re: Was there a better rapper that Tupac?

But, and I'm assuming you guys are from the South, w/ the exception of, say, Me So Horny and Mind Playing Tricks, these groups were more regional.

Us east coasters knew all of what was going on in Cali and they knew all about NY rap. There was no AirPlay up north of the southern acts. When RapCity started playing Outkast's Player's Ball (93) on repeat we all jumped on what the southern rappers had to offer.

Not saying the artists and albums you mentioned aren't up there, but they are extremely regional back then.

Agreed and cheers.

Dr Dre and its not even close. dude has only made 3....THREE albums over the course of 23 years and he's worth 700 mil.

Yeah, it's not Dre. Cube was the best of the NWA rappers. That's not really up for discussion either. Cube most wrote the lyrics too... But Dre was THE producer. You could even argue that Cube's solo albums are better too. But then there's that Deep Cover track and some guy named Snoop...

For sure Rakim is up there. But that's rap. So much had changed in how the genre is/was perceived from the late 80s to the early 90s and look where we are now.

I think it's funny that Jay hasn't been mentioned in this thread. Tupac, Big, Nas get the most love. Em. Add Rakim and in no order I would be ok w/ that being the first team.

the baddest rap album of all time. just sayin

Because his life was taken from him at a young age, it cemented him as a rap icon. Tupac was certainly very talented and was also interested in making a real difference within struggling communities; however, I think people listen to him with the mindset of "he is the greatest rapper ever" and therefore he is built up to be a better rapper than he is. It’s all a part of being a martyr and legend. I get it, and Pac deserves that. People say that there aren't any rappers like him anymore; all they talk about now is bullshite. Listen to Pac's music and tell me there aren't vulgar lyrics with some similar themes as modern rappers. I agree that the "popular" rap now is nowhere near as insightful and lyrical and poetic as Pac's, but there are still prevalent rappers out there who do exhibit these characteristics in their works (see Kendrick Lamar).

To answer your question, "best" is obviously subjective and I think it is more useful to come up with a top 3 or 5. Either way, I think Pac has earned his way on both of those short lists

Run DMC