Since Tupac
died, and even before his death, many other rappers have been accused of
'biting his style'; i.e. trying to be like him. Below are what I
feel to be the most significant 'bites'.
Nas
Nas was
accused, by Tupac himself, of being a 'Pac biter back in the day.
The pair had a relatively mild beef which involved a diss or two here and
there. I do not think that Nas has ever bitten Tupac's style, as I
respect them both as rappers. However, constant 'sentimental'
references to Tupac and his death are getting rather annoying and too
prevalent in Nas' later albums.
DMX
The look
said it all - bald head, goatee and do-rag. DMX emerged in the late
nineties with a powerful 'thug' voice similar to tht of Tupac's, and a
similar look to boot. However, it eventually became clear that X was
no 'Pac biter, as his music took a turn towards the dark side and his
songs were sraight-up-thug. recently, however, songs such as 'I Miss
You' (a tribute to his grandma) and 'Who We Be' (a strong ghetto-anthem)
have arose further 'Pac biting suspicions...
Biggie
The
originally accused Tupac biter (again by 'Pac himself) The Notorious B.I.G.
After a long spell as a broke up-and-coming rapper, Biggie finally made
it...with Tupac's style apparently. Tupac claimed that he 'trained'
Biggie in the art of rap, and that he told him 'Do not rap for the
niggas, rap for the bitches'. Allegedly, this advice was a
platform for his successes in becoming such a huge hit with the
ladies. Personally, I see no lyrical similarity between the pair,
and sense a little jealousy on Tupac's part.
Eminem
Possibly the
strangest accusation I have heard is that Eminem is biting Tupac. I
do not think that there is any truth in this, as due to skin-colour
differences it is impossible for Eminem to take 'the look'. I also
feel that Eminem has developed his own truly original lyrical style.
in my opinion, frequent references to Tupac should not be perceived as
anything more than a boy paying his respects.
Tha Realest
Possibly the
most blatant Tupac biter, in terms of looks and lyrics. Check out
this article from Hitemup.com
Formerly
known as Tenkamenin', as you may know him from the Gang Related
Soundtrack, "Tha Realest" switched his name when he joined
Deathrow Records. Why ? One can only speculate.
However I have heard Tupac refer to himself as The Realest "You
know who the realest is" on more than one occasion.
The style of Tha
Realest is so similar to Pac's, it's hard to mistake. From his
words dissing Mobb Deep and No Limit, to his speech and demeanor in
interviews and on to his style in rap. Many people claim he is
riding where Pac left of. Do you think there would be room for
Tha Realest on Deathrow if Tupac was still alive ?
Tha Realest has
addressed many of these similarities himself. As far as
appearance, he says he looks like his mom and his father, not like
Pac. As far as his style, he says he had the same style a long
time ago. I don't deny any of these facts. However, I do
believe the only reason he is on Deathrow is because Tupac is gone,
and they're looking for somebody to take his place.
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Stand
Strong - This is a song recorded by the Realest as a
"dedication" to Tupac. You can compare nearly
every line in this song to a song where Tupac has stated something
similar. |
Ja
Rule
Here
is Ja Rule in a series of Tupac-like poses. The do-rag, the tattooed
bare chest, the bald head, the goatee. It is very obvious that this
boy is trying to emulate Tupac with songs such as 'Lost Little Girl'
desperately trying to re-create the Tupac classic about another particular
run-down adolescent girl. Ja Rule even miserably made his own
version of Tupac's 'Pain', featuring 'Pac himself. Although he is
blatantly copying Tupac, this man is no threat, as his lyrical ability is
miniscule, he's ugly as hell and he's signed to the world's most corny
record label - Murder Inc.
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