In the pantheon hip-hop, there are very few rappers—dead or alive—whose names hold as high an esteem as the late greats Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
'Pac, a rapper, actor, poet, activist, and perhaps even a prophet, is arguably the most influential artist the culture and is the most well-known MC in the known universe 22 years after his passing. Biggie, widely considered the best to ever spit by his rap peers and knowledgeable fans alike, is firmly chiselled on hip-hop's Mt. Rushmore. But as the generation gap widens, there have been more and more instances new artists failing to put respect on these rap icons' names.
Lil Yachty was Golden Era hip-hop fans' public enemy No. 1 after calling Big's music overrated in 2016. Lil Xan recently felt the wrath Waka Flocka Flame and Michael Rapaport after he called 'Pac's music boring and claimed the rapper had very little clout. Most recently, Los Angeles rapper 03 Greedo reportedly lambasted Shakur in an interview with Billboard, calling the late MC at "bitch ass nigga" and questioning his street cred. And the list goes on.
Even other rappers are noticing the trend. "Every new rapper that disrespected Biggie and Pac blew up," Maryland rapper .idk. tweeted back on March 7. "Look I love the new rap I love the old rap, please nobody disrespect Big on his death date for clout. Keep opinions to yourself at the very least for today… #RIPBIG," he added two days later, on the 21st anniversary the death Big.
While many are the mindset that Tupac and Big's names should be protected at all costs, XXL has complied a list SoundCloud era rappers who have belittled the accomplishments —or outright dissed—the rap legends.