It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you…
…but I was stranded for two days with no internet access and mobile phone signal at a theme park and it’s adjoining hotel and waterpark in Staffordshire. Isn’t it amazing that what we didn’t even have a decade ago is now completely indispensable? I was lost without tinternet and my phone! As for the place where wonders apparently never cease, it needs to be a little more big person tolerant – I couldn’t go on any of the rides!! Ace, Shortee Blitz, Big Ted… I’m calling on you to start that coalition I mentioned! I took the opportunity to listen to a lot of music and read a book…
This week, I have mostly been listening to (really good, a brilliant companion to Dilla’s Donuts – better than The Shining for that purpose. After this, there’s no doubt: Madlib has BEATS!!!); album (for my money, absolutely head and shoulders over Bouncy’s Bidet, sorry B’Day effort); album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (Skimmed it before but had to really see what the hype is about and imho, it’s a good album but not amazing nor as groundbreaking as the NME will have you believe) and late contender for album of the year: .
Ty’s one of the most consistent album makers in the British HipHop scene (I’d say he transcends the scene) and this album is his best yet. The beats are bad bad bad bad bad! Musical, funky and as far away from the stale boom bap circa 1996 a lot of UKHH albums seem to be stuck with. His lyricism is sharp, witty and relevant and the guests (such as De La Soul, Vula and James Yarde) do exactly what a guest should do – add that extra zing to the track like hot pepper sauce on fried chicken! Once this hits the stores in October, you have to go out and buy it. And if the Mercury Music Prize committee are reading, make sure this is up there next year!
As for reading, if you a fan of HipHop and don’t have then you aren’t a fan of HipHop! It gives you the missing album liner notes for a load of classic HipHop albums – the background stories behind some of the most classic tracks in HipHop.
I missed the tenth anniversary of Tupac Amaru Shakur’s passing so will be listening again to the 2Pac Ultimate Fan show (if you missed it too, check it here). While I agree that 2Pac is an icon and a very important figure for the progression of HipHop in the mainstream, I was never a really big fan of 2Pac’s music when he was alive – I was more a fan of his acting work. is one of the reasons why I wanted to become a deejay and was the first time I’d seen a DJ battle – even though it was fake!
I also don’t really think that 2Pac is technically one of the Greatest Rappers of All Time – while his lyrics were always bad, his flow and delivery were quite basic. Technically, Biggie for me was the better rapper however, 2Pac is the better icon. Do you agree with me? Or have I just opened up a big can of worms…
Comments
Post your commentI can't wait for the TY album, he always makes top top tunes.
He's got off to a good start with Don't Watch That, which is an awesome song, I could listen to it all day.
I saw on his myspace that his tour was close to being cancelled, glad that it hasn't been, gonna have to go check out one of his shows now and support him.
Congradulations to TY
i think pacs the best rapper. biggie could only flow and rhyme, but he didnt talk about the things that 2pac did.hmmm
Yeah, I agree with you. I'm old enough to remember the whole Tupac Vs Biggie tragedy and at the time I always thought that Biggie's flow was near perfect. People blasted Biggie's tunes everywhere in London, while 'Pac was more known for his antics. I've been listening to the "Fishcale" album by ghostface which has a Biggie verse on it and it still sounds impressive.
But Tupac IS iconic, the film "Gridlock'd" shows his acting skills were second to none. The sheer volume of his work is unbelievable so there's no denying his writing talent. I remember when he was alive, thinking that he was a drama-addict getting high off all the controversy (cos you saw him in the news, in magazines and on tv all the time). But in retrospect after he got shot the first time, the media focused on him as their poster-boy mage of a "Hip Hop rebel"
Flow for Flow, I'd say that Biggie ruled, but another skill of a good MC is to inject their passion and personality into their rhymes, and tupac's personality was definitely larger than life...(and indeed death). In his song "Hit 'em Up" you can actually feel the rage and taste the anger, I don't think that there's ever been such a diss-track that stunned the Hip Hop world like that. Even though Biggie's original version ("Get Money Remix") was lyrically superior, Tupac overshadowed it with the sheer forceful intensity of his words.
This is a debate that has waged for years all over the world, sometimes it's easy to forget that these were two young talented individuals whose lives got cut short before their full potential could truly be realised.
So in reality, ten years on.... nobody won and Hip Hop lost.
Peace gee
Pac was defiently the better rapper he did have better lyrics than biggie. he spoke the truth and related to all those of the struggle. to say he was just an icon was a total diss and missunderstanding.