News of May 7, 2020
Eminem on Tupac: "Maybe the Greatest Songwriter of All Time"
"You don't just hear him, you feel him": Why Eminem honored Tupac as a songwriter in 2020 and included him on his personal list of greats.
For three hours in May 2020, Eminem played classics on Shade 45 (Sirius XM) by rappers who shaped him during his radio show Music to Be Quarantined By. Before the track “If I Die 2Nite” from Me Against the World, he said Tupac might be the greatest songwriter of all time. AllHipHop reported on May 7.
Tupac Had the Technique Too
You could debate rap technique, Eminem said, but Tupac had that too. The song shows both: heartfelt lyrics and lyrical playfulness, such as his wordplay with “p” words. Eminem explained Tupac’s frequent “Can you feel me?” this way: you don’t just hear Tupac, you feel him.
The List Comes in No Particular Order
On June 13, Eminem replied to a tweet from YouTuber NoLifeShaq asking who the greatest rapper of all time was. He named, in no particular order, Lil Wayne, Tupac, Royce da 5’9”, Jay-Z, Redman, Treach, Kool G Rap, The Notorious B.I.G., and Kxng Crooked. Billboard reported on June 14. Both statements are personal assessments by a peer for whom Tupac combined technique and feeling.