Asked by thedeparted
Lyrical Musicians Music can be an art form if used in the right manner, and when these two men graze the microphone, the words spew like gold. Christopher Wallace, born in New York City, nicknamed Notorious B.I.G. From his stature, became a hip hop icon who transformed an industry. Tupac Shakur, also born in New York, was the highest selling rapper of all time at the time of his death. When Christopher and Tupac met in a recording studio one night, they had an unexplainable hatred for each other. This hatred was caused by various differences, but they were linked together by a range of similarities. With a collection of over twenty discs, each rapper had a successful career—but what sets them apart from other artists is their style and charisma that overwhelmed their audiences. Mr. Shakur’s lyrics were known to be passionate, most deriving from his love of life, and alluring. In his track “Dear Momma,” you can clearly depict his style and the fervor he brought to the microphone. He enlightens us with information from his troubled past, illustrating a picture of the connection between him and his mother. The sound of his voice brings a sense of urgency, and a tone that most people would sense as tears flowing down a cheek. Christopher was a scientist when it came to wordplay, with each word and syllable flowed together like poetry. Like a basketball star, practice was the key for Chris, who quickly developed a dictionary-sized vocabulary. His style is technical in the sense that although each rhyme is similar in substance, every one of his lyrics brings a new aspect of life. In the track “Would You Die for Me,” the body of the track focuses on one subject, but in no way does it become old, due in part to his vast display of the English language. Each rapper had a different approach when they stepped into the studio: On one side, Tupac’s passion was brought that helped bring the words to life. On the other side, Christopher spoke like he was reading off page of a thesaurus. One similarity that each of these men shared was their lifestyle outside the recording studio. Tupac’s life began gloomy and slowly picked up as his fame grew. Growing up in Brooklyn without a family, he managed to stay out of trouble. As he hit the age of eighteen with his rap career slowly beginning, he got into his fair share of trouble with the law. After spending more than 3 years in jail for sexual assault and battery, he walked out of the prison cell and retained his thug-like image. Involving himself with drugs and firearms, violence became a way of resolving issues—and became his downfall. On the night of September 7, 1996 after protecting his friend in a fight, he was killed in a drive-by shooting on the path back to his hotel. No one has ever been able to find the culprit in his death, but memorials are still held for this hip hop symbol. Christopher’s life was nearly identical to Tupac’s; born twenty minutes apart, they were friends until a shooting separated them. At the age of seventeen, Chris dropped out of high school and, with his mother in jail, started selling cocaine to support himself. A year later, he served a two-year jail sentence for assault and possession of narcotics. After departing jail, he met with his longtime pal, Tupac, and the friendship ended when bullets were shared. Aside from making classic albums that sold millions, Christopher’s life revolved around the use of narcotics and hallucinogens. He rose atop the power circle of the music industry, overtaking Tupac as the King of Rap. On March 9,1997, when driving home from an awards show, Mr. Wallace rolled down his windows, only to await be met by five bullets. He was proclaimed dead instantly, and shock struck the music industry: In the span of three years, two moguls had departed, with no sense of the murderers. Each rapper lived prominent careers and rather short lives, but both climbed up from troubles to become American symbols Just like most musicians, the content of their music was similar, with each track focused on gangster lyrics. What set them apart was how they delivered the expressions that helped to envision the wordplay.