asked a friend, who was instrumental in merging rappers with the big labels at the time if he could give me a lesson on the artists that made up the genre.
When I saw him next, to my surprised he opened up his trunk and he handed me over 20 CDs to listen to and get an education.
Tupac Shakur stood out among the rest for me and still to this day his rhythms, voice, and his words are the gold standard in my humble opinion.
There have been many other great artists after Tupac was murdered, but his songs linger on.
“Dear Mama” was the track that opened my eyes to what a wonderful writer he was.
Here’s a good Top 10 list for you to check out.
The first and most successful single from Me Against the World shows Tupac paying tribute to his mother, Black Panther Activist and ex-addict: Afeni Shakur. Using a sample of ‘In All My Wildest Dreams’ by Joe Sample, Pac croons over the beat with a harsh and open sadness contrasted by an emotional softness that few rappers had attempted before.
Open thread to bed.
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