Well, first off, I love Kendrick Lamar and that Control verse was HOT, impactful and as hard as they come these days! BUT, please don’t get it twisted! Still, after all these years, the HARDEST, emotionally charged, head-cracking-ness verse ever to be broadcasted by a top rapper in the game, simply started with these words:
"FIRST OFF! F**k Yo B**ch and the clique you claim…"You might say, “but that 2Pac verse was just pure violence!” Well, yes, yes it is! But actually it was (well, at least a little bit) more! The anger, emotion (and violence) that you hear in “Hit’em Up” is WHY it is the “Hardest Verse” (and song) ever written! That verse (and song) was so well written and callous about the lives and safety of the rappers that 2Pac called out, that it made you want to hate those rappers too! The song went on, for 3 or 4 more, hate filled verses, which included the rape and pillage of an entire staff, record label, crew and a bunch of other rappers and groups that 2Pac decisively and lyrically murdered! His disdain was so evident and poetically conveyed; it was indeed a turning point in rap music that we have never recovered from! No one, that I know of, with 2Pac’s status as a rap star, has ever had the audacity and tenacity to call out that many individuals, risking safety of his self and others!
Hit ‘Em Up by 2Pac
In contrast, what Kendrick Lamar did was claim to be more important and controversial than some really important/controversial things (like the Pope and Muslims eating pork). He then claimed to (ironically) be the son of 2Pac’s alter-ego, Makaveli, AND the (rap) King of New York (incidentally, Kendrick is from Compton, California)! He then called out a bunch of rappers by name, and advised them that though they are all cool with him, he would proceed to (lyrically) murder each and every one of them. He would also proceed to erase their presence from the minds and hearts of each and every one of their core fans, as well as inducing the general public into never wanting to hear them speak another noun OR verb! (In good humor, one of the rappers called out, Mac Miller, advised he would resort to spittin’ the wildest adjective verses ever) He then advised that he would even forget what competition was, because he’s just that good! Then he challenged all rappers to be better rappers, raising the bar so high, that it would be easier to skydive from 5 planes, flown by a drunken grandfather, trying to land (which means the plane wouldn’t be high enough to safely skydive from), all while bumping 2Pac in the cockpit so loud that all he thinks of is violence (oh, the irony)! The verse was hard, and impactful, but not as controversial and emotional as the 2Pac verse!
If you’re not a Hip-Hop head, or avid rap fan, then you may have missed both songs (Control by Big Sean/Kendrick Lamar/Jay Electronica; and Hit ‘Em Up by 2Pac and The Outlawz). And you may ask, “what is so special about these verses!?” Well, what you have to do is listen to the songs. Listen to the poetry, lyricism, and delivery. I gave you the “translated”, plain English, explanation of what they were saying, but when you hear the words as they convey them, you will understand (hopefully, if you appreciate the “art” of rap) why these two verses are so “out cold”, impactful to the game of rap, and exciting to rap listeners everywhere!
That is what Stylez thinks! What do you think?
For this week’s G.O.O.D. Friday MP3, Kanye reformed his ‘07-born trio with Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell Williams, Child Rebel Soldier. While CRS members have teamed up on a number of tracks over the years, this is their first release under the moniker since dropping their Thom Yorke-sampling debut, 
