Great thread topic, despite the haters. My 2 cents:
Both Tupac and Biggie were phenomenal rappers, who's high mark has not been reached by mainstream rappers since. But both were different. Who would I prefer alive more?
1. Notorious BIG: The man was the definition of flow, he invented it. Jay-Z is a biter who stole Biggie's rapping style. Lyrically, his style was defined by putting together a few repeating rhymes within a phrase:
Armed and
dangerous, ain't too many can
bang with us
Straight up weed no
angel dust,
label us Notorious
Thug a$$ niggaz that love to bust, it's strange to us
Y'all niggaz be
scramblin,
gamblin
Up in restaraunts with
mandolins, and
violins
We just
sittin here
tryin to
win, tryin not to
sin
High off weed and lots of
gin
So much smoke need oxy
gen, steadily countin them Benja
mins
Nearly all his raps follow this style, and with his GREAT voice (much better to hear than Tupac's), he is forever cemented in Rap History.
2. Tupac: The rapper, the poet, the legend. In many ways, tupac was not a rapper. His flow was unconventional, they were sentences spoken to a beat. He was a poet first, painting images of violence, love, despair and most importantly hope. Examples of his imagery are:
And all I had ta give her was my pipe dream
Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen
I'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
It's hard to be legit and still pay tha rent
And in the end it seems I'm headin for tha pen
I try and find my friends, but they're blowin in the wind
Last night my buddy lost his whole family
It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
Memories of a past time, givin up cash
to the leaders, knowin damn well, it ain't gonna feed us
In my brain how can you explain, time in D.C.
It's hard enough to live now, in these times of greed
They say Jesus is a kind man, well he should understand
times in this crime man
Simply because you nervous, let me start off with my conversation
Hoping my information, eleviates the hesitiation
I can see it clearly now
catch you smiling through your frown
I'm askin' Baby Boo are you down ?
Tupac was a VOLUME rapper. In a short period, he has written more lyrics than practically all rappers in their lifetimes. This means there were alot of less potent rhymes in his discography, but he was able to touch a wide range of subjects. Remember, he had a 3 album contract with Death Row, and it was in his best interests to pump out beats to meet his contractual obligations. We don't know if he would have slowed down after he left the row.
So who, IMO, is better? Tupac. As much as I love Biggie's flow, I believe Tupac, if he condensed his lyrics into fewer songs, would easily outclass Biggie. But the most important thing is that Tupac was an urban hero, a poet who will be studied in high school english classes in years and centuries to come. A Robert Frost of the nineties, with poetry that crystallized the young African-American experience. He may not have been able to have the positive influence he aimed to have, with his life cut short, but he is indeed a gem amidst the coal.
Driven by my ambitions, desire higher positions
So I proceed to make Gs, eternally in my mission
Is to be more than just a rap musician
The elevation of today's generation
If could make 'em listen