I'm sure that with this blog I might catch some criticism, but it's all good. I want Straight Outta Hip Hop is the round table for hip hop, and so this is one of those topics that I want to be able to have a discussion about. With that said, I want to know: are Tupac and Biggie still the greatest rappers ever? Some may throw Jay, Em, and Rakim in the mix of this discussion, but I think it is pretty safe to say that Pac and Big are the two that most recognize as the greatest. So, if your answer to that question is yes, then my follow up question is will we, the hip hop community, ever consider anybody else the greatest, or are we simply content with never finding two better MCs?

The reason I ask this question is because if we as the hip hop community are never able and willing to even give consideration to somebody else as the greatest, can we ever really grow and become better? There are so many talented, lyrical, creative, passionate artists out there that maybe deserve consideration if nothing else, but the second their name is compared with Biggie or Pac, people are up-in-arms about it. Now, for the record, I have Pac as the number one because he had the whole package; lyrics, content, creativity, and passion. However, I'm wondering if the deaths of Tupac and Notorious have more to do with where we rank them more than actual comparison.

None of this is to disrespect their legacies in any way, but I think that is what people are scared of. Both died at the peak of their careers and their deaths took such a toll on hip hop, that I think some (maybe most) people hold them as the greatest because of what their deaths symbolized. In a way, they were martyrs of hip hop, and that along with their talent is why people hold them as the greatest, not just based off of talent alone.

If this is the case, then once again, is that really in the best interest of hip hop? It was said by Joe Budden on the absolutely amazing track "Who Killed Hip Hop?" that if we were trying to save hip hop, we artists would try to be "the best rappers ever, not the best rapper alive" and Nas went at Jay-Z when Jay said "and if I'm not better than Big/I'm the closest one" (granted it was during their beef, but I'm sure that many felt the same way). Even if nobody has surpassed them to this point, will hip hop be ready to acknowledge the one that is?

Sure the best is based on opinion, but we usually come to some consensus about who is the best. We have come to some sort of common agreement that Biggie and Pac are the best in rap. MJ is the best in basketball (admittedly, just like I'm mentioning in this post about hip hop, I'm not ready to acknowledge that Lebron or Kobe are better than Michael). Jerry Rice is the greatest wide receiver ever. And the list goes on.

I have the utmost respect for Biggie and Tupac, I am a huge fan of both, play both of their records to this day, and will forever play their music, but as hip hop fans and part of the culture, if/and when there is somebody who may even be close to taking over the title as the best (as hard as it might be to admit), we have understand that by crowning somebody else the "greatest," we are not taking away from the legacy of whom we certainly hail as the greatest and that we will never forget what they gave us and what we learned from them.

Of course, the other argument could be that there is no best at all. If that is your opinion, or any other opinion, leave a comment and see what others have to say. Once again, this is in no way speaking ill of the two artists who obviously paid the ultimate price for hip hop and have arguably given more to hip hop than any other individuals. It is simply a question raised for matter of discussion and to get people talking. Let your voice be heard. As always, you can also e-mail at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.


Peace.