Why is Tupac the Greatest?

I've been a Tupac fan since he was alive (though barely.) For me, his ranking is based on his charisma, authenticity, intelligence, and on how prolific he was.

I'll speak to charisma first, since that's what drew me to him as a teenager. He had a personality that drew people in to wonder, "who is this guy?" This was communicated both in his albums and in his interviews and movies. And this was more than just confidence, something all rappers seem to have in excess.

Some of this was because he was genuine, something distinct from being "real" or "authentic." When he says, "even though it wasn't _me_ I could feel her pain" in Keep Ya Head Up II, you feel like you are him wishing he could have stopped that brutal act. Some people like music because it allows them to think over something in their own life. I liked Tupac because I could feel like I was getting to know him and getting to know the world through his eyes.

He was also someone who was exceptionally intelligent. The difference between his best songs and most rappers best songs are due to this. Part Time Mutha (which tells three stories involving part time mothers, one from the perspective of a child with a uninvolved mother, one from a girl who is pregnant involuntarily, and one from a guy who is unexpectedly a father) investigates the concept of "motherhood" in a way few songs dare to. There are many examples of intelligent lyrics from his songs and poems. (Wonder Why They Call You is another more sophisticated song.) Few rappers can claim that. Or, more precisely, few profoundly popular rappers can say that. Immortal Technique can. But Immortal Technique doesn't have a 9x platinum album like All Eyez on Me.

And he was prolific. Before age 25, he made 14 CDs worth of music. And he made half a dozen movies. That just further confirmed people's suspicions that this guy was a genius.

I would like to add one more point, one that I only thought of as I wrote this. I don't think Tupac was a rapper. Rap was just a forum for him. He clearly had a lot to say. And he lived in a circumstance and in a culture that hadn't allowed him to express himself. Rap allowed that. If he had lived longer, I suspect he would have moved on. That, or he would have taken rap somewhere it has not yet gone. So maybe in some senses he isn't the greatest rapper. He would never have focused on the listener's experience as much as some might. Because that's not all he cared about. But that only makes me like him more, the same way I prefer Da Vinci's varied tastes to other Renaissance artist's focus. Tupac had an instinct to examine life. I just wish he had been given more of an opportunity to do so.

"There have [been] many great MC's & quite a few of them are lyrically better than Pac.." AHahahahahaha!

"& quite a few of them have more sophistication, originality or social awareness." AHahahahahahahahaha!

Would you mind posting some lyrics from these MCs who are "lyrically better than Pac" and "have more sophistication, originality or social awareness"?

How can u say he lacked originality or social awareness? He kept it real from start to finish, always foresaw his death which was a constant theme in his songs, and socially/politically he knew what was going on, thats why he made songs that focused on the prejudices he experienced, police brutality, hardship in men and women, secret world orders, government etc. I think if u listen to Keep Your Head Up you will see how original and socially aware he was!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for posting late but I felt the need to clarrify this...

2pac was the first person to talk about the cruel gritty reality that is in the world and what blacks experience, he made people listen and become awear he kept it real to the day he died, he never made a fake track and also had the best and most powerful, influenntial lyrics ever, whether it be something like Dear Mama (the most beautiful song in the world) or Hit Em Up (the most devistating diss track ever) He was also the first rapper to talk about treating women fairly (with a few exceptions) but he had the upmost respect for women (Dear Mama, Keep ya head up) he was also intelligent, he knew he was going to die so made an unbelievable ammount of tracks that would be produced after his death to get money for his mother.

"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave." Gandhi

I think people see Tupac as the greatest because he was more than just a rapper. He was the living embodiment of the everyday man struggling in the streets, and he rapped as if he was living his experiences all over again. His music was jam-packed with emotions running as deep as his messages, forget "lyricism". His songs still have great meaning, and the way he conveyed them was overbearing. I don't think too many rappers can touch the passion he had. He had too much heart & soul, and I just don't think the technicality of his rapping ability matters. There's more to Hip-Hop, and Tupac risked himself for the culture and delivered one of the most vocal, touching, poetic, depressing, hostile, foretelling, comforting, admired, Oscar-Worthy, legendary, musical careers ever.