Been a rough few days. Don’t know about you, but I’ve been on edge and a little irritable. So, here is my twitter essay on why 2Pac was great. For me, 2Pac is the 2nd greatest rapper of all time but putting him at #1 is an entirely reasonable position. Here are my thoughts 1/10

If Rap has a soul, 2Pac is it. Music of 2 minds. On the one hand you hear him rap about his love and loyalty to “Thug Life” (his term) and devotion to the “game”. On the other, he laments the state of his community and own life. This was the tragedy that was 2Pac. 2/10

From tragedy we were blessed with perhaps the greatest lyricist rap has known. I refer to him as rap music’s poet laureate. He was so prolific a writer in life that even after his death there was enough material to sustain several high-quality albums released posthumously. 3/10

When listening to his songs, aside from his lyrics, note the pacing, how he adjusts speeds and places emphasis on certain words for effect. His delivery is perfect. 4/10

As for my favourite songs of his, to be honest, my list is pretty basic. My favourite 2Pac songs also happen to be his most popular ones. Sometimes that’s just the way it is. Here they are.. 5/10

#5 “To Live and Die in LA”. A love-song for the city that he was intimately connected with. He both loves the city and knows how imperfect it is. The same goes for his description of the hustle and gangsta lifestyle that he lived. 6/10

#4 “Hit Em Up”. The diss track that defined the East Coast/West Coast feud. 2Pac delivers fire and absolutely eviscerated Bad Boy Records, Notorious BIG, and Junior MAFIA. This song single handedly changed the course of hip hop. 7/10

#3 “Dear Mama”. Beautiful. Songs about mother are not uncommon. But this one that mixes love and understanding of the struggle that mothers go through is special. 2Pac recognizes that sometimes the children can be cause of that pain and the regret is palpable.
8/10

#2 “Keep Ya Head Up”. 2Pac’s ode to women in general and Black Women in particular. 2Pac saw the struggle of Black Women and gave us one of his most well known songs in their honour. 9/10

#1 “Changes”. Makes me emotional every time. Even more tragic cause it was released after his death. On point social commentary. Sad and hopeful. On the shortlist for greatest songs of all time. We lost 2Pac far too soon. But I guess that's just the way it is. 10/10