10 Rappers That Would Not Be Here If 2Pac Was Alive

Would 2Pac Approve?

I was watching 2Pac's Resurrection movie and it brought me back to the days when I ate, slept, and breathed hip hop. The fact that Pac was not only the biggest star in hip hop, but was not afraid to speak what he truly believed in, no matter if it meant going to jail or getting killed.

Pac had the pulse of urban America. Sure he was young and brash, but he had an ultimate goal in mind to empower the people. The boy wasn't scared of being dropped by a label or sponsor for saying what he wanted. That got me to thinking about the rappers today. Certain things Pac would not let slide in hip hop that we now embrace...


Jay-Z
 - You can argue with me all you want, but Jay-Z is the one rapper that benefited the most when Pac died. He had just started his verbal onslaught on Jigga with the Makaveli album. With Pac gone, hip hop forgot about the beef and allowed the afluent rap style of Jay-Z to take center stage. Jigga would later feel so comfortable that he dodged Pac to recreate his Me and My Girlfriend for his own catalogue.

P. Diddy
 - Ask yourself this question: If Pac was alive would Diddy be the mogul he is today?

Rick Ross
 - Pac admittedly hung with drug dealers and made music for drug dealers, but he never would condone bragging about it. Nor would he allow a rapper from Miami to take a West Coast legend's name for profit.

Gucci Mane
 - 2Pac lived in ATL for several years, but he would not be down with Gucci's constant trap house message. Then again, would Gucci even rap about trapping if Pac was still in the game?

Mobb Deep
 - We all know he is well documented with his beef with M.O.B.B. Have they truly bounced back from that yet anyway?

Eminem

What would Pac say?

 - As cold as Marshall is lyrically, Pac was too protective of the hip hop culture for a white rapper to dominate the game like he did. Plus Dr. Dre may not have been in a position to put out Eminem if Pac was alive. That's debatable...

Kanye West
 - Pac was the first to mix high fashion and hip hop, but would not approve with Yeezy's borderline style at times. The tight pants, pastels, kilts, and masks would face the wrath of a Pac lyric or two.

Soulja Boy
 - "Crank That" would have looked like " U Can't Touch This" to Pac.

Dr. Dre
 - I think some how, some way Dre and Pac would reach a common ground to make hits again. For the sake of this piece we will assume that they would still be at odds. That would mean no Beats by Dre headphones.

Waka Flocka
 - The bar for bars in hip hop would be too high for Flocka. With all due respect, even Flocka knows he is not a lyricst. But he would be the best hype man in the game.

Riff Raff
 - This should be an easy one for everyone