Eminem goes in-depth as to why he believes 2Pac Shakur is hip-hop’s greatest songwriter all time.
While every legendary rapper has a well-deserved appreciation for 2Pac Shakur’s music, Eminem might be one his biggest superfans — a Stan, if you will. In 2004, Em personally asked Afeni Shakur for permission to produce a posthumous Pac album in its entirety, leading to Loyal To The Game. Not to mention likening his temperament to the late legend on songs like “Soldier” and “Say What You Say.” Clearly, Pac played a pivotal role in Slim’s artistic development, and Em recently reflected on his impact during Music To Be Quarantined By.
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“This next song is from an artist I feel might be the greatest songwriter all time,” prefaces Em. “Debate what you want about emcee skills and all that, because he had that too. But this is one them songs by 2Pac, where to me, he was showing ‘I can write heartfelt shit and I can write lyrical crazy shit to.’ They say pussy and paper is poetry, power and pistols. Plottin’ on murdering muthafuckas fore’ they get you.”
“Like, the play on the P words and how he was doing it was so crazy,” continues Em. “Mixed with the feel that 2Pac could give you, which is constantly why he was always saying ‘can you feel me?!’ Because you felt Pac. You can’t just listen to Pac, but you feel Pac. If you listen to him, you gon’ feel him. Anyways, this is 2Pac’s “If I Die Tonight.'”
Lty praise from a rapper who isn’t exactly a stranger to the “greatest songwriter” conversation — do you agree with Em’s assessment on 2Pac Shakur?